Pictured Above: An addendum to the housing contract said that students would not receive refunds for their housing costs if the university shuts down due to COVID-19.
Emily Wunderlich | The Crow’s Nest
By Sophie Ojdanic
The USF administration announced this week that it would provide up to $20 million in financial aid to students to encourage full-time enrollment this academic year.
To qualify for what the university is calling the “We Got U-SF” scholarship, students must be enrolled full time in the fall semester. For undergraduate students, this means 12 or more credit hours. For graduate students, this means nine or more credit hours.
Undergraduate and graduate students whose full cost of attendance are covered by other need-based financial aid do not qualify for this scholarship.
Qualified students would receive one-time payments ranging from $500 to $2,060. The university estimates that these funds could help up to 22,000 students.
“At USF, we are deeply committed to supporting our students’ academic progress and success through these difficult times,” Provost and Executive Vice President Ralph Wilcox said in a statement. “We hope this investment will help support their full-time enrollment this fall as students begin their academic journey or continue to pursue their educational goals at USF.”
But the administration also announced a policy that could have a significant financial impact on students who live in on-campus housing.
The university will not offer refunds to students who sign yearlong housing contracts if the COVID-19 pandemic forces USF campuses to shut down again.
“The Student acknowledges the Student will not be eligible for a refund of housing rental rates and fees if Residence Halls close, access is restricted during the term, or if the length of the Agreement is adjusted,” said an addendum to the housing contract sent to students on June 10.
Students have until July 1 to decide if they’d like to cancel their housing agreements without penalty.
“In order to allow students and their families to make informed decisions, USF intends to provide clear expectations about what students can anticipate when returning to our campuses,” said Carrie O’Brion, director of marketing and communications for USF St. Petersburg.
“As such, USF recently shared the information about safety modifications to the residence halls such as face covering requirements, limitations on the use of common spaces and visitor restrictions, as well as the possibility of refunds, in order to give students an opportunity to opt out of their housing agreements without penalty before July 1.”
On-campus living costs for USF St. Petersburg range from $5,844 to $11,985 per academic year, according to the Housing and Residential Education website. This does not include meal plan rates.
“I don’t blame them for not wanting to give a full refund,” said Carson Owen, a junior marketing major. “But I think that they should give a refund proportional to the amount of days that the dorms are closed.”
Owen is one of 125 members of the USF community to sign a change.org petition calling for the policy to be undone, as of June 18.
“I’ve talked to some other students and a lot of us agree that if things don’t change, we’re gonna cancel our housing applications,” Owen said. “It just doesn’t make sense from the student’s perspective to risk that amount of money with no refund when we don’t even know how classes are going to be held in the fall.”
The university plans for residence halls to remain open, regardless of whether in-person classes are canceled.
“USF fully intends to keep residence halls open throughout the fall semester with precautions in place to support a healthy environment,” O’Brion said. “If COVID-19 conditions force classes to shift online, it is our expectation that students who need to stay on campus will be allowed to remain in the residence halls if necessary.
“If a student chooses to leave their residence hall, the contract will remain in place and they will be responsible for the duration of their housing agreement.”
