Student petition triumphs, University revokes Intersession fee

Hopkins caved to mounting pressure on Friday and reversed a decision made earlier in the year to institute a $250 Intersession Program fee. Intersession, the University’s three-week, exploratory January term, has been free to full-time undergraduate students since its inception in 1968.

“Given the additional input we have received from the student community, we have decided not to institute the fee for this academic year,” Jessica Madrigal, the director of Summer and Intersession Programs, wrote in an email to the student body. “We are, of course, delighted with the success of our program and will be reviewing how we can best support our students’ participation in future years.”

The fee, which was announced with little fanfare on the program’s website earlier this year, sparked an online petition that was launched on Tuesday by students concerned about the impact of the extra charge. By Friday afternoon, the petition had garnered 933 signatures, just short of the posted goal of 1,000 signatures.

Senior Dylan Moses was one of the students behind the petition.

“I had heard about [the fee] but I thought that it wasn’t supposed to be for students who were already enrolled full-time in the fall,” Moses said. “But when I went on the Intersession website it said it was for everybody, and then I became a little more upset.”

Moses, along with senior Patrick Gallagher, senior Noah Saganski and junior Leah Barresi started the petition at around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. They said they were overwhelmed by the response.

“It was pretty awesome,” Moses said. “It’s definitely a great feeling. For me this is like Hopkins pride. Not lacrosse games or football games, but students actually communicating with each other and voicing their concerns about things that they care about on campus.”

This year, intersession is scheduled to begin Jan. 6 and to end Jan. 24.

Students generally use the three week period to explore areas of interest beyond the scope of their regular area of study or to take unique classes not offered during the fall or the spring semesters. Courses are offered in a variety of categories — from academic exploration and personal enrichment to career development and “leading social change.”

“[An additional fee] discourages students from exploring different academic interests,” Moses said.

The fee would have applied to some but not all of the offerings.

Students were also upset that the decision to institute the fee was made without their input. The $250 cost was also seen as a barrier to entry for students on financial aid.

“When I first heard about the fee I wasn’t going to stay on campus, but now I will definitely be taking intersession classes,” sophomore Audrey Moss said.

Freshman Alec Tabatchnick was also relieved that the University had backpedaled on the fee.

“I was chagrinned by the change in policy,” Tabatchnick said. “I probably would’ve stayed [on campus] anyway — just to have the intersession experience — but the world is better without [the fee].”

Sophomore Nick Uebele agreed.

“I was in full support of the petition,” Uebele said. “I think that by not instituting the fine this year they’re going to prompt a lot of people to come back for intersession who would not have otherwise.”