Partially refund tuition fees for 20/21 due to Covid-19
Category: University Petition
Voting closed
For the majority of students, the only access they have to university life is through a computer screen. There is a fundamental lack of resources and quality of life available to students and yet are still paying for those things. The quality of online lectures is not equal to face-to-face lectures. Students should not have to pay full tuition fees for online lectures, without experiencing university life. Students should get the chance to experience university life in full, with access to societies, opportunities and chances to network. Many benefits of attending University have been taken away by Covid-19, there is so much more to University than the academic side.
The University should refund a partial and fair amount of the tuition fees (35%), similar to the successful refund the rent campaign.
Comments
During 2020-21, Covid-19 had a significant impact on students’ lives. Officers consulted with students to prioritise areas that mattered to them. Five key concerns were identified: Mental Health, Fees & Finances, Communication, Rent, and Online Learning. A report documenting these can be found here: https://www.liverpoolguild.org/resources/uni-tier-3-student-response/. This was presented to the University’s Senior Leaders, Janet Beer & Gavin Brown. As a result, a Covid Education Forum was held, providing students with a space to speak directly to the University, and voice their concerns. The Student Officers have spent the year advocating on these issues, and updating students on their work.
To address finance-related concerns for students, the Officer team led on various lobbying and campaigns: 1. The ‘Refund the Rent’ campaign led to the University agreeing to release students from their University accommodation contracts if they wished, and also offered a rent rebate for any student not living in their University accommodation between 3-18th December 2020, and 4th January - 14th February 2021. Officers also lobbied for students in private accommodation, contacting Purpose Built Student Accommodation providers and letting agencies: https://www.liverpoolguild.org/articles/refund-the-rent-update. 2. The Officers worked to win a No Detriment Policy: http://www.liverpoolguild.org/articles/no-detriment-policy-updates-explained. 3. Officers lobbied on online teaching inequalities, winning an extended amount of money for the student Hardship Fund: https://www.liverpoolguild.org/articles/the-inequalities-of-online-teaching. 4. Officers also attended the Student Intake Strategy Group and other committees, negotiating tuition fee increases and advocating against tuition fees in principle, rather than refunds of individual tuition fees year on year.
The Student Charter states that “The University will provide a high-quality learning experience, access to activities that enhance employability, professional excellence and personal intellectual development, clearly defined access to learning environment including facilities and services.” If you do not feel that the University has met their agreement as stated in the Student Charter, you can raise this in a formal complaint. During the Covid-19 pandemic, industry guidance required universities to: 1. Maintain clear communication about any changes to teaching, 2. Take all reasonable steps to mitigate the impact of any lost face to face teaching/learning experiences, 3. Meet the learning outcomes required for courses through online resources. Any of these cases would need to be considered on a case-by-case basis, and the Guild would not be able to raise this with the University for the entire student body. The Guild Advice Service supported students in raising complaints to the University during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns. If you have any concerns about your experience or teaching, you can contact the Guild Advice Team for help at guildadvice@liverpool.ac.uk.