We are facing a global health and economic crisis, the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) has an obligation to provide relief for all struggling students and their families. As the coronavirus pandemic continues, it will create an increasingly disparate impact on low-income students, students with disabilities, students of color, LGBTQ+ students, students with children, and more. We have to come together as a community to address the new realities that undergraduate and graduate students face during this crisis. Missouri Student Action and the undersigned students, workers, faculty, and alumni call on the Board of Curators to protect their students and workers, and respond appropriately to the coronavirus pandemic.

We demand of the Board of Curators:

• A tuition freeze

• 50% tuition reduction for classes that are virtual for the Fall Semester

• Refund and waive all summer fees and late cancellation fees for housing contracts

• Protection of all staff of color and programs that serve marginalized students in cases of budget reductions

• Reversal of the decision to merge the offices of the Mizzou Chancellor and UM System President

Reasonings:

A tuition freeze:

On June 18th, 2020 the UM System announced a 2.3% tuition increase across all 4 UM System campuses. While we recognize that UMKC is suffering economically due to the ongoing pandemic, it should also be noted that students are too, with unemployment at all time highs. Despite efforts to improve financial aid, many students and their families already cannot afford to pay tuition, causing students to take out loans, transfer, or even drop out. Now, we are facing a nationwide financial recession caused by the virus which will likely far outlast the health crisis itself, and will put many students and their families in an even more precarious position to pay tuition. It is noted that tuition is often raised due to the fact that the state continues to cut their budget for higher education but it should not be acceptable for UMKC to pass the burden of these budget cuts down to students as this increasingly impacts the most vulnerable: low-income students, undocumented students, international students, LGBTQ+ students, and students of color the most. UMKC must pledge to protect and stand up for it’s students and not continue to raise tuition as projected by instituting a long-term tuition freeze.

50% reduction of tuition for virtual classes the Fall Semester:

We are unable to know how long this crisis will last. As long as it does, students and families will still be unable to work. The vast majority of students will be unable to afford tuition next year. Without a tuition reduction, students will be forced to drop out, take leave, or transfer to schools closer to home, as they find it impossible and improbable to pay the same amount for online classes. In addition despite the best efforts by instructors, for many students, in-person interaction is integral to their studies. This change in learning format also will highlight deep-seated inequities present in our community, as students have varying access to WiFi and ability to work effectively away from UMKC. UMKC must accommodate how this changes things for students and adjust tuition accordingly.    

Refund and waive all summer fees and late cancellation fees for housing contracts:

We believe that all summer fees and late cancelation fees for housing contracts need to be refunded and waived for all students due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that hit everyone by storm. Not only did this cause an abrupt end to the in-person aspect of the semester, it also caused an abrupt end to many students’ jobs, internships, other opportunities that provided financial stability, and changes to their Fall Semester plans. With the inability to earn money, not because of personal inadequacy, but because of a worldwide pandemic, a university that is for the prosperity of their students, should be for the financial freedom for its students. The University of Missouri-St. Louis chose to waive summer fees for all of the online classes they were offering for their students, UMKC should be able to refund the fees. The coronavirus pandemic has also forced many students to rethink their plans of living on campus not only because of the monetary strain it would put on them but also because of the unpredictable nature of campus plans during the pandemic, they should not be penalized for this.

Protection of all staff of color and marginalized student serving programs:

In the midst of the uprisings and struggles we’re seeing across the country for racial justice and anti-oppression it is in the interest of UMKC’s mission of diversity and inclusion that certain personnel, programs, and offices are not targeted strictly because they are not as profitable as personnel, programs, and offices that cater to the majority demographic of UMKC. UMKC prides itself on its reputation of a diverse student, faculty, and staff population so it’s important that these populations continue to be and feel supported by the university, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.

Reversal of the decision to merge the offices of Mizzou Chancellor and UM System President:

The UM System schools deserve effective, attentive leadership. With the two roles to be combined, the UM System President would spend an increasingly large portion of time on matters that relate solely to Mizzou, and would be unable to devote as much time towards the three other UM schools: Missouri Science & Technology, University of Missouri-St. Louis and University of Missouri-Kansas City. Several UM System leaders have spoken out against the decision, stating their concerns regarding the move. This form of restructuring may benefit the UM System fiscally, but leaves students and faculty to suffer.

We know that funding decisions can be complex during this unprecedented time. We want to affirm and commend UMKC’s commitment to continue paying employees whose jobs have been suspended during this time and we understand that student tuition is a part of UMKC’s operating costs. However, given UMKC’s endowment, fundraising capabilities, and other revenue sources such as from the hospital, we also know that there should be enough resources to continue paying staff while providing a tuition reduction to aid all students who are struggling during these difficult times.

We hope that UMKC recognizes how demonstrating its support for students by taking these steps creates the opportunity to further solidify its position as a national leader within the field of higher education. The decisions that UMKC makes during this time will greatly impact current students, and will impact students’ future engagement with and perception of UMKC post-graduation.

In light of this global crisis and its effects on our community, hundreds of UMKC students will be continuing to engage the University around these issues through call-ins, email campaigns, and through media outreach.