As we transition to remote instruction for the rest of the semester, trying to remain financially stable gets more difficult. Students have now been informed that they will be refunded partially for room and board. Winthrop dorms cost around $2500 per semester, depending on what kind of style dorm you are in. Suite style dorms are $2,840 dollars, while hall bath style dorms are $2,704 per semester. Courtyard is more expensive, and Roddey is cheaper, but how much exactly will we get refunded?
A lot of students had jobs on campus, and with the campus being closed, they do not have a way of making money. A refund is needed to help relieve a lot of financial stress that we have right now.
Sophomore biology major, Margarita Perez said, “It’s difficult not being able to work since I worked at a residence hall, it puts my wallet in a tough position.”
Not only are students waiting for refunds for room and board, but for meal plans as well. Since we are off campus for the rest of the semester, about half of our meal plans remain unused. So, for these students that no longer have jobs, they have to spend their money to get food without having a steady income.
Junior music major Joelle Glapinski said, “No one asked for this. Only one of my classes is not a performance based class in some form and that one is a discussion class. I will probably have to retake at least two of the classes I had planned for this semester because it’s literally impossible to take things like conducting because it’s all based on experience doing the activity,”
There are a lot of classes that are extremely difficult to take online. Especially for majors centered around the arts. For music majors, a lot of students have performance based classes where they have to get together and rehearse. This makes it nearly impossible to do online, but we still have to fully pay for these classes. While we are still taking classes online, we do not have the access to the same resources as we did when we stayed on campus.
“Unironically, I am probably a semester behind in my degree at this point and since my scholarship runs out at 4 years i guess I’m fresh out of luck,” Glapinksi said.
This pandemic puts so many students in a tough situation. Because some classes are impossible to take online, students will have to take the class again to get all the experience they need to move on.
Winthrop has posted a press release on their website giving us an update on what to expect for refunds. We will be refunded partially for room and board, but not for tuition because we are still taking the classes online. Is this fair for students in those classes that are impossible to take online?
