if illinois state university claims to support low income students they must make required texts & materials accessible. there is absolutely no possible way i can afford a 250 dollar text book for one course. i have absolutely no income, & have not since jan.

i have already paid hundreds of dollars for the course to pay a graduate student to re-teach me what i was already supposed to be learning from the online program. foreign language classes should be one of the first classes that students receive additional assistance with.

to ask me to pay close to 300 dollars for one singular text is absolutely absurd. i know that this is most likely out of the university’s hands & comes from the manufacturer of the book, but assistance must be provided for students that have already paid to enroll in the course.

TO INSINUATE that i had the AUDACITY to not bring this to anyone’s attention until spring break is a direct attack on my character as a dedicated student.

i am on the steering board for tau sigma, an international honors society for transfer students who receive a 3.5 within their first semester transferring to their institution.

i maintain an internship through the department of english in which i teach poetry to seventh graders

my professors have routinely held me after class or called me into their office to tell me how excellent my writing is and over five faculty members have offered to write me letters of recommendation for graduate school

at my previous institution i received a presidential academic scholarship for first-time freshmen students with a cumulative GPA and ACT score in the following ranges: 4.0 GPA and 25 ACT or 3.5 GPA and 28 ACT or 3.0 GPA and 33 ACT.

i had a 3000 dollar marching band talent scholarship available to students who participate for credit in Marching Band during the Fall Semester and Pep Band during the Spring Semester. Scholarship selection is based on in-person or videotaped audition.

i was the vice president of my senior class, editor in chief of my school year book, drumline section leader, and many more

TO ASSUME that me, being the student that i am, WAITED TO BRING THIS TO ANYONE’S ATTENTION is completely & utterly disrespectful & i will forever be offended by this statement

i have gone over my teacher, over my advisor, over the department chair DIRECTLY to the dean of the college of fine arts over this matter.

please tell me why this was an option on march 9th,

but after two weeks of no response the decision has been changed?

why was this not discussed in the first email? why was this not brought to my attention? why is he backtracking on his original statement?

march 26

original email from march 9th

FINALLY decided to bypass anyone below the dean & reached out to her who is setting me up with the associate dean

do not even get me STARTED on online learning. i have told myself that i would never in my entire life take an online class due to the fact that i need a physical classroom and a physical teacher and physical classmates