In swift response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Boston University has made admirable and progressive efforts in moving classes to an online format from March 16th until April 13th. This decision allows BU students to stay on track for graduation and takes a critical precautionary measure to reduce community transmission in an urban setting with ample international travel.

The students of Boston University are extremely grateful for its efforts to relentlessly pursue community health during a time of emergency. However, the students of this university also accept the high cost of attendance to make use of its world-class facilities and receive its uniquely-prestigious and comprehensive educational experience in the heart of Boston, to which our access is ultimately diminished by the move to an online format.

This is why we believe we should be partially refunded for tuition in a way which accurately represents the changes made to the student experience in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; additionally, students not returning to campus after March 16th will not be utilizing university housing and dining resources during the latter portion of the semester and should not be financially responsible for room and board past March 6th, the last day of classes before Spring Break.

The proposal for student-sided tuition refunds is simple:

• We had 66 class days planned this semester, and BU has moved 21 of which to an online format. BU students should be refunded 1/6 of tuition based on a 50/33 plan, which pushes for a 50% refund on ~1/3 of online class days this semester. This would be a $4,560 tuition refund for full-time undergraduates, which would ideally come in the form of a direct deposit, and would be protected from being drawn from all student financial aid except Federal Loan cancellation up to $4,560 and a direct deposit for the remainder.
• Students paying for housing and dining should only be financially responsible for the period of use. For students not returning on March 16th, this period is January 17th - March 6th, as opposed to the normal period of January 17th - May 10th, which comes out to 50/115 days, or ~43.48% of Residence and Dining charges for the Spring 2020 Semester.
• Fees such as Student Services and Health & Wellness should not be refunded to allow the University its planned resources for managing changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, students should be able to opt out of refunds or donate their refunds back to the university if they desire.

While exact numbers and reasoning should be a discussion between the student body and administration, the movement for student-sided refunds is to simply ensure that refunds are given, and that when they are, they actively prioritize representing changes to the student experience. This means a refund policy on tuition which prioritizes accurately reflecting changes to students' educational experience (and actually puts the refund in students' hands) rather than minimizing the amount refunded, and a refund policy on room & board which strictly represents students' actual periods of use rather than university-sided logistics which ultimately preserve university resources during a time of reasonably greater spending.

At the end of the day, we recognize this is a multifaceted issue that is challenging for administration to navigate. However, it should not be the burden of students across the board to consider with our and our families' wallets the allocation of Boston University's copious financial resources during this time of health-related adjustment affecting BU as well as students and our families. We are again grateful to Boston University's unwavering commitment to the health and well-being of our community, but it should not be impossible to recognize our university as a leader in developing progressive policies on both pandemic response and financial reimbursements which actively prioritize integrity in reflecting & preserving the student experience.