Something I think is worth considering for everyone who is using the "why would I pay less for a different service?" argument.

Let's pretend that you decided to go to a certain school because they have some unbelievable state of the art facility or lab or athletic training that nobody else has. You commit to going to that school and spending the next 4 years of your life there. Halfway through the 2nd year there's a fire and that facility has a fire and burns to the ground. They need to do an investigation into the fire, demo the building, design and build a new one in its place. The university won't see it replaced while you are still a student there. The university isn't delivering the "service" you signed up for

You chose a certain school because their graduates have great career prospects. Right before graduation the economy collapses, and there are no jobs to be had by anybody. You were promised career fairs and companies kicking down your door to hire you, and none of that is happening. You aren't getting the "service" you signed up for.

You chose a certain school for the opportunity to study with this particular professor while you are doing your PhD. They are the world's leading expert in your field and the whole reason you went there. 2 years into your PhD that professor gets an offer to be the Dean at another school and up and leaves. There's nobody left to supervise your PhD except someone who does research in a related, but very different field of study. You aren't getting the "service" you are paying for.

What all of these things (including covid) have in common is that something outside of the university's control affected your experience and what you thought you were getting with your degree. What they also all have in common is that the university is negatively impacted and has no way to issue a refund because of your inhibited experience. Unless there is a specific fee attached to something you are paying the university (student association fee, university health benefit fee, athletic fee, etc), it's not directly tied to things you have access to. You don't get a tuition break when the library is closed for renovation or when the pool has to be retiled or when the lecture hall in the historic building has to have asbestos removed.

These are obviously all smaller examples, but in reality, covid is a massive inconvenience that nobody asked for, and that is costing universities a ton of money. It sucks for everybody.