Letter to President Zaragoza Concerning Late Fees

I decided to write this letter to CSN administration. I am still editing it and might add statistical information to support my claims but here is what I have so far. What do you guys think ? Do you agree? Is there anything I should add or take out ? It's a bit lengthy and the end is kind of.... I don't know it needs more. But let me know what you think!

 On March 15, 2020 amid the swirling confusing news of a new “virus” and all the other things going on in my world, I looked at an email from my English teacher that class was canceled. I didn't feel much more than frustration at the news, seeing that I didn't see the email until I was at the classroom door. But then I took the extra time I had to go grocery shopping, gather up all the ingredients to make a caldo de pollo, and eat warm soup and watch T.V. with my mom. By then the news didn’t feel so bad. 

My mom has a bad back and after 20 years of surgeries and complications, we were patiently waiting on the latest procedure, a further fusion of 2 more vertebrates to the 9 that had already been fused together. We hoped for a return to the semblance of our normal but my mom had many complications with that procedure, too many to recount here, and it was impossibly hard on me. Words can’t really describe the weight of what it feels like to be your mom’s primary caregiver while in school full time, in the middle of a pandemic locked inside your home, braving life threatening situation after life threatening situation. But we made it through. 

We made it through and I wasn’t going to give up on my education no matter what, I needed to finish my degree as soon as possible so that I could really start helping my parents and building my own life. I signed up for a full 12 credits for the fall semester of 2020. When I realized I was going to be charged excess credit fees I was daunted, and I tried to fight the charges but ultimately accepted CSN’s questionable decision to reject my appeal. But that's another matter. Optimistically thinking, I planned to find a part time job from home so as to not expose my mom and have my dad help me out with the other half. 

At first things were their usual amount of difficult, the same struggle of balancing school, home, and all the other curveballs life throws. But then we got sick. We caught it late October and by November 9 my mom was unresponsive. My dad got it too, he lives part time upstate working in the gold mines in Elko Nevada, so he had to go through it all by himself, alone. My mom had me but we only had each other. Needless to stay my schoolwork took an abrupt halt and so did my finances. 

My mom made it through, so did I. By the graces of my professors I was given the opportunity to make up my assignments and even finished out the semester in good standing. I tried my best to get things back on track, but I can’t deny that I was burned out and I let things get out of hand. My parents are still reling financially from the impact of COVID and I am just now trying to get back into the workforce. 

That brings me to where we are now. It shouldn’t be to anyone’s surprise that those months dancing with COVID unhinged my finances leaving me in a significant amount of debt. The majority of which can be attributed to my tuition. I reached out to the cashier’s department to try to discuss a means of addressing the issue only to realize that it continues to be CSN’s policy to not waive late fees and to continue reporting outstanding balances to collection agencies. 

When COVID first appeared our administration granted the CARE act to students that have been affected by the impacts of the virus, issued to those who were eligible, those who were in good standing. They even extended the CSN Student Emergency Fund for undocumented students who fell outside of those requirements. I commend these efforts of support and I know they were greatly appreciated by my fellow students. But I also know that there were students like myself that didn't qualify for this support based on their parent’s taxes, finances that weren’t a proper reflection of the hardships to come. I also know that the online page for the CSN Student Emergency Funds does not exist anymore and that there were student’s who in the midst of the crisis didn't take advantage of the opportunity, perhaps because of their lack of knowledge being that they were isolated from campus or simply because they were overwhelmed. Ultimately CSN administration did make an effort to assist it’s student’s, many were helped and many were not. 

However the real question rises in why CSN insists on not only charging late fees for the semesters of 2020 but also is continuing to report balances to collection agencies. Our administration knows the adversity we faced this past year. It goes to say that my circumstances were not unique and I was in fact, very lucky. There are many student’s who like me still have holds on their accounts, but also have a dead parent to go along with it, a mountain of medical bills, a house loan that's about to be foreclosed on, an eviction notice, and a new lifetime of debilitating symptoms. Do you think those late fees are an appropriate lesson for them to learn at this time? Is the negative report on their credit score an appropriate lesson for them to learn at this time? 

I know our administration tries to find ways to help its students. The CARE act is proof of that, but perhaps a more proactive way of helping students in the middle of a global pandemic is to not enact policies that enforce a mentality of profit over people. My goal after leaving CSN is to enter the field of education and ultimately  become a teacher in the district, and it is my aspiration that academic institutions should strive to build a legacy of success and compassion for students not one of apathy and bottom lines.

Thank you for reading !!!