Morning Report: Students Still Paying For Closed Buildings

By The Voice of San Diego, the Voice of San Diego

March 9, 2021

The fact that college classes have largely remained online throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is just one way the virus has radically disrupted campus life.

Most of the other hallmarks of living on a campus – eating in the dining halls, working out in the gyms, studying in the libraries – are also on hiatus. But paying for those services is not – and in some cases, the prices are going up.

“For the spring 2021 semester, which began Jan. 20, SDSU students paid nearly $1,000 each in campus fees – on top of the regular tuition that goes toward funding on-campus services, employee salaries, student events and athletics,” reports VOSD intern Sofia Mejias Pascoe.

“The year before, students paid $873 apiece in campus fees, and in fall semester 2021, students are expected to pay $1,197. Some of those fees tend to increase every year to compensate for inflating costs of higher education. But other fees that cover services ranging from the campus library, student governance, athletic centers and sports arenas have remained the same or increased despite the disruption to in-person services caused by the pandemic.”

Some students at other CSU and UC campuses have filed suit against the respective systems over the continued fees.

The universities, for their part, argue that the costs of running a campus, even with most students learning from home, are fixed and ongoing.

Speaking of Students on Campuses …

Former San Diego Unified school board trustee John Lee Evans writes in a new op-ed that the district should stick to the April 12 reopening date it announced, and argues that elementary school students should attend full-day classes. VOSD’s Will Huntsberry reported last week that the teachers union has pushed back against the date.

“A very short school day does not meet the needs of our parents, especially low-paid essential workers. Middle and high school students can adapt better to a part-time schedule,” Evans writes. “The mantra needs to shift from ‘we’ll open when it’s safe’ to ‘we’ll open on April 12 and make it safe.’”

• Meanwhile, the state denied San Dieguito Union High, Poway Unified and Carlsbad Unified’s applications to reopen middle and high schools, the Union-Tribune reported.

What We Know About the Devastating Crash That Killed 13 Migrants

Immigration advocates have been cheering some of the Biden administration’s efforts to roll back President Donald Trump’s strict and punitive immigration policies, but a devastating crash last week drove home how desperate and dangerous things remain for many.

In this week’s Border Report, Maya Srikrishnan details what we know so far about the Imperial Valley crash that killed 13 people last week. The car that was struck by a tractor-trailer had 25 people inside, many of whom were Mexican and Guatemalan citizens. At least one Mexican family has been granted a humanitarian visa in order to visit a teenage victim in the crash who remains hospitalized.

In Other News

• Early voting is now underway in the special election for the 79th Assembly District seat. (City News Service)
• As vaccinations climb and cases drop, families and advocates are pushing the state to allow nursing homes to reopen. (KPBS)
• Another lawsuit has been filed in relation to Black Lives Matter protests in La Mesa last year, this one by a woman struck by a police projectile who said she wasn’t engaging in any illegal or dangerous conduct and didn’t pose a threat to anyone. (10 News)

The Morning Report was written by Sara Libby, and edited by Scott Lewis.

Voice of San Diego is a nonprofit news organization supported by our members. We reveal why things are the way they are and expose facts that people in power might not want out there and explain complex local public policy issues so you can be engaged and make good decisions. Sign up for our newsletters at voiceofsandiego.org/newsletters/.