Petition from the student body of the Boston College School of Social Work

As BCSSW students, we have made significant financial and personal sacrifices to engage in exceptional in-person instruction at Boston College. We agreed to pay for a program that provides us with consistent face-to-face interactions with our colleagues and professors, as well as a solid foundation of skills in the field of social work. The core of the social work program is the in-person interaction (i.e. networking, practice labs, class conversations, talking with professors after class). We understand and support your decision to conduct all courses online for at least the fall, guided by public health guidelines. However, we are shocked and concerned that we have not received a tuition discount to account for this change of events. The in-person BCSSW experience we had budgeted and planned for has changed. The conditions in which our application was submitted and the projected tuition costs advertised have changed. 

A remote learning experience is entirely different from an in-person one. Many of us have been forced to turn our bedrooms or kitchens into home-offices, and are plagued by the constant distraction of roommates, family members, and children. Many students have reported that the online format has decreased their ability to focus and diminished the overall learning experience. Along with a drastic change to our learning environments (between the classroom and in field placements), many of us have faced newer financial hardships that need to be accounted for. For example, many of us have had our job hours reduced or have been laid off from the jobs we relied on to pay for our graduate program. The student body of the school of social work is petitioning for a tuition reduction as stated below to account for these changes and set an example for how colleges can best support their students during an unprecedented pandemic.

Tuition and Fee Adjustments:

1. Reduce 2020-2021 tuition costs and ensure there will be no annual tuition increase for the coming year: Our tuition should not cover in the same capacity the indirect costs such as the maintenance needs of classrooms, the technology used in classrooms, or the overhead required to run the buildings which we would have utilized for class. 
2. Eliminate fees for student activities: Due to COVID-19, students will not be engaging in regular in-person student activities such as gym services, cultural events and clubs, performances, guest speakers, orientations, and other campus-wide events.
3. Provide technology scholarships/discounts to support the necessary tech equipment that many students either do not have or do not have a compatible version of to support online learning:  Many students do not currently have the resources they need to adjust to online classes. Providing immediate technology scholarships to pay for the cost of new equipment including laptops with video cameras will help students adjust.

Many BCSSW students have already deferred until next year so they are able to have the experience that comes with the price tag at BCSSW. We hope BC, our alma mater that we will be giving back to as future alumnus, would be able to adjust their tuition costs accordingly, especially for an online program experience. We know this is possible. As an example, Boston University already offers an online MSW program at a 20% decrease in tuition from their in-person program.

For decades, Boston College School of Social Work has set an example of what an extraordinary Social Work program looks like. The school helps shape social workers who are prepared to go into the world to support communities at the macro and micro levels. Before we can do our part, we need to know you are invested in our success, and willing to meet us where we are.