Dear SUNY/NY State Representative,

When the SUNY Old Westbury students were notified that their tuition rate had been posted on Monday August 17th, we were astonished to Iog on and learn that SUNY will be charging full price for the upcoming Fall 2020 semester. Due to circumstances brought on by COVID-19, the vast majority of students will be participating in an online format of schooling. We understand that these are unprecedented times, but charging full price and having us attend college from home is unreasonable, illogical, and outrageous. We urge you to please reconsider this decision, and think about the financial and mental impact this virus has brought upon us all. We understand professors, instructors, and staff must all continue to be paid, however charging students fees for activities and resources which we will not be utilizing is ludicrous. The fees we are being charged include: Health and Services fee, Athletics fee, Technology fee, Transportation fee, and more. Why are we being charged these fees if we will not be able to use them?  Not only that, but many classes are not designed to have an online format, so the learning process will be significantly challenging for these classes. We were told that the SUNY Board of Trustees were carefully reviewing SUNY’s entire budget outlook and all options available before imposing any financial burden on their students, however, we do not feel as if this is the best tuition rate possible. Thank you for your time; we strongly hope for your help!