Tuition at CSU’s Remains the same during COVID-19.

Taylor Morris, Contributor

Certain things don’t change no matter the circumstance.
Many students have lost jobs, several of them struggle to pay rent, but that doesn’t mean things will get any easier in regards to tuition costs. Students that attend any of the 23 CSU campuses will get no reduction on tuition as fees are still the same for the Fall 2020 semester.
CSU Chancellor Timothy White explained in a town hall meeting through zoom posted, August 19th, 2020.
“There will be no change in tuition and mandatory fees, the tuition dollars we use pay for roughly half of the cost of operating the university, and well over 85% of our costs are for faculty and staff,” Chancellor White says.
Chancellor White stressed the importance of keeping the faculty and campuses alive, which is why students won’t see a change in tuition costs. Executive Vice-Chancellor Steve Relyea explained that the mandatory campus fees need to continue to fund health and physical services, mentorships, student clubs and activities, internships, and many more.
Undergrad Tuition at Cal State East Bay is around $7,000 for in-state students and $18,880 for out-of-state students. Included in the tuition fee for those enrolled in 6.1 units or more, is a student body fee of $64.50, a facilities fee of $3, a health service fee of $187.50, a university union fee of $82.50, an athletics fee of $52.50, a university union recreational fee of $97.50, an academic access enhancement and excellence fee of $120, an instructional related activities fee of $12, and an I.D. fee of $1.50.
Students still have access to their professors, tutors, and advisors through Zoom, but not all reap the benefits of the mandatory fees such as the health service, university union, and athletic fee as there are many who aren’t residing on campus for Fall 2020.
Cal State East Bay has posted an advisory on its site regarding COVIDCovid-19 updates. The university has now restricted access to on-duty employees, enrolled students, and first responders due to Covid-19. The campus is only open for authorized academic purposes only.
There is limited access to the CSUEB shuttle as well because according to xxxx, seeing how there are only 5-7 people on average are on each per shuttle.

The RAW (Recreation and Wellness Center) is shut down for the remainder of the Fall 2020 semester. Instead, the RAW is now virtual and you’re able to meet personal trainers through Zoom, which again, means many may not reap the full benefits of the mandatory recreational fee.
This has the potential to cause frustration with students as they are no longer allowed to meet in groups on campus unless it’s been previously arranged and aligns with state laws and orders. This further takes away from the college experience as students aren’t able to go on campus for basic needs or wants.
“To pay the same amount of tuition, just to be online at home and not on campus is quite frustrating,” Char’reale Stuger, a student from Cal State East Bay, said in an interview.
Those who aren’t used to online instruction have difficulty adapting to this change. “I need one-on-one interaction, I want to be able to go and see my professor for questions,” Stuger stresses.
This is a hard time for professors, students, advisors, employees, personal trainers, and anyone else who is used to being on campus on a day to day basis. The costs and mandatory fees don’t really help Cal State East Bay students as they are not getting the same benefits they would have received on campus. Was there not a better way to go about the Fall 2020 plan?