1,000 signatures reached
To: Vice-chancellors of Australian universities
Refund student fees due to COVID-19 impact
While we support all efforts to safeguard the health and safety of students, staff and the wider community, it is clear that our educational experience has been compromised by these changes.
We are calling for:
* The refunding of 70% of all student fees (domestic and international) for semester 1
* The refunding of all long-term financial costs incurred no longer available due to university shutdowns (e.g. parking permits)
* Additional support and payments for international students and students living on-campus, in light of students living away from home to access content available to them at home
* Additional support for all students, in light of the increased difficulties that online and remote learning present, including the option for penalty-free deferments and intermissions, more generous marking and increased counselling and mental health services
* Support for our teachers, including no staff laid off due to refunds
Why is this important?
Online and remote teaching is not equivalent to the service obtained from in-person classes.
Students should not have to pay thousands of dollars in already-exorbitant fees for an educational service which is fundamentally different. International students, and students moving from interstate, did not pay large sums of money for learning to be delivered remotely.
In the midst of a global health crisis, universities must use their vast sums of money to support all students – fee refunds now!