University students frustrated by fees ahead of online semester amid COVID-19
Aug 9, 2020
"The fact of the matter is that I am not paying for the same type of education I signed up for when I started my program," she told CBC Toronto in an email. "Fees should reflect that."
Maeve McNaughton, a fellow Ryerson student, explains it this way: "We are paying a good amount towards campus maintenance, campus building access, athletics access, recreation... and we can't access any of them."
That frustration isn't limited to students at Ryerson.
Nate Denaro, a student at York University, has calculated that even with a reduced fee, he'll spend about $270 this coming school year on athletics and recreation, saying the school's decision to not drop the fee altogether is "outrageous."
Fifi Wei, set to start her first year at Sheridan College, was also surprised by what she saw when she looked at the fine print of her tuition.
"I realized, 'Oh my god, they charge a lot of fees that actually aren't applicable for students who study at home,' she said, citing an on-campus health centre charge as an example.
Wei wrote Sheridan, asking them to reconsider, but was told the fees are not optional.