Paying full price for ‘YouTube University’
Twenty-nine dollars. Wow. This is the amount to be refunded to Chico State University students for the fall 2020 semester.
The move to online learning because of coronavirus restrictions played a large role in decreased student morale and overall interest in learning. Continued lack of support, neglect and failure to sympathize left many students feeling discouraged and dissatisfied.
Students in the greater Butte County area have faced continual trials during the past few years. From fires, to power outages and now the coronavirus, it seems we cannot catch a break. Because of this, I was appalled to discover that while classes were to be conducted online, tuition would remain full price.
Chico State’s tuition is expected to cover students’ use of facilities, payment of staff as well as various other fees. My fall semester cost me $3,934. That is $3,934 to sit in front of a screen a couple times a week and hope I retain the information being clicked through on the Google slide being shown that day.
That is $3,934 to meet once a week for classes that are supposed to meet twice a week and even then, are still often canceled.
That is $3,934 to keep the lights on in a building that no one is even using. We are paying in-person prices for online education and the few people who can change it don’t.
Instead, we received an email with the lackluster message. “Instructionally Related Activities Fee will be reduced by $29 per semester,” however, “the University has reviewed the full fee schedule, and has determined that all other scheduled fees remain warranted.”
This point blank seems like a slap in the face to those students struggling to pay rent or buy groceries. Time and time again we have seen apologies because of the circumstances surrounding this semester, but there has to be more that can be done.
Coronavirus has affected more than just students’ schooling, but their jobs as well. The continued quarantine and wavering shutdown tier has left many without work for long periods of time.
A survey of more than 1,000 college students, completed by Student Loan Hero, found that one in four students lost their jobs because of COVID-19, and more than four out of five students are facing financial difficulties because of the coronavirus.
Students are struggling now, perhaps more than they ever have before, and the system that claims to want to help us succeed is simply milking us dry.
In July 2020, 75 percent of the 17,000 college students surveyed by OneClass admitted to being “unhappy with the quality of online classes” this past spring, causing 35 percent of students to consider withdrawing before the fall semester.
It also was found that 93.2 percent of students believed tuition should be lowered if classes went completely online, which has now come to pass.
A Cal Poly student seemed to mirror the opinion of many when stating, “I’m not paying full price for YouTube University.” The rising prices of tuition alone decreases low-income students’ accessibility to higher education. Couple that with decreased quality of classes and you have a detrimental pairing.
Students today are the future and it is time for a change that actually benefits the students for once, rather than one that adds another dollar to the pocket of the school system.
We deserve better than a quick cash grab. Neglecting to acknowledge this will result in lower enrollment, hurting both students and schools.