Letter to the Editor: Breakdown of Student Activity fees

The Queens College Office of Communications and Marketing responded to an OP-ED published in September, entitled “Are Student Activity and Technology Fees Necessary for an Online Semester?” The letter below is a explanation of how Student Activity fees are being allocated and utilized. Any inquiries regarding this letter to the editor can be emailed to Jay.Hershenson@qc.cuny.edu.

This article questioned the need for student fees when classes are being held primarily online during the Fall 2020 semester. Specifically, the article cited the lack of transparency in how these fees are being allocated during the Fall 2020 semester.

On August 27, the Office of Communications and Marketing posted a comprehensive document, “The Benefits Provided Through Student Fees in Fall 2020,” in three different locations (the Tuition and Costs landing page, Bursar landing page, and the Coronavirus landing page) on the Queens College website. The document, which can be viewed directly at the link below, outlines the ways student and technology fees are being allocated during the Fall 2020 semester.

https://www.qc.cuny.edu/community/Coronavirus/Documents/The_Benefits_Provided_Through_Student_Fees_in_Fall_2020.pdf

As you can read in the document, student fees are still necessary and being used to fund vital campus services. Some of these services include the shuttle bus, childcare in the Child Development Center, virtual fitness classes from the Department of Athletics Recreation, and enhanced tutoring services by the Committee of Disabled Students.

These fees also help to fund staffing costs for the Office of Student Development and Leadership. This office plays an essential role in sustaining a culture of lifelong leadership development, training, and education for students. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Office has executed dozens of programs geared towards the social, emotional, and educational development of Queens College students. Examples of such are listed below:

Spring 2020 (April/May/June)

Weekly meditation workshops
Weekly strength and fitness workshops
Weekly Zumba “parties”
Weekly Queer Connect seminars (topics like “The ABCs of LGBTQIAA+”, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Trans Feminism, Toxic Masculinity)
Coping with Stress While Job Searching (co-presented with Office of Career Engagement and Internships)
Break the Silence (anti-bullying and harassment; bystander intervention training)
GLASA Digital Dance Party

Fall 2020 (August/September)