Hundreds refuse to pay UChicago as tuition strike takes off, organizers say: 'This isn't a bluff'

[TexasTowelie]

As hundreds of students refuse to make payments to the University of Chicago, organizers say they hope the tuition strike will convince the school’s leadership to come to the bargaining table.

Students with UChicago for Fair Tuition demanded earlier this month that the university cut tuition by 50% and eliminate student fees for as long as the coronavirus pandemic continued, citing changing financial situations for students due to skyrocketing unemployment.

About 1,900 students signed a petition asking the university to cut tuition and 950 said they planned to withhold their money this past Wednesday when spring semester payments were due, the group said.

Julia Attie, an organizer of the strike, said she has received confirmation from about 200 students that withheld payments.

Read more: https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2020/4/30/21242961/university-uchicago-tuition-tuition-strike

I went to a private university and while they let students study and receive degrees while still owing tuition, if you wanted an official transcript after graduation then all tuition and other fees had to be paid in full.

[elleng]

1. Ditto with my daughter's college/university,

had to pay up before transcript etc, so needed it to enter grad school. For some reason, her father failed to pay in time; I had to convince him we/he had the funds and HAD TO pay, so she could continue her education.

[Midnight Writer]

2. You know, if we didn't have, say, a thousand families holding 50% of our nation's wealth

we could afford things like this.

Easily.

Again, ballpark figures here. Our total national worth is around 100 trillion dollars. That's land, building and outhouse. The whole shebang.

So 50% of our nation's wealth is held by these (relatively) few people, however many it is. That would be 50 trillion dollars.

50 trillion dollars. They got it all on paper, paper that we, the taxpayers, guarantee 100%.

So maybe they give up some of that 50 trillion? Not all at once, not at the point of a gun, but just through sensible tax laws that leaves them plenty of money but gives our country a long term path to prosperity for all.

That is the civilized solution.

I fear the alternative.

[3Hotdogs]

3. For this to work, it needs to have a framework like some rent strikes.

Rent money paid to an escrow fund, to be paid to the landlord when demands/repairs are completed.