Students will not be able to pay for school in cash after this Friday.

On June 29 at 5 p.m. a veil will be drawn over the Boca Cashier’s Office. Three of its five employees are being laid off, and contact between cashiers and students will no longer exist. Payments must now be made online, by mail or via credit card, according to two emails sent to students over the summer term.

The email also said students wishing to deliver their payment in person will have to deposit their money in the Boca campus’ drop box.

The offices are being closed since 98 percent of payments are made online already, according to Dennis Crudele, senior vice president of financial affairs.

“It is what it is — everything is going electronically. It’s a sign of the times,” Linda Sancilio, the cashier operations manager said as she shrugged with a sad smile. She’s worked at the cashiers office for 23 years.

“There will be two people processing information, but no face to face interaction. A film will be covering this office,” Sancilio said.

The cashier’s offices in Broward and the northern campuses will also be closing, but their cashiers are being retained. Their employees will be relocated, their offices converted into empty space.

These cashiers are being retained because they already perform other duties for the university. They will find different employment within the university after June 29, according to Crudele.

“When the semester starts, [the Broward Cashier’s Office is] incredibly busy,” said Idiculla John, assistant vice president of administrative services at the Broward campus.

“Our hands are tied. They came down to us from administration and said ‘Operations are going to be suspended.’”

This isn’t the first time the university has considered closing the Cashier’s Office either.

“In the past we never reached that point,” Crudele said.

_________________ Breaking Down the Numbers ____________________________

Total Expense for Financial Affairs in 2011-2012 = $581,224,911.

The department of Financial Affairs needs to cut $11,624,498.22, according to Crudele.

Laying off three employees and suspending operations at the cashier’s offices will save $3,487,349.46, according to Crudele.

The costs of some offices were not listed in the Operating Budget, nor were the salaries of the employees being laid off.

“[Those costs] are buried under the Controller’s Office,” according to Crudele.

Controller’s Office operating cost in FY 2011-2012 = $2,697,322

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