BERKELEY—On August 13, UC Berkeley’s Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs announced in a campus-wide email and on its website that UC Berkeley accepted to suspend the cancel for the nonpayment policy (CNP) for the fall semester by responding to ASUC senators’ campaign. The school has not decided to remove the CNP policy for succeeding semesters.
“In response to the unusual and challenging circumstances that our students are facing due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the cancel for Non Payment (CNP) policy will be suspended for the Fall 2020 semester. We appreciate and acknowledge the many students who reached out to us and shared their concerns as we approach this unprecedented fall semester. We have made this decision to help support you during this time,” reads the official statement.
ASUC Senator Aasim Yahya said in an email to the Daily Californian, “Moving forward the university should consider eliminating the CNP policy all together providing students with the autonomy and flexibility to pay tuition and fees when they feel financially prepared. This is about putting students first. “This is a perfect example of what can be accomplished when the ASUC unites and fights for the needs of students,” explained ASUC Senator Mateo Torrico in an email.
Formerly, the CNP policy asks for students to pay 20% of tuition fees before the semester’s classes start. Students who would not pay the costs would be dropped from classes. Every UC schools except UC Santa Cruz has a CNP system that encourages students to decide courses they want to take earlier and pass classes on other students who are on waiting lists for classes with limited-seats.
The current COVID-19 pandemic impacts low-income students to make decisions about taking classes. Daily Californian released an article on August 4, 2020, introducing ASUC Senators called for UC Berkeley to stop the CNP rule and accumulated nearly 600 signatures to reduce students’ pressure and anxiety from financial difficulties.
