Statement of Demands released by Alliance of DePaul Student Organizations

On behalf of the organizations and student groups signed below, we want to thank the DePaul University administration for its quick response to the COVID-19 crisis and their concern for the health and safety of their students. This uncertainty has only been exacerbated, in the view of many, by unclear and slowly forthcoming information from the university. In this statement, we are delivering a number of crucial questions that we ask the university to clarify with regard to these concerns. We have also compiled a list of demands in the interest of the wellbeing of the DePaul community. 

These are our demands:

1. Tuition:
   1. That DePaul provide clarification on the price of tuition during Spring Quarter and provide a timeline for refunding students who have already paid full tuition
      *Note: At the time of this statement’s release, nearly 3,200 (and counting)  DePaul students and community members have already signed a change.org petition demanding DePaul lower spring quarter tuition to reflect the lowered cost of operations and the lack of important services that our tuition is intended to cover. We support this demand and encourage all other students and community members who support this demand to also sign the petition: Tuition Petition
   2. That DePaul clarify, in one clear and succinct document, the process by which students will be refunded for Spring Quarter housing, meal plan, textbook, and other payments
      Campus Operations
   3. That DePaul clarify, in one clear and succinct document, which facilities will be open during Spring Quarter, and which services will be available for students
      *Hours of operation for the libraries, academic buildings, and student centers of both campuses
      *Hours of operation for the dining halls
      *Hours of operation for the food pantry in the Lincoln *Park student center
      *Availability of University Counseling Services, Student Legal Services, AMITA Health Services, and other services normally available to students on campus and online
      *U-Pass availability for students (especially student workers) during spring quarter
2. Housing:
   1. That DePaul guarantee in writing that no student will go homeless, be returned to an unsafe housing situation as a result of dorm move-out, or lose housing benefits from financial aid/VA benefits
   2. That DePaul clarify the process by which they are approving students’ requests to remain in housing for Spring Quarter, and the criteria they are using to make that decision
   3. That DePaul delay the deadline for move-out to Sunday the 29th. Not only do many students need more time to secure a place to stay and coordinate the transportation of their belongings, but most students who are requesting to remain in housing will only find out if their request is approved a few days before the deadline to move out.
   4. That DePaul provide students to waive clean-up or additional dorm fees during emergency move-out
3. Employment:
   1. That DePaul guarantee paid time off for all employees who will not be working during the period of time that normal university operations are suspended.                    
      *This Includes: undergraduate and graduate student employees, faculty whose classes or other responsibilities may be canceled, staff members, contract employees, and third party workers (including but not limited to food service workers, security guards, and cleaning staff)
   2. That DePaul guarantee all stipend employees be paid during spring quarter
   3. That DePaul guarantee all returning workers the option to resume employment when full operations are restored on campus
4. Winter Quarter Final Exams:
   1. That DePaul delay the due date for Winter Quarter grades to Friday April 3, so that professors may accommodate students whose lives have been disrupted by the university shutdown
   2. That DePaul guarantee all students receive a passing grade on their Winter Quarter finals, to accommodate those whose grades may be affected by the insecurity around the crisis
      *Note: At the time of this statement’s release, nearly 600 (and counting) DePaul students and community members have already signed a change.org petition demanding all students receive passing grades on their classes for Winter Quarter. We support this demand and encourage all other students and community members who support this demand to also sign the petition: Finals Petition
5. Spring Quarter Online Classes:
   1. That DePaul ensure all professors are trained in facilitating online classes and making them accessible to disabled students
   2. That DePaul provide services and equipment to ensure online classes are accessible to all disabled students
   3. That DePaul provide facilities on campus for students without internet access to access their online classes

We demand that DePaul release a statement in which they commit to meeting these demands by no later than Monday, March 16, and that they provide clarification on all of these questions as soon as possible out of courtesy to the students and community members of DePaul University.

We appreciate the DePaul administration’s quick and thorough response to this crisis and their cooperation with students and community members. We look forward to a productive dialogue that will ensure the safety and wellbeing of all those affected by these difficult decisions.

Signed,

DePaul Socialists

Campaign Nonviolence DePaul

Chicago Area Peace Action DePaul

Codenamejane

Students for Justice In Palestine

UMMA - United Muslims Moving Ahead

African Student Association

Dissenters

Asian Pacific Islander Desi American 

(APIDA) Sisterhood Uprising 

APIECE - Asian Pacific Islanders for Equity and Critical Engagement

ACE- Asian Cultural Exchange

Black Artist Network

IMPACT DePaul - I Matter, Political ActivismCan Too

Students Against Incarceration

STRONG - Sisters Together Recognizing Our Never-Ending Growth

1GO - First Generation Organization

Act Out

The History Society 

Queer People of Color

Japan Table

Spectrum

DePaul Student Worker Solidarity

Jailene Leyva, Senator for First Generation Students

Jinan Chehade, Senator of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Kelly Garcia, Senator of Mission and Ministry

DALE - DePaul Alliance for Latinx Empowerment

Marcus Robertson, Senator of Student Veterans’ Affairs

Contact:

president@depaul.edu, deanofstudents@depaul.edu, ote@depaul.edu, sghanem@depaul.edu,  newsroom@depaul.edu, tips@depauliaonline.com

Hashtags: #WhatMustBeDone #DPUCOVID19 #JustCOVIDResponse #TakeCareDePaul