The parking lot is packed, a haze of people fill the University Bookstore, and Woody Hall is on most students’ list of places to stop. But this year the anxiety of back to school lines has not been so bad, SIUC students say.

Michael Barrett, a graduate student in workforce education and development from Lombard, said he walked into the Bursar’s Office and was surprised to see no lines.

In years past, the Bursar was filled with people, Barrett said. I even popped a dollar in the meter expecting to be here awhile.

Advertisement

Norma Swinford, supervisor of deposits, said the lines are shorter because SIUC direct lending services have taken affect.

Direct lending services credits loan money into the student’s account and any credit balance is sent to the student in the form of a check.

People have to wait hardly any time at all, Swinford said.

Nicole Cody, a graduate student in communication disorders from Marion, said lines to buying a parking decal were not as bad as last year.

I only had to wait in line for about 30 minutes which isn’t as bad as in the past, Cody said.

The lines in the parking division are shorter because of different procedure and the extension of the expiration date of decals, according to Patty Thompson, cashier IV in civil service.

It’s the same process as it has always been, but it moves faster because we have check stations where we can get the information through quicker, Thompson said.

Advertisement*

Also, we extended the date and all 95 decals are good until Sept. 30 and from now on will expire on Sept. 30., giving students time to settle in before they have to worry about getting a new decal.

The University Bookstore has prevented long lines this year because of a new computer system and better organization, according to Jim Skiersch, director of University Bookstore.

Our new computer system is much quicker, Skiersch said. We also have nine registers running. There have only been five or six people in line all day long.