A computer malfunction in the university’s accounting and payroll systems earlier this year is nearly fixed, according to the UW-Madison Office of Student Financial Services.

“The issue is between us and the employers, and eventually it affects the students,” OSFO Director Susan Fischer said.

Every semester, many UW-Madison students depend on jobs provided through the university’s Work-Study program to pay for the financial burdens of college.

According to the OSFO website, Work-Study is a federally funded, need-based program that employs students with either on or off-campus jobs.

Students receive a paycheck from the university, which is then reimbursed by the employer.

The glitch left several non-profit organizations unaware of the actual amount they owed the university—reimbursements totaling about $200,000, according to a Channel 27 report.

“Goal No. 1 is to get the payment back, and we’re very close to that,” Fischer said. The current amount owed to the university is about $51,000.

“We don’t want it to impact students negatively,” Fischer said.
As an extra precaution, she encouraged students via e-mail to keep track of hours worked.

“Goal No. 2 is to improve the process, at least manually for now,” Fischer said. “It’s not ideal, but it’s working.”