NWU reminds students, uphold ‘honesty in financial transactions’
Northwestern University reminds students to uphold honesty in financial transactions amidst cases of receipt forgery.
As part of the transition to distance learning, all the university offices also shift transactions through different online platforms. To reduce face-to-face transactions at the university, the Finance Office is shifting to other modes of payment. One of the modes of payment is online transactions through the bank transfer method. The transaction is more convenient as students will pay through a banking app, take a screenshot, and upload the screenshot of the receipt to the student portal.
The bank transfer method started to be a convenient financial transaction method until the Finance Office discovered forged receipts and payment documents, which began in the first semester of AY 2020-2021. The Office of Student Affairs (OSA) handles these cases wherein several students were reported for committing forgery of receipts, a serious offense under the student handbook.
“There are scrupulous transactions that are detected outright, while there are those [that] are traced only at later dates. Early detection applies to transactions sent via non-bank payment channels like G-Cash and PayMaya. Because of the unique tracking numbers, the office can easily detect if [the] uploaded receipts are fake. The student’s attention is called, and if resolved, the permit is released,” said the Finance Office.
“There are also uploaded receipts whose validity can only be determined after bank reconciliation. This takes a little bit longer due to the bulk of transactions the office is confronted with. Hence, [the] permit is released before the irregularity is discovered. Upon discovery, the student’s attention is called,” Finance Office added.
According to the verified data from the OSA, cases of receipt forgery are being dealt with by a disciplinary board. The students who are found guilty of the act will receive a minimum of ten (10) to a maximum of 45 days of suspension. In addition, repeat offenders will be expelled. There are already students who have received disciplinary action for forging receipts. Aside from the disciplinary action, the Guidance Center conducts a series of counseling sessions to help and guide them through different interventions.
OSA and Finance Office suggest that instead of forging receipts, students can avail themselves of the “Safe Loan Program,” which grants loans without interest to students up to PHP 5,000.00. Students can benefit from this service during their initial, preliminary, and midterm payments. The said program can be availed online by sending a message to the official Facebook page of NWU OSA. Students need to complete the program form and attach their identification cards and their guardian’s identification cards. Also, the OSA and Finance Office are open to help students with financial concerns.
“In this time of pandemic, let us not merely survive this. Let us keep our values intact, maintain compassion [for] others, and hold steadfast to [our] faith. Seek help when needed rather than doing it in your own reckless way which you [will] regret in the end. Always remember the university through the OSA and other offices, will always be ready and willing to listen [to] and promptly address your concerns,” said Prof. Agustina A. Dancel-Matias, OSA Acting Dean.”
To our dear students, be honest, be responsible, be disciplined, be firm with your values. Honesty is a very expensive gift that you can’t expect from cheap individuals, so they say. And no one [wants] to be regarded as cheap, right? After all, honesty is the foundation of TRUST. A dishonest person will pay an enormous tax – that is, the loss of integrity and credibility. Be honest, and you will never go wrong. There is nothing compared to having a clear conscience and peace of mind to put you to sleep at the end of the day,” said Prof. Josephine G. Bolusan, VP for Finance.
