The Covid Report.

UC also adopted the federal government's new Title IX regulations. With requirements like narrowing the definition of sexual harassment, requiring live cross-examination, and allowing schools to drag students through lengthy, burdensome investigations, these new regulations will deter survivors from reporting and accessing necessary supportive measures . Although UC must follow these guidelines -- or risk losing federal funding -- they do have discretion on how multiple sections of the rule are implemented, and can actively reduce their negative impact. Yet, UC’s administration did not allow any student input in the implementation process, ignored Students for Survivors’ letter with 7 demands, and even removed the Title IX policies and procedures from the Student Code of Conduct at the Aug. 25th Board of Trustees meeting . None of this has been communicated to students.

Despite the COVID-19 hiring freeze, the UC administration allowed basketball’s John Brannen to hire a new staff member . They also extended football coach Luke Fickel’s contract and upped his salary to $3.7 mil . He is now on the top 40 highest paid college coaches in the US. Meanwhile, the school’s Title IX office, Women’s Center, LGBTQ+ center, and AACRC are all without directors.

UC has taken no measures to improve the quality of their online classes in order to justify charging full tuition: no microphones for instructors, no support for professors who have never taught online, and no attempts at getting resources to students. Meanwhile, a measly $78 was taken off of student’s general and campus life and fees. When calling the bursar's office to ask what exactly these fees pay for, we were directed to this webpage, where there is not one actual expense named.

It is hard to argue against paying full price for tuition, and near-full price for fees, because we do not even know what we are paying for. But, the implications of COVID-19 are not the only reason this lack of transparency is concerning. Each year, our money goes toward UC’s athletic subsidy, development projects, and to the administrations’ excessive salaries, and away from student services, our instructors, and our education. Our money is not only wasted when paying full price for online: it is wasted every year on things that are peripheral to our education and our needs as students. We need transparency now.

Let’s grasp this opportunity to enact change, starting with our own community.