Hi GSB community,
Thank you for your continued engagement on this issue. Over 80 percent of the GSB has now signed this petition. Last week, this and the other grad school petitions were delivered to the Provost, with a follow up requesting a meeting from the student government leaders from the business, medical, and law schools.
Neither the GSB nor the Provost have agreed to submit a proposal for a discount, increased financial aid, or stipends in response to these actions, so we need your help to incite a response. Our voices have already led to some action, such as reimbursing ~$400 for course materials.
If everyone takes the following actions (<5 minutes), we will put added pressure on the administration. Any one of these would help, and the more the better.
1) Email or call the Provost Drell
2) Email or call the GSB administration
3) Fill out this survey so we can organize further action: https://forms.gle/hgwtWUniv9BFL3cR6
4) Email three alumni
5) Email two GSB professors, lecturers, or staff members
Contact information and templates are below for emails.
Email or call Provost Drell and Board of Trustees
Provost:
Phone: (650) 724-4075
Email: provost@stanford.edu
Board of Trustees:
Phone: 650-721-2926
Email: boardoffice@stanford.edu
Dear Provost Drell and the Board of Trustees,
We have seen your position that there will be no tuition discounts for spring quarter. I, as a student of the Stanford GSB, am frustrated by this decision.
<INSERT PERSONAL STORY AS TO WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT TO YOU>
As we have experienced in the last week of winter quarter, despite impressive and appreciated efforts from professors, virtual classes are dramatically subpar to an in-person experience. The experience is now much more reflective of what we would receive on free online platforms that offer Stanford courses. As a comparison, HBX, Harvard Business School’s online portal, offers online courses at a 70 - 94 percent discount to its in-person MBA program. It is evident that the Spring Quarter tuition due to the GSB in mid-April is not the appropriate one for the experience that will be provided.
On top of a subpar classroom experience, we are now also unable to take advantage of professional and social programs, such as brown bag lunches, View from the Top, and C4C, which define the GSB experience. The value of in-person learning is held in particularly high-regard at the GSB. The very strict attendance policy is a testament to that fact. The fact that the GSB makes Wednesdays (rather than Fridays) off is another sign of how much the administration, and we, value being co-located on campus as a community.
We therefore insist on a significant discount on spring tuition, increase to financial aid, or stipend to reflect the current price differential between in-person and online programs. We also consider her proposal around a leave of absence unacceptable, given that this would defer full-time employment by an additional six months, creating a significant financial burden on students.
We recognize that the costs for the university might not change drastically by going online in short order, but we believe that our multi-billion dollar endowment can and must serve the community in times like this. We agreed to enter the GSB with the promise of two full years of experiential learning and networking with each other and the broader Stanford community, and this experience has been severely compromised due to the crisis. We, as students of the GSB, believe we have the right to ask for a decreased tuition in-line with the decreased value of our experience and ask you to show your commitment to the community by extending this financial relief.
All the best,
<INSERT NAME>
Email or call the GSB administration
Phone: Paul Oyer: (650) 736-1047, Brian Lowery: (650) 723-8119
Emails: Jonathan Levin <jdlevin@stanford.edu>, Paul Oyer <pauloyer@stanford.edu>, Brian Lowery <blowery@stanford.edu>, Margaret Long Hayes <mlong@stanford.edu>
Dear Deans Levin, Hayes, Oyer, and Lowery:
We have seen your position that there will be no tuition discounts for spring quarter. I, as a student of the Stanford GSB, am frustrated by this decision.
<INSERT PERSONAL STORY AS TO WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT TO YOU>
As we have experienced in the last week of winter quarter, despite impressive and appreciated efforts from professors, virtual classes are dramatically subpar to an in-person experience. The experience is now much more reflective of what we would receive on free online platforms that offer Stanford courses. As a comparison, HBX, Harvard Business School’s online portal, offers online courses at a 70 - 94 percent discount to its in-person MBA program. It is evident that the Spring Quarter tuition due to the GSB in mid-April is not the appropriate one for the experience that will be provided.
On top of a subpar classroom experience, we are now also unable to take advantage of professional and social programs, such as brown bag lunches, View from the Top, and C4C, which define the GSB experience. The value of in-person learning is held in particularly high-regard at the GSB. The very strict attendance policy is a testament to that fact. The fact that the GSB makes Wednesdays (rather than Fridays) off is another sign of how much the administration, and we, value being co-located on campus as a community.
We therefore insist on a significant discount on spring tuition, increase to financial aid, or stipend to reflect the current price differential between in-person and online programs. We also consider her proposal around a leave of absence unacceptable, given that this would defer full-time employment by an additional six months, creating a significant financial burden on students.
We recognize that the costs for the university might not change drastically by going online in short order, but we believe that our multi-billion dollar endowment and GSB resources saved from a virtual spring quarter can and must serve the community in times like this. We agreed to enter the GSB with the promise of two full years of experiential learning and networking with each other and the broader Stanford community, and this experience has been severely compromised due to the crisis. We, as students of the GSB, believe we have the right to ask for a decreased tuition in-line with the decreased value of our experience and ask you to show your commitment to the community by extending this financial relief.
All the best,
<INSERT NAME>
Email three alumni
We recommend emailing alumni you know personally. An alternative would be to identify alumni from your previous companies or hometowns here.
Dear <INSERT ALUMNI’S NAME>,
Hope that you and your family are safe during this time.
As a current GSB student, I am writing to inform you about an issue occurring at the GSB. As you can imagine, the majority of students in our community are disappointed that the GSB is no longer an in-person, immersive experience. Over 80 percent of the total GSB student body signed a petition asking that the GSB discount tuition, increase financial aid, or offer a stipend to reflect both the decreased value of an online-only experience and provide financial relief to students, many of whom have to support their families and are entering a perilous job market.
We would appreciate you standing in solidarity with us by emailing a version of the below to Deans Levin, Hayes, Oyer, and Lowery or further escalating student concerns on this issue.
Happy to answer any questions you may have on our concerns.
Thank you,
<INSERT NAME>
Template email to Deans:
Emails: Jonathan Levin <jdlevin@stanford.edu>, Paul Oyer <pauloyer@stanford.edu>, Brian Lowery <blowery@stanford.edu>, Margaret Long Hayes <mlong@stanford.edu>
Dear Deans Levin, Hayes, Oyer, and Lowery,
I have heard from a current student that over 80 percent of students are looking to GSB and Stanford broadly to offer a tuition discount, increased financial aid, or stipends to reflect both the decreased value of an online-only experience and provide financial relief to students, many of whom have to support their families and are entering a perilous job market.
As an alum, I would hope the GSB would step up during this time.
Can you please share what the GSB is doing to address these requests?
Thank you,
<INSERT NAME>
Email two GSB professors, lecturers, or staff members
Dear <INSERT PROFESSOR’S NAME>,
Thank you for all your preparation in making the change to virtual classes.
That said, the majority of students in our community are disappointed that the GSB is no longer an in-person, immersive experience. Over 80 percent of the total GSB student body signed a petition asking that the GSB discount tuition, increase financial aid, or offer a stipend to reflect both the decreased value of an online-only experience and provide financial relief to students, many of whom have to support their families and are entering a perilous job market.
We would appreciate you standing in solidarity with us by emailing a version of the below to Deans Levin, Hayes, Oyer, and Lowery or further escalating student concerns on this issue.
Happy to answer any questions you may have on our concerns.
Thank you,
<INSERT NAME>
Template email to Deans:
Dear Deans Levin, Hayes, Oyer, and Lowery,
I have heard from several students that they are looking to GSB and Stanford broadly to offer a tuition discount, increased financial aid, or stipends to reflect both the decreased value of an online-only experience and provide financial relief to students, many of whom have to support their families and are entering a perilous job market.
Can you please share what the GSB is doing to address these requests?
Thank you,
<INSERT NAME>