No fees rebate for internal students

It’s been confirmed that there will be no fees rebate for internal students after Massey’s decision to have classes ‘mostly’ online for the rest of semester.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Students and Global Engagement Tere McGonagle-Daly explained that there is no difference in course fees between internal or distance, however internal students do pay higher levy fees than distance students normally. 

“For example, the student services levy for full-time internal students is $582.20 per year, and for a full-time distance student it is $261.20,” McGonagle-Daly said. 

This had left some students wondering if a rebate would be forthcoming given everyone at Massey will be essentially distance for the entire semester. However, any hopes of a lockdown windfall have been dashed. 

McGonagle-Daly said that the levy fees include subsidised health care, free counselling, career and personal development, and student representation and advocacy services. All those things have continued to operate at all alert levels. 

“Because these services have continued to be available to all students, this is not something the university would be able to refund,” he said. 

“We appreciate that online learning may not be what all students were expecting, but as we are in the midst of a global pandemic and with student wellbeing in mind, the certainty this provides students now will keep all of our students and staff safe.” 

Design student Ryan said that although he prefers in-class learning, he agrees that a rebate isn’t necessary for internal students, since students can still come on to campus to use any services they need. 

“I’m more of a person who likes to learn face-to-face, rather than online. So, to me at least, it’s a lot easier having someone talk to you and show you everything, like hands on stuff rather than online. I can understand the safety reasoning to a degree, and they were very good about it by making assignments pass/fail. So, they are being quite lenient and working through what’s happening,” Ryan said. 

Distance student Joe said he wasn’t sure what he thought about classes being mostly online for internal students but believed that a rebate would be fair with the change in circumstances. 

“It’s kind of about their consumer expectations from the beginning not being followed through, so I could understand why people would want a rebate,” Joe said. 

Design student Clare said it was “pretty gutting” to hear about classes moving online, as one now online class of hers does not suit the online Zoom format, but she was lucky enough to have other classes that were deemed essential in person. 

“There is a lot of discussion needed and people seem more nervous on Zoom than in person, so it is a bit harder. I think students should still have the option of staying on Zoom or coming to class,” she said. 

She wasn’t so sure about speaking on rebates, since she felt like she was one of the internal students least affected by the changes. 

“Personally, I’m ok with paying the same amount but there would definitely be a few other people in a situation worth refunding a few bucks over.”