Rider University students will be facing unprecedented circumstances upon the arrival of the Fall 2020 semester. Due to the coronavirus, significant changes have been made that will affect not only our on-campus life, but more importantly, our classes — a good amount of which will be conducted online. Overall, our educational and social experiences will be of significantly reduced quality compared to what a typical semester at our school looks like. Our Engaged Learning will also be compromised. Several study abroad trips have already been cancelled, and important internships and fieldwork across all majors are in jeopardy. However, we are still being asked to pay the same price for everything. We demand that this changes. 

In layman's terms, the "product" that we're paying for has been completely switched out on us, yet its price tag remains the same. This would be unfair in any circumstance, but is even more so unfair in the face of nationwide health and economic crises — perhaps the worst of their kind that some of us have seen or will ever see. Because of this, we demand a lowered tuition price for the Fall 2020 semester that is more consistent with the quality of education that we will be receiving.

Both Princeton University and Rowan University, area schools, have decreased their tuition by 10% in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the struggles that it has brought upon our communities. The kind of changes we are asking for are not unheard of, and we demand that they are made. 

Photo courtesy of rider.edu.