Some Columbia Students Plan to Withhold Tuition Payments if Price Not Lowered
“We want a 10% increase in financial aid and a 10% decrease in tuition, but it should not come at the expense of workers and professors”
It doesn’t seem like this plan has been thought through completely.
CBS News in New York reports:
Coronavirus Impact: Some Columbia University Students Say They’re Prepared To Withhold Payments If Tuition Isn’t Lowered
Coronavirus pandemic fallout has impacted the way college students learn.
And now, some students at Columbia University say it should also impact how much they pay in tuition, and they’re prepared to go on strike from making payments, CBS2’s Dave Carlin reported Sunday.
Staying on top of his studies during the pandemic is tough enough for Columbia University sophomore Matthew Gamero, but the political science major is also helping organize a tuition strike.
“We want a 10% increase in financial aid and a 10% decrease in tuition, but it should not come at the expense of workers and professors,” Gamero said.
The face of college education has changed over the past year. Gamero and others say a decrease is warranted, especially during the pandemic.
The threatened action has a deadline of Friday, when tuition payments are due.
At a rally, student organizers pointed to a petition, pledging to withhold payments, adorned with more than 4,000 signatures.
“Peer universities like Princeton and like Georgetown have announced tuition reductions. On top of that, Columbia is one of the richest universities in the entire world,” student organizer Christian Flores said.
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Comments
Isn’t “withhold[ing] tuition payments” the same as “quitting school?”
I can’t stop laughing.
If 4000 are this ignorant, how is it they were accepted to such a prestigious school?
“Strike”? I’m still laughing.
I don’t have a problem with this. Unlike the usual student bitching about nonsense, I think this is an entirely reasonable response to universities delivering a substandard good using the “pandemic” as a pretext. These students entered into an agreement with the university to provide a certain level of service, and the university has bait-and-switched them.
The adult equivalent of a child holding their breath during a tantrum.
Don’t want to pay? That’s fine.
Enjoy getting kicked out of school for nonpayment.
Really though, that is the solution. If students refuse to enroll due to the high costs of tuition, then of course the college either has to lower tuition or close it’s doors.
Is that like getting your education for free? I’ll go but not pay. I wonder if that will work.
From a legal perspective, it is difficult to withhold tuition. Columbia can easily withhold transcripts for non-payment.
The better route would be for about 1,000 students to take a one-semester leave of absence and then take low-cost classes at local community colleges. If anything near a thousand students all go on leave, Columbia would be $25 million behind in projected revenue for the year, while keeping all of their staff on the payroll. If 4,000 students all went on leave, it would be $100 million behind and digging through its endowment.
You give them too much credit. Your plan requires linear thinking. They are seemingly incapable of such.
You’re right. The University has them by the throat. See:
https://www.sfs.columbia.edu/unpaid-bills
When I was due to get my degree from Harvard, they sent me a nasty note that my degree would be withheld if I didn’t immediately clear a $3 library fine. We often spoke of the University’s motto as “Cupiditas.” I’m sure Columbia is at least as mercenary.
Students taking gap years and leaves of absence are the only ways they can actually impact the University’s bottom line. But the question is, how many would actually do that? Signing a petition is cheap virtue-signaling. Taking a leave of absence delays the start of their medical schooling, legal schooling, or career.