College/Universities not offering refunds for 2020 Year

[Anonymous]

I've seen some threads on this - thought I'd share. Lots of undergraduates upset because their universities are shutting down but not offering a partial refund or discount on tuition (anywhere from $20,000 - $80,000 a year) even though they are no longer taking in-person classes.

NYU

https://twitter.com/dancingofpens/status/1240430055450390529

[Anonymous]

If they aren't offering online classes to finish the academic year, then that is problematic.

[Anonymous]

They are in most cases. But some classes just won't work in that format--performance-based classes and labs, for instance.

[Anonymous]

This line of reasoning is SO entitled and uninformed.

I am a college professor. I cannot tell you how much extra work it is to take fully developed in person courses and convert them to DL (distance learning) format. We are also having to take intensive training in multiple platforms, to pull this off. You do NOT deserve a refund of tuition if your school is finishing classes up online. We don't push some button and that all works, seamlessly. I know science professors who are in labs doing experiments, so kids have data to analyze and write up from home.

Jeez, this is a national crisis. You likely deserve room and board credits. But you do not deserve tuition refunds. Trust me, from someone on the inside (who is working way more, and harder, than I was when we were doing in person teaching).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This line of reasoning is SO entitled and uninformed.

I am a college professor. I cannot tell you how much extra work it is to take fully developed in person courses and convert them to DL (distance learning) format. We are also having to take intensive training in multiple platforms, to pull this off. You do NOT deserve a refund of tuition if your school is finishing classes up online. We don't push some button and that all works, seamlessly. I know science professors who are in labs doing experiments, so kids have data to analyze and write up from home.

Jeez, this is a national crisis. You likely deserve room and board credits. But you do not deserve tuition refunds. Trust me, from someone on the inside (who is working way more, and harder, than I was when we were doing in person teaching).

I agree with this. Our college refunded us housing and meal plans only, and I feel like that was fair.

[Anonymous]

If there are classes that can't go online (e.g., an advanced science lab), I'd expect to be able to take those classes later for no additional charge.

For example, if you go over the credit cap in the fall to retake a lab, I'd expect that fee to be waived.

[Anonymous]

If your student is still earning their credits online, the tuition should be unchanged. Their professors still need to be paid.

Most colleges are offering reimbursement for room and board.

[Anonymous]

My sister is a costume design major and they just cancelled all of the spring shows, so there is no way to make up those credits because it requires running a whole costume shop and working with a Director/Creative Team AND she doesn't get that work for her portfolio. It's a lost opportunity, regardless of any refund.

[Anonymous]

Ours is reimbursing room & board as well as the meal plan. I'm happy with this since learning is continuing online, which means she is receiving the classes for which we have paid.

I am, however, worried that this modified learning style will cause issues next semester when it is time for more specialized 300-level courses that rely heavily on what was learned in the classes she's currently taking.

I've seen how little her professor gets through in the online format in her math course. A lot of her beginning class time is spent trying to get some technical errors fixed with some students and then reminding everyone to mute their mics.

I'd like to see an option for students in STEM courses to be able to audit the same course next semester without needing to pay the fee.

[Anonymous]

Government should confiscate university endowments, use them to pay for tuition refunds and interest in student loans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This line of reasoning is SO entitled and uninformed.

I am a college professor. I cannot tell you how much extra work it is to take fully developed in person courses and convert them to DL (distance learning) format. We are also having to take intensive training in multiple platforms, to pull this off. You do NOT deserve a refund of tuition if your school is finishing classes up online. We don't push some button and that all works, seamlessly. I know science professors who are in labs doing experiments, so kids have data to analyze and write up from home.

Jeez, this is a national crisis. You likely deserve room and board credits. But you do not deserve tuition refunds. Trust me, from someone on the inside (who is working way more, and harder, than I was when we were doing in person teaching).

YOU are the entitled one. You were paid to provide a service. You're not providing it. The moral thing to do is return the money until you figure your shit out. And no, you don't deserve to be paid while you do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This line of reasoning is SO entitled and uninformed.

I am a college professor. I cannot tell you how much extra work it is to take fully developed in person courses and convert them to DL (distance learning) format. We are also having to take intensive training in multiple platforms, to pull this off. You do NOT deserve a refund of tuition if your school is finishing classes up online. We don't push some button and that all works, seamlessly. I know science professors who are in labs doing experiments, so kids have data to analyze and write up from home.

Jeez, this is a national crisis. You likely deserve room and board credits. But you do not deserve tuition refunds. Trust me, from someone on the inside (who is working way more, and harder, than I was when we were doing in person teaching).

YOU are the entitled one. You were paid to provide a service. You're not providing it. The moral thing to do is return the money until you figure your shit out. And no, you don't deserve to be paid while you do that.

-1 Trollfail.

[Anonymous]

$20,000-$80,000 is for an entire year. We re talking 2 months for this shutdown. And the student will finish the courses for the semester.

Let's compare this to the government shutdown last year. People did not work, but got paid. Why was that fair?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This line of reasoning is SO entitled and uninformed.

I am a college professor. I cannot tell you how much extra work it is to take fully developed in person courses and convert them to DL (distance learning) format. We are also having to take intensive training in multiple platforms, to pull this off. You do NOT deserve a refund of tuition if your school is finishing classes up online. We don't push some button and that all works, seamlessly. I know science professors who are in labs doing experiments, so kids have data to analyze and write up from home.

Jeez, this is a national crisis. You likely deserve room and board credits. But you do not deserve tuition refunds. Trust me, from someone on the inside (who is working way more, and harder, than I was when we were doing in person teaching).

Well, you sure sound entitled yourself. If I pay for a service of specific quality and that quality is not met, of course I deserve a refund. And, of course, if the university keeps you employed, you deserve your salary. You assume I, the consumer, pay directly your salary. No, I pay the university, which has its own mechanisms, including insurance, bankruptcy coverage, and so on.

It's not about faculty not doing their job, it's about the contract signed. Does it say in small print "and it's valid even for online teaching in emergency situations"? If yes, then I should pay. If not, then let's talk about it. We anyway don't pay real price, i.e., quality of teaching. Some pay for brand, for the child's experience, especially for ivies, expensive privates, rubbing elbows with so and so ... how is that going on work with DL?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your student is still earning their credits online, the tuition should be unchanged. Their professors still need to be paid.

Most colleges are offering reimbursement for room and board.

No, wrong, see above ... we are not paying for teaching only ... if so, community college would be ok, the knowledge is universal, the teacher just teach it, they don't come up with anything new in undergrad.