Demand a Tuition Freeze from UVA
Jim Ryan and the Board of Visitors
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Virginia has done little to ease the financial burden of students, families, workers and the Charlottesville community. Inaction and inefficiency from a university that has one of the largest endowments in the country is unacceptable. This is why YDSA at UVA is demanding a tuition freeze now through 2023.
The Covid-19 pandemic has left over 375,000 Americans dead and millions of workers still unemployed. In last month alone, over 140,000 net jobs were lost, almost entirely by Black and Latina women. The financial crisis, caused by business failure and job loss during COVID - 19, has shown how racialized capitalism disproportionately hurts Black and Brown communities. The University of Virginia cannot claim that they are for racial equity when they fail to address racial equity in a holistic manner.
As the pandemic-related recession persists, students, workers, and their families struggle to pay bills and put food on the table. YDSA at UVA’s survey revealed increasing concern about covering financial obligations, including rent. Disruption in education has exacerbated the already-present student concerns about the proposed tuition increases for 2021-2022 and beyond. Additionally, university services have been reduced to prevent the spread of covid-19, and students cannot be expected to pay full price for these services, let alone increased tuition.
With an over $9 billion endowment that has grown even during the current economic crisis, UVA can afford to freeze tuition at the 2019-2020 rate. Endowments are meant to provide long-term financial security for universities, especially during crisis years such as these when other sources of revenue may not be adequate. We demand the endowment be used for this purpose, rather than the University further indebting students who will be graduating into a recession and laying off workers during an economic crisis and deadly pandemic. UVA has the option of either implementing austerity measures at the detriment of its students and workers or using its endowment to provide for the entire university community. We demand that UVA not pass more financial burden onto us.
Other public universities in Virginia have frozen tuition for the 2020-2021 year. They include Virginia Tech, Radford, JMU, and William and Mary. At this point a tuition increase for the following year is the exception, not the rule. In the fall of 2019 YDSA at UVA ran a campaign for a tuition freeze that received over 400 signatures, and sent over 5000 emails. Widespread support for freezing tuition already exists. Moreover, the economic fallout from COVID-19 will continue to be felt, particularly among the most vulnerable of us for years to come. Therefore, tuition must be frozen not just in the coming school year, but through 2023 as well.
Petition by
To:
Jim Ryan and the Board of Visitors
From:
[Your Name]
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Virginia has done little to ease the financial burden of students, families, workers and the Charlottesville community. Inaction and inefficiency from a university that has one of the largest endowments in the country is unacceptable. This is why YDSA at UVA is demanding a tuition freeze now through 2023.
The Covid-19 pandemic has left over 375,000 Americans dead and millions of workers still unemployed. In last month alone, over 140,000 net jobs were lost, almost entirely by Black and Latina women. The financial crisis, caused by business failure and job loss during COVID - 19, has shown how racialized capitalism disproportionately hurts Black and Brown communities. The University of Virginia cannot claim that they are for racial equity when they fail to address racial equity in a holistic manner.
As the pandemic-related recession persists, students, workers, and their families struggle to pay bills and put food on the table. YDSA at UVA’s survey revealed increasing concern about covering financial obligations, including rent. Disruption in education has exacerbated the already-present student concerns about the proposed tuition increases for 2021-2022 and beyond. Additionally, university services have been reduced to prevent the spread of covid-19, and students cannot be expected to pay full price for these services, let alone increased tuition.
With an over $9 billion endowment that has grown even during the current economic crisis, UVA can afford to freeze tuition at the 2019-2020 rate. Endowments are meant to provide long-term financial security for universities, especially during crisis years such as these when other sources of revenue may not be adequate. We demand the endowment be used for this purpose, rather than the University further indebting students who will be graduating into a recession and laying off workers during an economic crisis and deadly pandemic. UVA has the option of either implementing austerity measures at the detriment of its students and workers or using its endowment to provide for the entire university community. We demand that UVA not pass more financial burden onto us.
Other public universities in Virginia have frozen tuition for the 2020-2021 year. They include Virginia Tech, Radford, JMU, and William and Mary. At this point a tuition increase for the following year is the exception, not the rule. In the fall of 2019 YDSA at UVA ran a campaign for a tuition freeze that received over 400 signatures, and sent over 5000 emails. Widespread support for freezing tuition already exists. Moreover, the economic fallout from COVID-19 will continue to be felt, particularly among the most vulnerable of us for years to come. Therefore, tuition must be frozen not just in the coming school year, but through 2023 as well.
Tuition keeps increasing every year, but UVA has no excuse not to freeze tuition for the 2021-2022 school year, at a time of mass unemployment and devastating financial crisis. We demand a tuition freeze!
Solidarity,
The Young Democratic Socialists of America at UVA