Life under COVID-19 is uncertain, with every passing day there’s a new update, a new statistic, a new late-night press conference. For university students, however, there is one certainty— course fees.
RMIT University, one of the wealthiest in the country, has so far refused calls from both the union and student-body to reduce fees. Despite classes and lectures moving entirely online, students are still paying for resources they can’t access, the equipment they can’t use, and amenities they can’t enjoy.
“We are confident that the courses we have transitioned to online learning meet all the requirements of our on-campus courses,” RMIT Connect said in a statement. “For this reason, there is no different fee rate for students who are studying remotely.”
Even the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF), the subject of much derision amongst students online, remains unchanged. RMIT Connect claims that all amenities currently covered by the fee are still being provided, albeit in an online capacity.
The SSAF funds a range of initiatives, including student organisations, Catalyst magazine, job workshops, counselling services and the university union (RUSU). Many of these services have made the move to online relatively efficiently, especially in the case of the student union. But some, like sporting events and free-food services, simply cannot be moved online.
The transition to online learning has disproportionately affected international students. Not only are they not entitled to any government payments, new or old, but the decision to defer postpones not only their study but their visas too.
“I wanted to be independent, I tried to pay for uni by myself,” said Farzana Hussaini. Despite being a permanent resident, RMIT still considers him ‘international’. Due to COVID-19 Hussaini was, like many others, stood down from his job. But unlike local students, he has to pay his university fees in advance. “It’s put so much pressure on me and my family,” he said. The universities lack of communication has left international students confused and irritated.
Louise Samuelsson, a Fine Arts international student pays AU $16,000 for a studio she can’t use. For her – at least – study deferral is not an option. “People are taking leave of absence, getting Centrelink payments or cutting down the number of classes they’re taking,” she said. “But I can’t do any of that.”
Last week, after much pressure from the student union (RUSU), RMIT announced that it would change the census date to April 30th. Students now have an extra month to drop their course without financial penalty. But for many, that’s simply not enough. “I think RMIT has done the bare minimum,” said Louise. “People are scared and upset.”
Timothy Harris is an I.T. Student. He also condemns the universities response. “They waited until the very last minute before cancelling classes,” he said. “Even my local council where I work closed sooner than the university, and the constant notifications from staff telling students to ‘wash their hands’ is beyond condescending.”
The decision comes late compared to other universities, including La Trobe, Monash, Melbourne and Deakin. RMIT’s recent announcement that they would relax grading for classes taken online -whilst welcome- was long overdue. Universities such as Swinburne and Monash both implemented similar policy weeks ago.
In 2018 RMIT made a total revenue of AU$1.3 billion. According to its annual financial report, this exceeded their budgeted target by 7 per cent. Of that total revenue, course-costs contributed upwards of $640 million, a relatively small $13 million of which was generated by the Student Amenities Fee. These numbers do not include government-supported places including FEE-HELP and HECS-HELP, which also contribute upwards of $600 million a year to the university.
RUSU is calling upon RMIT to reduce fees by “at least 20 per cent,” to accommodate the shortfalls of online learning. Instead, the university has introduced a grant scheme. Offering up to $1000 for those negatively impacted by COVID-19. Despite every student being affected, however, not every student is eligible to receive funding.
Some, however, would rather RMIT reallocate funds, as opposed to simply reducing them. Sam Hoch is a Computer Science student, and though he may not be worried about fees, he does think the university could be putting the money to better use.
“I’d like to see RMIT prioritise those who really need the help,” he said. “Additionally, putting money into improving the online infrastructure would be better than just reducing course costs.”
RMIT has so far committed to increasing resources for wellbeing support, also provided by the SSAF. Unfortunately, it is not a question of whether or not RMIT can afford the costs of reducing or waiving fees. It’s a question of whether or not it’s willing to. And whilst students continue to adapt to an online curriculum. There is no sign that the university is willing to reduce fees.
