University students petition for lower tuition amid COVID-19 crisis

CALGARY (CITYNEWS) – Esther Nwafor says she is feeling exploited by her university.

Nwafor is a communication and media student at the University of Calgary. Her fourth-year classes in the fall will likely be held online due to the pandemic – but the cost for tuition will be the same.

“It’s obviously not the same quality, and for the university to not really give much empathy to the students, especially during a worldwide pandemic,” said Nwafor. “I feel like I’m being exploited, to be honest.”

Nwafor started a petition for the school to lower tuition by 30 per cent, to make up for what she says is sub-par education in comparison to in-person classes.

“Some students will do pranks and stuff on the online calls, which gives the prof no choice but to mute the mics,” explained Nwafor. “But with muting the mics, it’s not a two-way interaction, it’s just like watching a YouTube video basically.”

The University of Calgary says it will be offering only 30 per cent of its classes in person in the fall. The remaining 70 percent will be online.

“Let’s says a student has an online class at 1 p.m. and ends at 1:50 p.m., and they have an in-person class at 2 p.m.,” said Nwafor. “They’re thinking about how they’re going to get to campus that fast.”

The federal government is trying to help students by launching the Canada Emergency Student Benefit, which offers $1,250 to students every month until August. It also includes opportunities for more funding.

Nwafor says her university’s response has been much different.

“Some students are dropping out of their courses right now because there’s not any accommodations being offered to them,” she said. “It’s basically business as usual.”

Petitions like Nwafor’s are happening across the country.

A University of British Columbia student started one, calling on that school to get rid of fees for lab use, transportation and other facility amenities. It has over 6,000 signatures.

In Quebec, students from fifteen universities want to file a class-action lawsuit against their schools. They are looking for a refund in tuition.

South of the border, students at more than 25 U.S. universities are also filing lawsuits.

“This is going to be a really important movement in re-shaping education,” said Nwafor.

CityNews reached out to the University of Calgary’s president and the student union, but did not hear back.