Due to COVID-19, myself and many other students have found themselves impacted in many aspects of our lives, especially financially. Many of the classes this fall that would normally be offered in person, have been transitioned to fully online (or partially) to combat the spread of the virus within the campus community. For many students, the need, and risk, to travel to campus simply isn’t there. However, the University still is charging for many fees that some students don’t need or won’t have access to in a distanced or online setting.

Some examples of fees and charges that are still being charged to students accounts:

Study Abroad Fee

Transportation Fee

Flex Food Plan

Technology Fee

Facility Fee

Program and Service Fee

Although many of these fees allow students access to services that we use and enjoy during “normal” semesters, the development of the pandemic makes this situation unfair to many students who either won’t be on campus at all or at a minimum. The ability to opt in and out of specific fees (based on the students need) would be much preferred compared to being forced to pay for programs unavailable to some. I call on the University to tackle this issue and come up with a fair solution; as it currently appears that the University is more focused on profits versus the well being of their student community.