Introduction

As the University of the Pacific navigates the unprecedented impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the university’s administration has decided to reduce tuition for undergraduate summer school classes. In the University’s own words, “Pacific has decided all Summer Sessions will be taught online and available at a reduced fee.” However, this is not the case, as they are not offering the same tuition reduction for graduate students. This decision does not take into account that COVID-19 negatively impacts us, as graduate students, in the same manner as University of the Pacific’s undergraduates. 

We, as a body of individuals dedicated to achieving success in higher education and our future professions, are extremely disappointed in the university’s decision to only offer tuition reduction to undergraduates. It is frustrating to see that administration does not value the time, money, and personal sacrifices that students are making to obtain a master’s or doctorate’s degree during this time of crisis. 

Should the COVID-19 crisis continue and stay-at-home orders remain in place beyond Summer 2020, the negative impact on our academic experience and professional development will be much greater. The need for tuition and fee reduction and flexibility on the part of the administration will be necessary. 

We appreciate University of the Pacific for taking the time to hear our concerns and for being flexible to accommodate our request during this difficult time.

Understanding that many graduate students and their families are facing financial hardships, and that there may be fewer jobs available to students during this summer, we are requesting the following:

Demands

• We want the same percentage of tuition reduction provided to the undergraduate students (i.e., $100/unit discount for those of us enrolled in three or more classes this summer), because of all the reasons listed below.
• We request the option of delaying clinically-based programs for those who wish to wait to return after the COVID-19 crisis has subsided, if COVID-19 continues past the summer sessions and into the following school year. 
• Not all students have access to the health buildings at Pacific, and so this fee should be waived or reduced depending on each student’s individual situation. Not all students are being offered telehealth opportunities equivalent to the services normally received in person.
• As students are not allowed on campus indefinitely, we cannot access facilities and should not have to pay for facilities we cannot use. The summer facilities fee should be waived.

Arguments

• Graduate students are equally affected by COVID-19 job closures and financial hardships; it is not only the undergraduates who are impacted by losing jobs and income.
• We are losing precious in-person instructional hours, access to critical resources, and are being given an education that is not comparable to the cost of our tuition. The university has already acknowledged this through reducing the cost of undergraduate tuition for each summer session. 
• Clinically-based graduate programs, such as Pharmacy, Speech-Language Pathology, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, and Athletic Training, are at a disadvantage and are paying for clinical experiences that we are not receiving now that internships and labs have been cancelled. 
  • These specific programs that normally place an emphasis on clinical experience and in-person learning are offered at a cheaper price by most online programs compared to in-person programs.
  • We chose to attend the programs at Pacific thinking that we would be paying the high cost of tuition for in-person instruction and clinical experiences that University of the Pacific is known for across the nation.
• Additionally, graduate programs are more academically intensive than undergraduate programs and the quality of online instruction does not compare to the quality of in-person instruction that we are paying for. 
• It is possible that we may be less competent when beginning externship and in our future careers because we did not get the in-person clinical and instructional experiences that we were promised. 
  • The Dysphagia/Swallowing Disorders course is only offered during the summer, and this course prepares us to make clinical decisions which have a significant, sometimes life-threatening, impact on patients. Hands-on experience is essential in adequately preparing us for this setting. 
  • The Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Camp occurs only during the summer, and provides a unique clinical experience that many students would not otherwise have given the limited amount of AAC clients in other clinical experiences during our program. 
  • The first year 24-month SLP cohort has not received any remote clinical experience opportunities (e.g., Simucase). This means we are all missing out on hours in the Language-Literacy Clinic, and some are missing out on hours in Diagnostics Lab (those who were scheduled to finish those hours after Spring Break).
  • The first year 24-month cohort was scheduled to receive our Aural Rehabilitation hours in the summer session through the Aural Rehabilitation Camp. This would be the only time during our entire program that we would obtain these hours. Without obtaining these Aural Rehabilitation hours, we will be missing out on opportunities to work with a key demographic as SLPs.

Conclusion

As students who love University of the Pacific, we understand that the COVID-19 crisis is out of the university’s control; however, we wish to be given the same courtesy as undergraduate students during this difficult time. Students and faculty have been forced to adapt to this ever-changing situation. We ask that the University of the Pacific administration also adapt and lighten the burden of consequences of this crisis. 

We greatly appreciate the administration for taking the time to hear and address our concerns, and we know that University of the Pacific recognizes the need for flexibility to protect all of its students during this pandemic.