KPU Student Leads Petition to Cut Tuition and Fees for the Summer Semester

An online petition has been created by a KPU student to advocate for reducing tuition and eliminating fees for resources that are inaccessible due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The petition calls for the removal of the U-Pass, which has since happened, as well as club, library, and student life fees. It also questions why students are expected to pay full tuition fees for the summer semester when all classes will be delivered online.

Ravkiran Pubra, a second-year biology student, created the petition on change.org and shared it through the Kwantlen Book Exchange Facebook page. At the time of writing, the petition has received approximately 1,800 signatures.

“I saw that we are still being asked to pay for resources that we don’t have access to,” says Purba. “I thought it was a little unfair to be charged for it.”

She has talked to students who aren’t comfortable with online learning and fear they will not do as well as they could in an offline course.

“As a biology student, if courses aren’t offered with labs, we don’t have the same hands-on learning experience,” says Purba.

She is especially concerned about international students, who already pay high tuition fees even when being forced out of work.

On March 27, KPU announced an emergency bursary available for both domestic and international students. The Kwantlen Student Association contributed $100,000 to the fund, and KPU matched that amount. Students could apply for up to $250 starting March 30.

While Purba appreciates this gesture by the university, she thinks more can be done.

She wants the KSA to monitor the progress of the COVID-19 pandemic and provide guidance to confused students, like telling them where they can go and who they can talk to for help.

“Students have been communicating their frustrations over on Facebook,” says Purba. “It’s just been a lot of open-ended questions.”

In an email statement to The Runner about the petition, KPU’s Vice-President of Students Steve Cardwell confirmed that the university “will not be offering a reduction in tuition and fees” for the summer semester, and explained that “standard tuition rates have always applied” to online courses prior to the pandemic.

The learning centres still offer student services like counselling, academic advising, and general assistance online and over the phone. The libraries also have “a wide range of services online,” according to Cardwell. Students can still physically access the library but there are measures in place in accordance with the Provincial Health Officer’s recommendations.

Cardwell’s response also included information about resources students can access for help during the pandemic.

For financial assistance, awards, and bursaries, visit the Student Awards and Financial Assistance web page. For government support programs, check the federal government’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan and B.C.’s COVID-19 Provincial Support and Information. KPU has created a web page specifically on COVID-19 information for international students, as well as a webpage dedicated to the school’s response to the pandemic. Changes in the Canada Summer Jobs program were laid out in an April 8 press release from the Government of Canada.