UNLV student creates petition opposing tuition surcharges

Paying more for less.

That’s how some college students are feeling after seeing their tuition go up as local colleges and universities transition to online learning.

Jeremy Chen reports.

UP..AS LOCAL COLLEGES ANDUNIVERSITIES TRANSITION....TO ON-LINE LEARNING.13 ACTION NEWS REPORTER...JEREMY CHEN IS LIVE AT U-N-L-V.JEREMY...SOME STUDENTS WEREN'T HAPPYWHEN THEY SAW THE BILL FORTHEIR TUITION.IF YOU GO TO A PUBLIC COLLEGEOR UNIVERSITY-MOST LIKELY YOUWON'T BE ON CAMPUS AND INSTEAD,YOU WILL BE DOING ONLINELEARNING.SOME STUDENTS ARE WONDERING WHYTHEY ARE STILL PAYING CERTAINFEES-WHEN THEY'LL BE AT HOMELEARNING.THERE WILL CONTINUE TO BE EMPTYBREEZE WAYS ON U-N-L-V'SCAMPUS-WITH NEARLY ALL STUDENTSDOING REMOTE LEARNING.THEY'LL FOR THE MOST PART--- BEPAYING THE SAME AMOUNT OFMONEY TO ATTEND."IT'S FRUSTRATING.I THINK IT'S WHAT REALLYMOTIVATED ME TO MAKE THEPETITION." MADISON SCINTA, AU-N-L-V SENIOR, SAYS SHE ANDOTHER STUDENTS-WEREN'T HAPPY TOSEE A SURCHARGE ADDED TO THEIRTUITION.SHE CREATED AN ONLINE PETITIONATTRACTING MORE THAN TWOTHOUSAND SIGNATURES.U-N-L-V IS ADDING A SIX DOLLARFEE PER CREDIT FORUNDERGRADUATES AND AN EIGHTDOLLAR PER CREDIT FEE FORGRADUATE STUDENTS."THIS SURCHARGE SEEMS REALLYUNFAIR, ESPECIALLY WHEN SOMANY STUDENTS STRUGGLEALREADY." U-N-L-V SAYS THESURCHARGE WAS APPROVED BY THENEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHEREDUCATION IN JUNE FOR ALLPUBLIC COLLEGES ANDUNIVERSITIES.IT'S MEANT TO ADDRESS STATEBUDGET CUTS CAUSED BY THEPANDEMIC.THE UNIVERSITY SAYS INRESPONSE-IT'S PUTTING FORTH A50 DOLLAR REDUCTION FOR THESTUDENT LIFE FACILITIES FEE FORTHE FALL AND SPRING TO HELPOFFSET SOME COSTS-ITUNDERSTANDS IT'S DIFFICULT FORSTUDENTS AND FAMILIES.SCINTA ACKNOWELEDGES THEUNIVERSITY DIDN'T CHOOSE TOIMPLEMENT THE FEES- BUT SAYS ITCAN DO MORE TO SUPPORT ITSSTUDENTS."I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD FORLIFE FEE EVEN MORE TO OFFSETTHE SURCHARGE."CLASSES FOR THE FALL SEMESTERAT U-N-L-V BEGINS ON AUGUST 24.COMING UP AT SIX--- I WILLCOMPARE THE FEES AT OTHERCOLLEGES TO WHATTHEY ARE CHARGING HERE AT UNLV.JEREMY CHEN 13 ACTION NEWS.MORE THAN "53-THOUSAND"NEVADANS HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSEDWITH THE CORONA- VIRUS SINCE