Over 5,500 students have signed a petition asking UBC for a partial tuition refund as students have adjusted to online classes due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Second-year business and computer science student Irem Atalay started the petition, which calls on UBC to give a partial refund to all students after the university moved classes online in March.

“If this is the only difference, then why [are people] paying thousands of dollars every year to enrol as a full-time student in a university instead of receiving an online degree?” said Atalay in an email to The Ubyssey.

After seeing the popularity of her sister’s petition at Ringling College of Art & Design in Florida and being motivated by similar efforts at other American and European universities, Atalay took to change.org to stir action at UBC.

“When most students agreed to take on the financial burden … we did so because we expected to receive in-person face-to-face instruction, as well as the opportunity to seek out help from professors during office hours,” reads the petition, arguing online instruction does not justify the amount students have to pay.

And while more than two-thirds of those who viewed the petition signed it, not everybody is happy. According to Atalay, about a third of those who have viewed it have not signed. Still others have criticized it.

“Some of the people who were disagreeing with the petition assumed it was only for international students,” said Atalay, clarifying the petition is requesting refunds for “all students, not just the international ones.”

“I did not expect such a bias toward international students, since being able to study here does not indicate that they are all millionaires,” she added. “Their families are making such big sacrifices in any terms so that they could study here.”

In response to the petition, UBC Media Relations Director of University Affairs Matthew Ramsey said that UBC will not be providing refunds.

“Student tuition will not be refunded because UBC is ensuring that students still have the ability to conclude their coursework, take exams and receive grades for the courses in which they have enrolled,” said Ramsey in a statement.

“Your tuition is vital to maintaining the academic continuity and operations of UBC and providing the supports you require now and when the university returns to normal operations.”

But Atalay says it’s about more than academics.

“This does not account for … campus activity fees (activities which have all been canceled), lab fees, transportation fees, building fees … facilities fees, etc.,” she wrote in the petition.

“It is no longer fair to charge students for such amenities.”

Other schools including the University of Toronto have reduced or waived similar incidental fees for the summer semester.

“The extreme support I received for this petition is a sign that students should be receiving the necessary support during this pandemic,” Atalay said.

Once the petition gets at least 1,000 more signatures, Atalay said she will be sending it to UBC President and Vice-Chancellor Santa Ono, as well as UBC Student Services, with which she has been in contact with.

Regardless of the outcome, Atalay hopes that the university will listen to students’ financial and academic concerns during the outbreak.

“While we applaud UBC’s initiative for putting the [students’] health and safety as the main priority, it is important to consider the financial impact on the students, especially the international students considering the tremendous difference between [their] tuitions,” reads the petition.