Boston University's Residential License Agreement (RLA) is not fair; it puts students at a disadvantage before they even arrive on campus. COVID19 has created tremendous uncertainty for the university and its students. Due to these unparalleled circumstances, we demand that BU Amend the Terms and Conditions of the RLA for the 2020-2021 Academic Year. Students' contractual obligation for room and board should be limited to the Fall 2020 semester, not the entire academic year.
The Terms and Conditions of the RLA state: "The licensee and guarantor will be held responsible for all residence and dining plan rates for both semesters of the academic year." Despite efforts to edit Campus Life policies, students are obligated to pay room and board fees for the entire academic year if they do not defer the RLA by August 1. This means that if any student decides to move off-campus or home for their own physical or mental health later in the fall, they will be obligated to pay for room and board through May 2021.
An email exchange on June 25 with an employee of BU Housing confirmed that "If you do not cancel your housing prior to the posted deadlines, you would be signed up for the full academic year at this point" and that "You could live off-campus in the spring [semester], but you would still be charged for housing." While a number of changes have been made in Campus Life policies to help some students, Boston University has created a residence agreement that penalizes domestic students who elect to not spend the full academic year in on-campus housing. With the uncertainty facing the university and its students in the future, we need a fair Housing Agreement from Boston University.
