The offices of the President and the Executive Vice President and Provost have fielded several student concerns regarding communications informing students that they are required to purchase items for their fall 2020 courses that (i) were not disclosed in MyUNLV when registration opened on April 14, and (ii) were not included in the bookstore’s list of required texts. These items include, but are not limited to:
Digital publisher content not bundled with a required textbook, such as homework packages, laboratory packs, and supplemental materials.

Access codes or subscription fees for third-party services or content (e.g., online proctoring services for which the student pays the fee, subscriptions to video streaming services, homework submission services for which the student pays a fee).

Equipment or supplies (e.g., art supplies, laboratory kits, iClickers).

Fees, tickets, or out-of-town transportation costs for required field trips.

We understand that faculty are doing their best to adapt their teaching practices to the remote format, and have found some of these tools very useful in re-creating experiences that would normally happen in the classroom. However, it is imperative that all course costs are transparent to students, and that there are no “surprise” costs that only become apparent weeks or months after students register for the course.

The Higher Education Opportunity Act (20 U.S. Code Section 1015(b)) requires institutions to disclose in the course schedule used for pre-registration and registration purposes the ISBN and retail price information for required and recommended textbooks, as well as the cost of required supplemental materials. These “additional cost items’’ must be listed in MyUNLV/the bookstore website and in the course syllabus as required items. If the information for the textbook or supplemental material is not available, it is acceptable to use the designation 'To be determined.' Because registration for fall 2020 has been open since mid-April, class notes about these additional costs CANNOT be added retroactively. Communications from instructors after registration begins or inclusion of these required items solely in syllabi are not considered sufficient notification.

Actions for fall 2020 courses

We are asking for your help in identifying fall 2020 courses for which costs for these types of items were not disclosed in MyUNLV or in the UNLV Bookstore’s list of required textbooks/materials when fall registration opened in mid-April. Deans, please work with Department Chairs and Directors to collect information from instructors about undisclosed costs for their courses. You may use the attached spreadsheet template to provide this information to us by Friday, September 11, 2020. We will review this information and work with academic units to determine whether the necessary disclosures were made and, if not, to resolve the issue, either by waiving the requirement or reimbursing students for items purchased. In the rare cases where the academic unit is unable to cover the cost of reimbursement, and the required items are absolutely essential to the learning outcomes of the course, the University will provide some assistance to cover the cost for fall 2020 only. From spring 2021 thereafter, it will be the sole responsibility of each unit to ensure that all costs of required course materials are listed in the Class Notes section in MyUNLV, or alternatively, to reimburse students for any costs that were not properly disclosed.

Requirements for certain equipment do not need to be disclosed in MyUNLV for fall 2020 courses, provided that (i) the equipment is available to students at no cost to them through the Technology Loan Program, or (ii) the instructor is able to provide an alternative for students who do not have the required equipment. Examples may include webcams or standard laptop or desktop computers.

Planning for spring 2021 courses

As you finalize your course schedules for spring 2021, please share this information with your department schedulers, and review your courses to be sure that appropriate class notes and fee disclosures are included for ALL courses in which students may incur additional costs. These notes must appear in MyUNLV by the time spring 2021 registration opens in early November. Examples of some common class notes are attached. Departmental schedulers can contact scheduling@unlv.edu for assistance in adding these notes and fee disclosures.

We understand that we are asking you to address this challenge during a very busy time, and we appreciate your continued efforts on behalf of our students.

Laurel Pritchard
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education

Javier Rodriguez
Vice Provost for Academic Programs