To begin with, I would like to point out and say that I myself and my fellow colleagues enrolled in Tilburg University fully understand how the pandemic has affected all parties involved and that what is said has been carefully considered.

In the midst of this unfortunate pandemic, students' frustrations have kept growing, as education and examinations have taken a turn to become digital, and on top of that, economically many have been affected, especially international students who pay almost 6x the amount that an EU student would and face possible worse economic situations in their home countries.

At this point, you might be reading this and thinking that this is another student petition that has been recycled and reused over and over again, but in fact, it is not. This petition will hopefully strike-through well enough to lead to a significant change. As of the 13th of February, 2021, the new semester is online once again. Many students I have spoken to are feeling ultimately vexed, as they feel like they are not finding much value in contrast to what is being spent for. The use of facilities is limited once again and online learning does not really provide the best experience for us, which we understand, is done for everyone's safety, and under government regulations.

Students like me, completing a 3-year program would, at the end of the semester have completed HALF of their study load in their homes. This means that for example one of the best experiences you can gain from attending university, which would be  Networking, has been almost wasted. I myself and other international students find this really hard to take in, as we aim to not only receive the outstanding education that Tilburg University is known for providing but also to build connections throughout this crucial time of our lives. Especially with the uncertainties glooming, we do not know what to expect for next year as well. 

According to an article published on topuniversities.com, (https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/student-finance/universities-changing-tuition-fees-response-coronavirus, three other top competing universities in the Netherlands have reduced tuitions in response to the pandemic, thus massively helping their students. 

Our University goes by the motto of "Understanding Society" and helps shape students into becoming responsible and enterprising individuals. This lays hope for us students who are asking for tuition reductions during this pandemic, we have all chose to be a direct part of Tilburg University and for what it represents, and we ask to simply be understood.