Due to the unforeseen circumstances brought upon the world by COVID-19, many institutions of higher education have disallowed all student access to their campuses. Therefore, these institutions have made a sudden transition to remote teaching, where students take their classes online from home (or at least outside of the typical classroom environment). Although the transition period has been rough for many, students are still hanging on in hopes of graduating and continuing their pursuit towards their careers.  

There is still one problem, among many others, left unchecked within our current curriculum, however. Many students within major institutions of higher education feel that the cost of tuition should be adjusted to accommodate for the predicaments that have transpired during, and will persist after, the impact of COVID-19.

One reason for this is to alleviate the economic devastation wrought in the wake of this pandemic, which has left many students (and their families) unemployed, unable to pay for basic necessities, and -most obvious of all- unable to afford the already ridiculous cost of tuition that we have grown accustomed to. The other reason? Many feel as though taking university-level classes through a zoom meeting/online format is not the same as meeting your peers and professors in a physical learning environment. To put it bluntly, taking classes online that usually aren't scripted for an online format isn't worth the tens of thousands of dollars we spend a year (even after factoring in financial aid and other economic assistance).

The purpose of this petition is to bring light to the situation at hand - even if it comes only a step at a time. To start small, I have decided to target the university that I currently attend: Cal State Channel Islands. I know many, many students and families that are struggling to make ends meet, so hopefully with enough signatures, we can garner the attention of the CI president, chancellor, board of trustees, and faculty and start making change for ourselves.