Dear President Neville Pinto, Provost Kristi Nelson, and Dean Timothy Jachna, 

     As you know, we are in the midst of a global health and economic crisis. In light of the impact of this global pandemic, the University of Cincinnati has an obligation to provide relief to students and their families. To keep students safe, UC has decided to continue the use of remote, online learning for the 2020 summer semester. As students at UC and individuals, we respect and support these steps taken by the leaders of our University and the state of Ohio to prioritize the health of students, their families, and our greater community.

     However, the University's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) has made the decision to charge students the same tuition rate as regular, face-to-face classes. Explaining the reasoning behind this decision in a college-wide email, DAAP Dean Timothy Jachna writes: 

     "Remote instruction of classes built around DAAP curriculum are not the same as “online classes” and thus tuition will not be adjusted. The coursework and expectations of DAAP Summer 2020 classes will still meet the standards of our program. The time and expertise of our esteemed faculty will still be engaged as it would in our normal curriculum and in some cases even more. Therefore, tuition to attend these classes will not be discounted. Course material fees will be adjusted to meet the new format."

     Due to the unprecedented nature of the current situation, the expectation that students continue to pay full tuition cannot come with the certainty that the classes being paid for meet the same standards of a face-to-face class. Despite efforts made by professors and faculty, it is no longer possible to maintain the previous level of accessibility to campus resources. We must acknowledge that classes cannot and will not function the same way as before.

     This university is training some of the world’s greatest artists, planners, designers, and architects. We are lucky to be provided with an incredible amount of resources for creating work and learning at DAAP. With this transition to virtual education, we lose access to:

- DAAP photo lab, which includes photo and lighting studios, video and photo equipment rentals, high quality photo printing and large format printers, etc.  
- Build Lab, which includes woodshop and metal working space.
- Rapid Prototyping Center, which includes laser cutters and 3D printers.
- All gallery spaces, including the Reed Gallery and the Tabula Rasa.
- Sewing and digital pattern making labs, as well as sublimation and embroidery studios
- CGC lab, limiting computer access and software availability
- DAAP library, hugely impacting the ability to conduct research for work.

     These are some of the vital components of our education lost in this transition. Those of us in creative fields find ourselves at an extreme disadvantage due to the hands-on nature of our work. These resources are essential to the creative learning process, and without them,  the quality of work we make will suffer. We are being limited from reaching our full potential and have abruptly been given the enormous responsibility of allocating these resources on our own, while paying the exact same price for a significantly altered learning experience. 

     In addition to this loss of resources, some of us are taking care of sick families, or may have moved back into dangerous or toxic home environments. Many of us have been laid off from jobs that keep us financially afloat and are now unsure where their next paycheck or meal is coming from. Others will have trouble accessing WiFi connection to complete coursework or might be in a different time zone than UC’s professors, creating an even heavier burden while we each navigate this huge transition in our lives. We recognize the hard work of the professional faculty we are surrounded by every day. However, despite efforts made by the University, students will still be disproportionately burdened. We are asking that the University of Cincinnati and DAAP acknowledge the financial hardships piled onto the loss of critical resources that students and their families are facing.

     Remote learning is synonymous with online learning, and we postulate that the price we are paying should reflect that. We believe it is reasonable to ask that the University of Cincinnati reduce summer 2020 tuition rates for students of DAAP by 25 percent. The cost for one full-time, in-state student at the University of Cincinnati for a single semester is approximately $6,130 ($13,497 for out-of-state students). For DAAP students, this does not include the $750 program fee, other campus fees listed below, and housing costs.

Therefore, we are calling for the the University of Cincinnati to:

- Reduce tuition by 25 percent and waive all fees for DAAP students regardless of financial aid status during the upcoming summer 2020 session. Those who have already paid tuition and fees should be refunded accordingly. Fees include:
- $750 DAAP program fee
- $275 Campus Life fee
- $200 IT and Instructional Equipment fee
- $4,600 Instructional fee
- $400 General fee
- $465 co-op fee
- $1,200 Student Health Insurance 

- Students normally paying out-of-state tuition will pay Metropolitan tuition rates. Students residing in certain parts of Kentucky and Indiana are given in-state tuition rates plus an added charge of $25 per credit hour, per semester. All DAAP graduate and undergraduate students normally paying out-of-state tuition will pay the Metro rate.

- Tuition reduction and waiving of fees will come at no change to financial aid packages, nor will it impact benefits or payment given to any faculty, staff, or students.

- We are also requesting that the College of DAAP be completely transparent with their finances during this global crisis and release a budgetary breakdown report. Students and families are asked to pay a large amount of money with very little information pertaining to what this money is funding or why this amount continually increases. Students are struggling to understand exactly how the University of Cincinnati and the College of DAAP can justify the request for full tuition during a global crisis — highlighting the lack of budget transparency coming from this institution.

     We commend the steps UC has taken thus far in continuing to support students and staff. This includes keeping faculty and staff on board, adjustment of grading policies, transitioning to online resources, and more. In addition to this, we recognize the University’s impressive 1.453 billion dollar endowment, capacity for fundraising efforts, and other various successful areas of revenue that would allow UC to provide crucial financial support to students at this time.

     The crisis we are experiencing is unprecedented. We understand the precarious nature of large financial decisions, especially when it involves the operational costs of an institution like the one we have the privilege of attending. We all must make sacrifices for the betterment of those around us. The University of Cincinnati and College of DAAP must keep the interest of students and their families a top priority and adjust accordingly.

     We hope that as a leading University training some of the world’s future creative leaders, among countless other successful professionals, the University of Cincinnati will recognize that the way in which they decide to support students during this global crisis will greatly influence the way students view and support the University now as well as when we become proud alumni.

     We are scheduled to begin classes for summer semester on May 11th, 2020. Until then, we will continue to speak out about tuition pricing. The College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning is a tightly-knit community and despite the physical distance that may be between us, we will continue to stand together in the face of this crisis. We hope you will join us and reach out soon to discuss a final decision before the beginning of summer semester. Thank you for your consideration.