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For the numerous students who rely on their parents or guardians to pay their BAR accounts every month, the services billed from the Ashe Center can bring up certain confidentiality issues.

When students receive treatment or get medication from the Ashe Center, the bill gets posted straight to their BAR accounts.

Although the BAR statement does not list the specific services the patient went in for, some students may still find it uncomfortable to explain to their parents why they visited the Ashe Center.

“I can envision a situation that may be uncomfortable,” said Aaron Streets, a fifth-year physics and art student. “Students may not want to tell their parents why they went in to the Ashe Center.”

For the other students who handle their own BAR accounts, the Ashe Center’s system is generally efficient.

“It’s not a problem for me,” said Mohit Lad, a third-year graduate student. “I’m fine with them posting a visitation statement.”

According to Michele Pearson, director of ancillary services at the Ashe Center, students cannot pay up front because there is no cashier to handle the payments and because “having money in a facility raises the danger risk.”

The only exception to this rule is for birth control pills, in which case women who do not want their parents finding out about the pills can pay on the spot, before the bills get forwarded to their respective BAR accounts.

“Sexual activity among college students is a very sensitive issue,” Pearson said. “We try our best to accommodate that.”

Although parents can call in and get information about billing, Pearson said confidentiality is a priority when it comes to personal medical information.

“We cannot discuss anyone’s medical case over the phone,” Pearson said, adding that parents are usually very cooperative with the Ashe Center’s confidentiality policy.

Anh Do, a third-year math student, said, “I think (the Ashe Center) is respectful of student confidentiality ... I’m not worried about my privacy there.”

If students are still uncomfortable with their parents having access to their billing, there is a way to secure this information so that only the students can get to it.

According to Pearson, every student has signed a waiver of privacy rights about medical billing before coming to UCLA.

This waiver, which allows parents to get medical billing information just by calling, can be canceled by contacting the Student Accounting Office.

Once the waiver is canceled, no information about billing can be given out to anyone without the student’s consent.

While some students may find this to be an efficient solution to their confidentiality problems, others consider it unfair for the parents.

“If the parents are running the BAR account, they have a right to know,” Streets said.