UIUC MUST REFUND THE "SERVICE FEE" WHICH IS PAYING FOR SERVICES THAT ARE HEAVILY RESTRICTED AND/OR CLOSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PLEASE SHARE

My friends and I used to love going to the ARC before COVID-19. We would be able to hop into the gym pretty much whenever we wanted to or when we had free time. Now, we have to deal with reservations and shortened gym hours (-4.5 hours). Meanwhile, the CRCE has been transformed into a testing site. While the majority of gyms nationwide have been refunding memberships, UIUC, backed by federal and state dollars, has refused to do so. 

The UIUC recreation center's operations are funded by the Service Fee. This fee also supports other services currently not available to students. All students with 6 or more credit hours for the semester are REQUIRED to pay this fee. SO WHY ARE WE PAYING THIS FEE? WHAT ARE THEY DOING WITH THIS MONEY? ARE THEY REALLY USING IT FOR THESE SERVICES? Service Fees are defined by the Illinois Office of the Registrar as:

"A fee to support salaries, programming, general expenses, and utilities for campus Auxiliary Service units; such as Campus Recreation, the Illini Union, and the State Farm Center."

This information can be found on the following website: 

https://registrar.illinois.edu/tuition-fees/fee-info/

The $228 fee ($314 next semester) is not that much money. But for some, it could mean getting healthier food or getting more food. With UIUC's population of 34,000 undergraduate students, our university is getting OVER $7.75 MILLION and blowing through it like Melvin Capital. I ask that this fee be refunded to students who do not plan on using the gym now and after this pandemic ends. 

Amidst the pandemic, all of the amenities listed above have been severely restricted. Why must UIUC students be required to pay the fee when the majority do not use them or have restricted usage? I URGE students of UIUC and ANYBODY WHO CAN HELP to add their name to this petition and take action against this nonsense.