UPDATE: Monday, June 29 at 11 p.m.
On June 29, DU provided an update to students with active housing applications. This email confirmed with students whether or not they would receive a housing grant for the upcoming academic year. It outlined all courses of action being taken based on how students were classified. This information could not be found in the same depth on Housing and Financial Aid websites, so the email’s full contents are contained in this document put together by the Clarion.
If students believe they were incorrectly classified, they should reach out to housingassignments@du.edu as soon as possible. Students who wish to cancel their application and housing assignment must do so prior to July 10 at 4 p.m. to still receive the housing grant (if eligible). Questions about the Residence Hall Grant can be directed to finaid@du.edu, and questions about housing can be sent to housing@du.edu.
Thursday, June 25
On June 12, DU sent an email to students with an update on housing for fall quarter of 2020. The email explained that any rising third or fourth-year student who applied for on-campus accommodations prior to COVID-19 announcements can cancel their application. Those who had housing grants will still receive them but will be able to live off-campus.
The housing subsidy remains in place to encourage students to live on-campus. The allotted money, however, “pays directly toward tuition costs (not housing or meal plans).” This money is used as an academic scholarship, but it is being taken away from those who need it now more than ever.
The decision by the university to exclude those who did not apply for on-campus living is a grave misstep. First, students who planned on studying abroad are not eligible for the entirety of this deal, which leaves them with a reduced scholarship and without a guaranteed roof over their heads.
Second, the retention of the housing grant may be an incentive to move off-campus, but it punishes those who were proactive in their search for lodgings. Taking scholarships away from students in a time of global crisis is insensitive. It shows how out of touch DU is with current events and their students.
Many second and third-year students applied to travel and study around the world. Now, they will remain in Denver. At least, they are supposed to. But with on-campus residences becoming less and less attainable, they will be forced off-campus.
Many of them will not receive their full housing grants. DU only offers the subsidy to study abroad participants for the fall. The university may claim that these students can apply for on-campus living in the winter, but that will do little to help them.
Any lease students enter in September will last much longer than one quarter. Many will be stuck in a year-long housing agreement and have to live farther from campus. They will have to pay Denver rent, which according to Westworld in 2018 can range from $1,300 to about $3,000 a month.
The school should not withhold funding from students who already made off-campus living arrangements. These students sought non-university accommodations in preparation for COVID-19. They are making it possible for the university to create a safe on-campus experience for first and second-years. But instead of thanking these students, the university dismisses them.
Rising fourth-year political science major Sawyer Austin Nash is one student who has been left frustrated and upset with the school’s choice.
“I am incredibly disappointed that DU has let us down yet again, this time during a pandemic,” Nash said. “DU had a great opportunity to help its students tremendously and refused to do so. It goes to show how DU cares more about money than the wellbeing of its students.”
Every part of a student’s life has been disrupted and damaged by COVID-19. Internships and summer jobs have been canceled. Social interactions have been limited. The economy is in shambles. In a time of crisis, one would think that DU would value compassion over cash. But, I guess we were wrong.
