This petition was created by and for the marginalized communities at USF. 

On July 16th, Fitzgerald announced tuition will not be reduced or waived for a remote semester at USF. He said the “highly personalized education that you have come to expect from USF will continue”, but we as students highly disagree with this statement. 

We demand at least a 4.4% decrease in tuition and the elimination of fees for inaccessible services during the remote semester. If our demands are not met as students we are calling for a campus-wide boycott of USF Tuition for the Fall 2020 school year. We will also boycott all USF events and anything USF affiliated. We need the USF community to come together to boycott this institution: rich students, international students, students of color, students of ALL backgrounds, and USF faculty that actually support their students. The continuous tuition increase has significantly impacted USF’s community of low-income students, Black students and students of color, undocumented students, disabled students, etc. Each year the tuition increases, but our financial aid packages stay the same. This is a tactic used by higher education institutions to hoard wealth & education for the white and wealthy in this country. We will not stand for it.

Let’s be transparent and honest, a virtual education does not hold the same value as in-person education. A full-priced virtual education is inaccessible and unaffordable to many low-income students, first-generation students, Black students, Indigenous students, Undocumented students, POC students, etc. Many students don’t have access to stable WiFi, a stable home, and a stable learning space. Virtual education has significantly impacted disabled students, and it will continue to do so. If USF wants to start being the social justice institution they claim to be, they can start by making higher education accessible and affordable for ALL marginalized communities.

The people united are always stronger than the people in power, remember that. This is a big way for USF to put their money where their mouth is. USF is already facing a large deficit, they are relying on US AS STUDENTS to pay tuition this upcoming semester to fund the university. If we boycott together, they will have no choice but to listen to us and our demands as students! If you wish to participate, we suggest you email your professors about the boycott and invite them to stand in solidarity with their students.

Our goal is to reduce tuition by 4.4% and have all fees for inaccessible services waived at USF for the remote semester. We also want to encourage students from other universities to take similar action at their institutions. We control these institutions, they do not control us. 

This is only something we can do if the community comes together. Yes, it seems radical, but a fair and accessible education is not radical at all. 

Connect with us on Instagram: @BoycottUSF