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  • 68 score
    72 voters

    Tuition and accommodation fees to be discounted due to covid19

    Submitted 4 years ago by Tarnjot Kaur Mander
    Expired
    • Wellbeing
    • Facilities
    • Education
    • Money
    • Opportunities
    • Resources
    • Representation
    • Advice
    • Equality
    • Lectures and Lecturers
    8comments
    students will face financial hardship due to virus job cuts so Give students at least 30% to 50% discount on the remaining fee amount online learning students a 10-20% discount on their remaining fees Students in accommodation should also be helped – a discount on their remaining fees or at extend the due dates for paying the charges for up to 3 months Change all fees due dates and allow extra and more time for students to make their payments by at least 3 months – mortgages are being frozen
Priya Sharma
11:03pm on 20 Mar 20 I was forced to pay the fees because I didn’t predict that my circumstances will change and I did not wanted to continue but I had to pay the fees for my masters. Just paid my whole fees and after that I couldn’t even go to uni once. Please give it back.
Laura Maher
9:19am on 25 Mar 20 Thank you so much for sharing your idea. As this idea has now reached the 25-upvote threshold, it will be taken to the next Union Executive meeting for discussion. Please continue to comment on this post with anything further you wish to say or add. We will provide you with an update as soon as possible. If you have any questions in the meantime, please email laura.maher@derbyunion.co.uk
Faye Davies
12:12pm on 26 Mar 20 University Halls of residence have sent out a message to all students currently living in halls, please find and read this email in full as it speaks about the services and support offered by the halls team during this time. Below is the section sent out around Contract Release. If you wish you can follow the steps outlined and will not be charged for the 3rd term. Contract Releases We are aware that many of you have been contacting us to enquire about the payments for the third term halls fees. Following advice from the University’s senior leadership team, we are pleased to inform you that, if you decide to leave your Student Living accommodation now, you will be released from your third term halls fees. In order to qualify for this you will need to vacate your room no later than 4pm on Sunday 12 April 2020, return the keys through the staff letterbox, and complete the form HERE indicating that you have moved out. We recommend students who are still in halls but wish to take up this offer, vacate their room as soon as possible in case government rules in relation to movement change suddenly and you are prevented from traveling home. For students currently self-isolating in halls, further guidance from the Government in relation to returning home can be found here under the heading “University or college halls of residence for students aged 18 or over” We are aware some of you may have already left without returning your keys or with belongings still in your flat. If this applies to you, you will still qualify for release if you are not intending to stay in your halls accommodation again this academic year. Please indicate on the form that you still have the key, along with any information about personal belongings left in your room and we will contact you at a future date to advise on arrangements around these. Staying in halls? If you are staying in halls but haven’t yet let us know, please could you complete the form linked below as a matter of urgency to allow us to plan any support you may require. This form can be found here.
Gabriella Naitta
2:55pm on 31 Mar 20 Lecturers are doing their best to provide us with 'distanced learning' and online lectures which are significantly shorter than they would be if they were held in uni (i wouldn't expect them to be longer than what they are - just to be clear) I can only hope this isn't a way for the uni to turn round and say 'we're still providing you with the services' because distanced/online learning isn't what i signed up or what I (SfE) paid for. A reduction in tuition costs must be considered for those affected.
Faye Meadows
8:30pm on 13 Apr 20 The amount of support we are receiving at the moment is obviously reduced due to not having the facilities and face-to-face feedback you would receive on almost a daily basis at uni. What students are experiencing now seems much more similar to an online course, with some people experiencing a bare minimum of support. While I don't think our fees for this time should necessarily be entirely removed, since we are still working on our degrees and lecturers are still working to support students, I think the cost of this semester should certainly be reduced to at least the cost of an online course (which I believe is around £4,900). I understand times are tough for everyone, but I took my degree in knowing that I would have access to facilities that I don't have at work, equipment that I cannot use elsewhere and now I feel I am being charged for an experience where I am no longer able to have any of this. For example, everyone had to create a game using the VR facilities at university for our final degree group project, and now we have no access to this which has MASSIVELY effected our experience, caused a lot more hardship and workload to change projects, while we are still being charged the full amount that we would pay if we still had access. This is completely unfair. If we look at the breakdown of fees (https://www.derby.ac.uk/undergraduate/fees-and-finance/how-your-fees-are-spent/) that the university provided, we can see that a considerable amount goes towards facilities, estates and other on-site costs. So I'd be interested to know why I am still paying for things that are not being used and areas of teaching and learning that I am not receiving. The fees we are paying should be reflective of the support and facilities students are able to access, and right now we are being massively overcharged, while similar online courses are a lot cheaper. Allowing students to move out and get money back for halls is all good for some, but what about students like me who rent privately or are locked into contracts or simply can't just return home? While there is no 'one-size fits all' solution, charging students for what they are actually receiving seems like a good start.
Melanie Welaratne
2:16pm on 21 May 20 This point has PASSED and has been discussed. In regards to the topic of tuition fees being discounted - the topic has been discussed at union exec and within officer team meetings. The officer team have worked hard to ensure that this discussion was brought to various university meetings, including the universities governing council. After lengthy discussions and full consideration of the quality of teaching provision during this time and the fact that the Government declined a payout to the University-sector, while academic salaries still need to be paid. It was determined, and the Union agree, that there was no cause to discount tuition fees at the University of Derby. The University has gone to great lengths to ensure that the quality of teaching has been maintained during this time, it was felt that a tuition fee reduction was not the best outcome. Instead, the University has ensured suitable provisions are available to students who find themselves in unexpected financial hardship through the Discretionary Student Fund and should any students have any concerns about the quality of the teaching that they received during this period, we encourage you to get in touch with the Union Advice Team who will support you to review your individual circumstances. Email: advice@derbyunion.co.uk
Faye Davies
2:19pm on 21 May 20 This point has now passed and has been discussed. Following on from the decision around tuition fees, we have continued to work with DSLR and following on from the option for students to leave their Halls and not be charged for the 3rd term, we have been working with the University to write a joint letter to landlords for those living in private accommodation to help support with rent and end of contracts which is to be sent out. As an officer team, we have been involved in the meetings with DSLR who are continuing to support those who are still living in Halls.
Julian Schmitz
1:36pm on 10 Sep 20 I know that the University worked hard and is still working hard to maintain a high level of quality of teaching. However, it is an will not be the same experience and level of teaching the upcoming semester and other universities around the globe already stated that they will reduce tuition fees. So, I still not fully understand the reasons why the UoD is not willing to reduce tuition fees during this pandemic.