Collegians argue for breaks on tuition as classes go online

As more universities abandon plans to reopen and decide instead to keep classes online this fall, it’s leading to conflict between students who say they deserve tuition discounts and college leaders who insist remote learning is worth the full cost.

Disputes are flaring both at colleges that announced weeks ago that they would stick with virtual instruction and at those that only recently lost hope of reopening their campuses. Among the latest schools facing pressure to lower tuition are Michigan State University and Ithaca College, which scrapped plans to reopen after seeing other colleges struggle to contain coronavirus outbreaks.

Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, has killed more than 175,000 people in the United States. Worldwide, the confirmed death toll crossed 800,000 on Saturday, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University, and cases passed 23 million.

In petitions started at dozens of universities, students arguing for reduced tuition say online classes fail to deliver the same experience

they get on campus. Video lectures are stilted and awkward, they say, and there’s little personal connection with professors or classmates.

Many schools, however, respond that they have improved online classes since the spring. Some have instituted decreases of 10% or more, but many are holding firm on price.

At Michigan State, senior Tyler Weisner said the online classes he took last spring were less effective than what he gets on campus. Weisner, who started a petition to reduce tuition, said he’s also missing out on many of the benefits of college.

“You’re paying that price tag because colleges bring students from all over the country together, to experience different cultures,” he said.

Similar petitions have been started at schools from Rutgers University in New Jersey to the University of Southern California. Plans to continue virtual instruction this fall are further angering many students who were frustrated by the experience of studying online last spring, when colleges across the U.S. abruptly sent students home as the pandemic intensified. In the wake of that, students at more than 100 colleges filed lawsuits demanding partial refunds.

It also renews a wider debate about the cost and value of a college degree. After years of increases, many students said they could barely afford tuition before the pandemic. Now, as families around the country struggle, many say there’s a new need to rein in costs.

Some colleges lowered tuition as they moved classes online, often acknowledging families’ hardships and the differences in online classes. Several universities in Washington, D.C., lowered prices by 10%, including Georgetown University. Princeton University also cut tuition by 10%. In Massachusetts, Williams College announced a 15% discount after moving to a mix of online and in-person classes.

Others, however, have refused. Harvard University is charging full tuition, about $50,000 per year, even though all undergraduate classes will be online this fall. The Ivy League school invited freshmen to live on campus while taking classes online, but about 20% have deferred enrollment, the university announced.

FINANCIAL HIT

At Michigan State University, officials said they have no plans to lower tuition. They said other schools are cutting costs by leaning on part-time faculty members or student assistants. Instead, Michigan State said that it has invested in technology and faculty training to improve remote instruction.

Michigan State said the decision to keep classes online will cost the school millions

in lost housing revenue. Ithaca College, which is not cutting tuition, said it’s also taking a financial hit by telling students to stay home this fall.

In some petitions, students acknowledge colleges’ financial struggles, but they say schools can draw on endowments to weather the crisis. At some schools, however, that may not be the case. Industry experts warn that many colleges were on shaky financial ground before the pandemic, and some predict that dozens of colleges could be forced to shut within a year.

At Ithaca, junior Meghan Marzella said she understands that the pandemic has been hard on schools and families alike. But she said there’s no reason students should pay fees for the fitness center and library if they won’t be on campus.

“Tuition covers so much more than just classes,” said Marzella, who started a petition to reduce prices. “The reality of the situation is, we’re still paying for things that we can’t access.”

At the University of New Mexico, students face a tuition increase even though the school is offering a mix of online and remote classes. Senior Ava Yelton, who helped lead a protest against the increase, said it’s unethical to charge more when students are getting less.

“The question is why are we paying the same amount — if not more — for way, way less?” she asked. “I know this is what’s best for public safety, but there’s no doubt the level of learning is lower online.”

CAMPUS SETBACKS

Many colleges had hoped to bring students back, with major modifications. But after outbreaks at many of the first campuses to reopen — often tied to off-campus parties — some are retreating from their plans.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill halted

in-person instruction last week after 130 students tested positive for the virus. The university is letting students cancel their housing contracts without penalty, and it’s reimbursing students for their meal plans, officials said.

But students will still be on the hook for hundreds of dollars in fees that aren’t likely to benefit them, including $279 for athletics, $400 for student health, more than $200 for campus transit and $160 for student union center operations.

Struggling to salvage some normalcy and revenue, many colleges and universities are inviting students into dorms and classrooms.

The limited openings, being tried by more than a third of the country’s 5,000 campuses, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education, have come with strict rules:

No parties. Mandated coronavirus tests or routine self-checks for symptoms.

No setting foot into public spaces without masks.

But early outbreaks at dozens of colleges have underscored the gap between policy and enforcement — and the limitations of any college to control the behavior of young people.

On-campus restrictions are being undermined by off-campus partying. Student codes of conduct are being signed and promptly forgotten.

The University of Alabama has issued a prohibition on student gatherings, including off-campus parties and fraternity and sorority events.

The university on Friday announced a 14-day moratorium on all in-person student events outside of classroom instruction. Social gatherings are prohibited both on and off campus and the common areas of dormitories and fraternity and sorority houses are closed, according to the new guidelines. Visitors are not being allowed in dormitories

and sorority and fraternity houses.

PARTYING, NO MASKS

Recent videos from several campuses — such as the University of North Georgia — have shown hundreds of students gathering without masks or social distance.

On Thursday, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill moved undergraduates to remote instruction when at least 177 students tested positive, largely in clusters linked to dormitories, sororities and fraternities.

The University of Notre Dame suspended in-person classes after positive tests in 147 students, most of them seniors living off campus who were infected at gatherings where masks were not worn and social-distancing recommendations were not followed. On Tuesday, the school issued a strongly

worded statement, urging students to “call one another to accountability.”

Paul Browne, a spokesman for Notre Dame, said students had been surprisingly helpful with contact tracing. “If anything,” he said, “they want the university to be more aggressive.”

Indeed, many university officials seem to be relying on students to report one another to enforce restrictions. Some colleges are advertising hotlines where students can anonymously report unsafe behavior. A recent TikTok video that has more than 3.4 million views captured the spirit of self-enforcement.

In the video, two young men warn that they would rather tell on their classmates than be sent home from their unnamed college. “I will rat you out,” one emphatically warns, adding, “I’m not doing Khan Academy from home. I refuse. And I hate the cops.”

A few schools have begun imposing tough penalties to send a message.

Purdue University’s president, Mitch Daniels, suspended 36 students in the past week after a cooperative house was caught partying less than 24 hours after he had specifically outlawed off-campus parties.

At the University of Connecticut, a mask-free dorm bash got several students evicted from campus housing.

At least 14 Drake University students were banned from the Des Moines, Iowa, campus for two weeks for allegedly flouting the school’s no-party edict.