Tuition errors resolved, says state

By KRISTA FLEDDERMAN
Collegian Staff Writer

The Pennsylvania Treasury Department failed to record more than $15,000 received from 55 Tuition Account Program buyers, according to a recent report.

The Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General discovered the error this month, said Karen Walsh, senior communications adviser for the department. A random sampling of TAP accounts conducted on certain days led the office to find the recording errors, Walsh said.

The program, which began in 1993, is designed to lessen the burden of financial planning for college, said Robert Gentzel, spokesperson for state treasurer Barbara Hafer. TAP accounts not only encourage saving but help future tuition-payers' inflation.

"If a parent or grandparent wants to pay for a child to go to school at Penn State, TAP enables them to purchase tuition at today's rate, even as tuition increases," he said.

Gentzel said the problem with the inaccurate TAP account records has been resolved.

"We found the problem and have taken steps to correct it," he said. "This will not have any deterrent effect."

Penn State students who depend upon TAP funds for tuition do not seem to be affected by the recent problem.

"We haven't observed any problems," said Sue Wiedemer of Penn State's Office of the Bursar.

After finding the error, the treasury department took additional measures to prevent similar mistakes, Gentzel said.

"We now balance the customer's accounts to make sure they are accurate," Gentzel said. "In addition, we have our own internal audits bureau so we can catch things as we go along."

To further combat problems, Gentzel said customers are encouraged to become active in reviewing their own TAP accounts.

"It is our job to make sure mistakes don't happen, but customers should take advantage of the statements we send them," he said.

Despite the department's recent mistakes, Gentzel feels potential customers shouldn't hesitate to buy tuition in advance.

"People are buying from the program now more than ever, as the number of participants recently reached 26,000," he said.