Dickinson College has made the decision to open it's campus this coming fall, and to resume in-person classes. However, it has been explained to students that there is a large chance that some classes will be taught fully remotely, and that it is almost certain that others will be partially online. It is irresponsible to bring 2,500 of us back to campus from all over the world during a pandemic, and to ask us to risk our health and the financial resources of our families. With the world experiencing a health crisis, our country in the throws of racial injustice, and our economy being ravaged by COVID-19, it is disrespectful to ask students and their families to hand over $54,000 dollars for the upcoming academic year's tuition. 

The college claims that this amount of money is worth spending for the "unique" education Dickinson provides - a questionable premise at best. While we may be reluctantly willing to spend that much during a typical year, we will not spend the same if we are not to receive the same quality of education. As students of Dickinson, we are promised a "hands-on, experiential learning" environment. We understand that this style of learning may not be feasible during this pandemic. However, what we cannot comprehend is why we are being asked to pay full tuition and fees when learning remotely cannot provide us with said "unique" education. Online courses at community colleges typically cost less than $1,000 dollars, and we are being asked to spend roughly $6,750 dollars on a single course, which is unjustifiable when we cannot be guaranteed an interpersonal connection with our professors and peers. This past spring, for example, once we evacuated campus, some professors simply posted their written lectures on Moodle and left the teaching to us; which is clearly not the kind of educational experience we've been promised. 

It is unreasonable to ask us to comply with this demand and further discriminates against low income students and families, many of whom are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). We as students, student families, and alumni, are asking that this institution show compassion during this difficult time. We, the undersigned, suggest the following remedies: 

1. For courses that will be taught partly in-person, and partly online, reduce the cost of the individual course by one third. For courses that will be taught entirely online, reduce the cost by one half. 

2. Financial aid packages should be increased for those students whose families have suffered a loss of employment, income and financial stability. Many of these families, while they may qualify for unemployment insurance, have not received any government benefits. 

3. Do not force students to pay for a full meal plan. We've been told that we will be placed in "cohorts" and told when, where, and how we can access dining services. This is problematic as students may have conflicting obligations such as extra circulars, academic assignments, jobs, and appointments among others. Those students who wish, should be allowed to opt out of a meal plan entirely, or opt for the apartment housing flex meal plan, regardless of where they live. This way, students will be able to use the money saved to buy groceries that they can cook for themselves in our many kitchens across campus. 

We hope you will consider these reasonable requests, and not place the institution's  financial gain above it's students educational requirements and endangered ability to pay Dickinson's full cost during the current crisis. Thank you for listening to your students' deep concerns, and for giving our position your most thoughtful consideration. We look forward to receiving a positive and constructive response!