Due to the unfortunate outbreak of COVID-19, Loyola students have been placed in an awkward position. Ranging from financial problems to simply poor internet connections, students are struggling at an emotional level. For the second semester in a row, most students will not be attending campus as classes continue to switch to online methods.

To their surprise, students found themselves paying for unneeded fees. Despite having online lab classes, science students are being charged with laboratory fees. Interestingly, the price of the equipment used in labs far outweighs the price of online programs needed for simulating the same experiments. Students should not be paying hundreds for equipment they do not have access to. Students in other fields such as engineering and arts are undergoing the same problem. We ask that these unnecessary and financially restricting fees be removed for the benefit of the student body.

As a member of R.I.S.E., my goal is to provide assistance in struggling communities. However, I must take a step back and am saddened seeing that my own community is challenged due to little, alterable decisions such as these.