COVID-19 Information

April 17, 2020

Friends,

The following information regarding student fees for the spring 2020 semester was shared with students today:

We hope this message finds you well, and that you are adjusting to the significant changes in your learning environment. We all miss seeing you on campus and sharing in the events of our community.  

During the past few weeks, so many of the normal processes related to education at SIUE have been disrupted by the COVID 19 pandemic. We appreciate your patience, your flexibility, and your spirit of determination to continue learning in a vastly different world and one in which there are numerous challenges.

SIUE faculty, staff and administrators have worked diligently adjusting support mechanisms for students, particularly in the last month. Class formats have been changed to try to meet your educational needs and grading processes have been temporarily altered to aid you during this extraordinary time. We continue to monitor how those adjustments are working from your and your professors’ feedback on Starfish. If you need assistance in your classes, please let us know by “raising your hand” in Starfish.   

Earlier this week, we announced specifics relating to housing and meal plan refunds for those affected. We also established a Student Emergency Assistance Fund for students experiencing severe hardships related to food, housing and healthcare needs, as well as other necessities. We hope you will consider applying for support, as needed. Information on how to apply can be found at siue.edu/student-affairs.

Many of you are also concerned about fees. We will issue partial refunds of the general student fees, services and course fees as follows:

Parking Services – Students will receive a 10% refund on their spring 2020 parking hangtag fee. The specific amount is dependent on the type of parking hangtag purchased. Refunds will range from $8 to $19.  

General Student Fee – Students will receive a 7.4% refund on the spring 2020 fee. The refund represents $7.68 per credit hour, such that a student taking 12 credits would receive $92.16. Others will receive more or less depending upon their individual credit hour registration. 

Course Fees – Students will receive a partial refund on some course specific fees related to unused materials and supplies depending on how much of the original materials were unused. This will be determined by the Provost's Office in consultation with the faculty and administrators in those areas.

Refunds associated with these fees should be posted to student accounts in the next few weeks. 

The fees listed above constitute areas of service and support that cannot be fully accessed due to the current situation. Students simply are not able to use facilities and materials due to spaces being inaccessible, most students being displaced off campus and classes being delivered online. Therefore, it seemed fair to refund fees where normal services could not be provided.    

The refund reflects a reduction of services in certain areas such as the Fitness Center and the Morris University Center. Many of the other fee areas such as IT support, textbooks, intercollegiate athletics, facilities and health service are being offered in normal or even expanded ways because of recent changes. Particularly, IT software and staffing have been increased during the last month to provide necessary resources and additional personnel to answer questions, support instruction and provide technology, such as laptops in the current online environment. Health Service is another example of a fee-supported service that is responding in unprecedented ways.     

You should also be aware that additional support for students is included in the recently approved CARES Act. We are currently seeking guidance on how these funds may be used to help students and will make that funding available based on information provided by the U.S. Department of Education in the next few days.

If part of your fees were covered by financial aid, including certain grants, scholarships and veteran programs, the Financial Aid Office will review your account carefully and make any required adjustments based on the type of aid received. If you have an outstanding balance on your student account, your refund will be credited to the account. Any remaining funds will be refunded via the typical Bursar refund process. Please review your student account activity regularly to see when your refund is posted.

Thank you for your patience during this challenging time.  If you have questions about refunds, please contact the Bursar's Office at 618-650-3123 or Bursar@siue.edu.

Be safe. Stay healthy.     

Randy Pembrook, Chancellor

Denise Cobb, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Rachel Stack, Vice Chancellor for Advancement

Rich Walker, Vice Chancellor for Administration

Jeffrey Waple, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs