Broken piggy bank graphic. Soleil de Zwart // AS Review
By Katherine Zumpano
I knew I wanted to go to Western after visiting the campus in 2013, during my junior year of high school. I looked at other schools, but I didn’t seriously consider any. I received my acceptance letter on my birthday and spent the next seven months preparing to move to Bellingham and continue my education as a Viking.
I was so proud to be a WWU student, but the COVID-19 pandemic has changed that. It didn’t take long to realize I’m not the only one who feels this way.
This is a stressful time for everyone. Many around Bellingham are losing their jobs due to nonessential businesses shutting down, and others cutting their hours significantly. It’s scary to wonder how you’ll afford groceries, let alone pay for an expensive education.
I understand that Western, like everywhere else, is adjusting to this new lifestyle of social distancing and staying home. I think moving spring quarter classes online was the safest way to keep students, staff and faculty safe. However, I still don’t think Western is doing enough for its student body.
On various social media platforms — like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook — students have expressed their concern about paying full tuition for an education that will be completely different than expected and will be missing key on-campus services that our tuition pays for. Students’ questions aren’t being answered and their concerns are seemingly ignored.
I’m fortunate to still be working, but my hours have been significantly cut. I had to move off campus because I couldn’t afford full housing and tuition fees this spring. Some of my friends have been laid off. Some have had to move back home. Some are wondering how they’re going to afford groceries. Most of us agree: Western should be doing more to help its students, including partially refunding our spring quarter tuition.
Using an online survey, I asked other students how the pandemic has affected their lives and education, and how Western could help them right now.
This is what they said:
“…I wish that Western would take more time to express compassion for students’ well-being, and not avoid answering the questions that students are posing. The majority of us are going into significant debt to receive a degree from Western, so we have the right to have our financial questions answered, and our concerns taken into consideration.” –Anonymous, 20
“Provide cheaper tuition, [and] reduce all service fees since most will be unavailable to students, especially since there’s no easy way to get to campus.” –Rhys, 20
“Anything that Western charges me for tuition goes right into my student loans. While I would have been paying for these student loans if we were to have in-person classes anyways, it is not the education I wanted to be paying for. My work offers free online education, but I specifically sought out an education at WWU because that is what I didn’t want.” –Chayse, 21
“I’m an art student and trying to learn while not on campus in a classroom is incredibly challenging in a studio course.” —Cierra, 21
“As a Resident Advisor, this has been a difficult time. WWUReslife has had unclear and sometimes unsafe expectations of RAs. Now they have laid off every RA, IA, and some ROAs. That has left me and 90+ people without housing, a meal plan, or income. I am lucky enough that my parents have the ability to support me and allow me to live at home…However, I am frustrated that my tuition will not be changing as I am now having to take classes online. As someone who receives DAC accommodations, I worry that my needs are not going to be adequately addressed via online learning and that my accommodations may not be applied appropriately. I will struggle with this online quarter and I am furious that I will be paying the full price for a subpar education.” –Anonymous, 20
“Charging full [tuition] for classes has contributed to my decision to not take classes this quarter. I was already likely not going to take classes because I won’t get a full learning experience out of online course, but if they had been discounted, I might have considered it.” –Sophia Gamble, 20
“I am fortunate to still have my job, as well as my house, and I’m not worried about food. [Tuition fees] haven’t impacted me very much. I do believe charging us for amenities that we won’t have access to is unreasonable, though.” –Megan Ziebold, 20
“I’m a piano major, which means most of my classes are ensemble-based. I’m pretty pissed off that I’m having to pay full tuition when I’m going to be missing out on being able to perform for my peers, having in-person piano lessons, and singing in choir. I accompany other instrumentalists as an extra way to make money, and now I’m losing that extra income, which is bad since I only work two days a week during the academic school year.” –Rachel, 27
“WWU cannot expect students to put 100% effort into school when there is a pandemic going on…goals and values have shifted from doing well in school and living your best life to being with family and staying safe.” –Julia Warner, 19
“I was meant to start working on campus, but I cannot anymore. And my parents can’t work from home, so they are out of a job and it will be hard to pay tuition. With the tuition staying as high as it is, it is making the situation worse and adding a lot of stress to my family. I emailed the [Student Business Office] asking for a way to make payments or give a longer extension. However, they said the extra week should suffice. What is an extra week going to do if my family is still unemployed?” –M, 20
“Although I am lucky to have my parents able to pay for my school, times are getting tough and the discounted tuition would’ve helped my family pay for other things…[like] helping pay for my food while I’m out of work.” –Katie, 20
“It’s hard to focus on schoolwork when you have so many financial issues and so much uncertainty looming over your head. I understand that keeping the university facilities running costs money, you know, but when administrators are making six figures and telling us to ‘check the student job board’ if we need money while still charging us for facilities we can’t use, it’s major stress.” –Allie, 21
“I’d definitely appreciate lower fees, especially since I tend to do far more poorly in online classes than in-person classes, and I won’t have access to many of the resources tuition normally grants me access to.” –Walt Ellis
“I am taking out around 1k in loans every quarter and I probably wouldn’t have to next quarter if tuition was lowered. I’m not getting the same education and resources I’m paying for…The future is really uncertain and some students might need that money [for tuition] to pay for food or housing when they are out of a job.” –Sydnee, 20
“I’ve tried to apply for emergency funding, but the average amount they give is about $500, which would barely cover my rent, let alone substantially help with my tuition.” –Anonymous
“It’s just so frustrating. Everything is changing and that’s scary enough. And then to feel like my college doesn’t care, that they just want their money. It’s a lot to deal with.” –Breanna
Sign this petition for a partial refund of tuition fees and let Western know we need their help. Education should be affordable now more than ever.
Note from the editors: This article was edited solely for grammar and not for content. Submit guest submissions to as.review.editor@wwu.edu.