To whom it may concern,

My name is Samantha Brannan. I am reaching out to inquire about whether or not there will be a reduction in tuition for students required to attend school virtually this coming fall semester. I understand the stress that staff may feel with the uncertainty that comes with these difficult times and I'm hoping you understand the stress that students also face during this time. I've been consistently checking the bill and payment center through Gulfline and have noticed that tuition is still as expensive for virtual classes as it was for in-person classes. I personally registered for in-person style classes back in May, and now that 4 of 5 of those classes have all moved online, I’m not only stressed with how I will succeed in those classes but if I should even spend money on classes that I know have a lower success rate than in-person classes. I want to be very clear about what I mean here to avoid any confusion. I know that during a normal semester where students are given the option to take online classes, it makes sense that tuition prices would stay the same. However, given the current circumstances, students have not been given much of a choice about whether they can handle online learning or not, yet still at the same fiscal expense. I love FGCU and all that this school has to offer, but I'm curious as to why it seems there will be no reduction in tuition prices for the online classes I’m currently registered for. I'm sure it's no surprise that most students are on the same page when it comes to online learning. To simply put it, online courses are more difficult to absorb knowledge from and thus why students decide to attend an in-person university rather than earning their degree online in the first place. I know I speak for myself and many other students when I say that in-class learning is preferred over online courses. With that said, I know the current situation with COVID-19 doesn’t allow us to gather in larger groups and we must take this as a lesson to adapt quickly. With all due respect, it's important you understand the urgency of the situation that I and my fellow classmates face. I know that with social distancing practices at play, our athletics program certainly isn’t, meaning students will have less outlets for social events needed for healthy psychological development. Office hours will be limited or completely online and now students are expected to put more money into equipment needed to ensure stability in online courses (stable wifi connections, laptops, etc.). Many of the services that I, as a student, expect to be provided by any school I attend, are being suspended in order to stay in accordance with social distancing practices. My point is this: I can proudly say that I pay for every college expense on my own, as many of my classmates do as well, and I don’t take lightly to paying the same price for less goods. In 16 days I am scheduled to move into a Northlake dorm from my hometown Tampa Florida. With almost all of my classes being held virtually, I am faced with the difficult task of figuring out what makes the most financial sense; do I move back to campus and pay full price for not only housing but tuition only to receive less in my learning experience or do I stay home and complete this semester virtually but still at the same price as I would if I had physically gone to school. I ask you to please consider reducing the price of tuition for online classes, as they do not provide the full learning experience and instead offer less of the services that so many of us need in order to further our success. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Best regards,

FGCU student body