As colleges and universities begin imposing COVID testing fees to help to incentivize vaccination, Partners' president Dr. James Toscano weighs in on how these new fees will affect students in USA Today. These fees, some amounting up to $1,500, will have a disproportional impact on low-income students, according to Toscano. In the article, he also criticizes the tendency of colleges and universities to leverage new fees for costs that could be absorbed rather than being passed onto students.

In the article:

"James Toscano, president of Partners for College Affordability and Public Trust, said colleges and universities too often impose fees to cover costs that they could otherwise absorb.

"'This is a particular concern when you’re talking about low-income students because they’re the most sensitive to price, they’re the most sensitive to fees,' he said. 'With vaccination rates the lowest among low-income Americans, these fees are likely to hit people who can afford them the least. So that is a concern.'

[...]

"Toscano called on administrators to disclose all the details of their plans for using the income from testing fee income.

"'Anytime a college or university assesses a fee, they should be a hundred percent transparent about the fee that they’re charging and the actual cost of the service that is being provided by the institution,' Toscano said."

Read the full article HERE.

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