As many of you are aware, the outbreak of coronavirus is affecting people all over the world. Over the course of this week, schools in the Bay Area and around the country have been shutting down in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus. Since early this week, colleges have gone from switching to online courses to kicking students out of dorms and other campus facilities. According to a New York Times article (found here), one student compared the situation to being evicted. This brings up many issues, as many college students rely on financial aid and may not be able to afford to travel home, leaving them with nowhere to go.
Though different schools are taking different measures to deal with the current issues, there is a general consensus that all universities will do their best to help support their students. For example, Harvard University is helping many students pay for travel costs to return home, depending on students’ financial status. Other schools are keeping portions of their campus open in order to accommodate those unable to travel. However, there is still the question of students’ tuitions, as they pay thousands of dollars a year to not only attend classes but to also live on campus.
I think the issue of tuition is a significant one, as students are not only losing their housing but also online classes are not as effective as live ones. It is very unlikely that dance or biotech majors are going to have all their needs met through online courses. And, many college students pay for meal plans and various amenities (including gyms and pools) which they are unable to use now that the virus has forced them off-campus.
I personally believe that students should receive some sort of compensation, whether this is in the form of cheaper tuition the next year or a refund for their housing payments. Unfortunately, this is not very realistic for most colleges, as much of the tuition received is spent and it would be extremely costly to repay all the students while still paying the professors. Not to mention, the universities are also being economically affected by the virus, as many institutions rely on donors and tax dollars for funding, and with the economy declining, universities are concerned about their financial support in the future.
Ultimately, schools are doing what they believe is best for the health of the student body and faculty.
- How do you think colleges should respond/repay students that are being moved off campus and switched over to online classes? Should they receive refunds for their dorm/housing payments?
- On a smaller scale, what is your opinion about Aragon closing classes?
7 comments:
I think that it is a good idea for students to go back home in order to reduce the spread of the virus; however, as you mention above, I think that it is really interesting when considering students who came from abroad and are kicked out of their dorms. Where will the stay? Perhaps they can find a hotel, a classmate's house - but it is good that some universities are providing an area for these students to stay. I know that one of my friend's cousins are in this same position. But in regard to all college students, I think that it would be great for them to receive some sort of compensation back. It might be best for their tuitions next year to be reduced due to their "early release" or due to online classes being administered. But that brings up the question about students who are seniors in college and are interested in going into the job market - how will they get a job? White-collar jobs might be fine but those who are interested in wage-related jobs might have a more difficult time. Also if someone is a college senior who is interested in going into even higher studies, how will they receive that "credit" from leaving classes early/online classes? There are simply a lot of questions in this confusing and critical time - I guess we just have to play the long game and wait.
While I understand the benefits of remaining at home to prevent spreading it on campus, I assume it is difficult for some individuals whose on-campus living arrangements are imperative for them. This includes what Srimaye said, international students, but also those who need on-campus living seeing as the alternative could be worse with abusive family homes, poverty (if living on campus due to scholarships) or other difficult situations. I think that while it is morally right to compensate all individuals who are affected seeing as their educational environment will not be the same via online classes/no housing, it seems doubtful that colleges will be able to do that, especially public universities.
I think, like you said, there should be some sort of compensation for all of this. I saw a post from a UCLA student that said many students would like to have some reduction from their tuition. It does suck that people pay so much for college tuition, yet this unforeseen circumstance forces people to go home and not use all the resources they paid for. Tuition is costly and I think colleges should find a way to help their students and their families. I think students who aren’t still living on campus and using the facilities should be refunded for their dorm/housing and meal plan since they are not being used. Personally, I think it’s a good idea that schools have closed, but I think we closed late. At school, and any other public area, there are countless interactions between so many different people and their interactions with other people are unknown, so the virus could’ve spread. I think people should be tested. You could be exposed to the virus and be asymptomatic and carry the disease and unknowingly spread it to someone else. But, it sucks because I want to go outside and hang out with people but now with this shelter-in-place being enforced I can’t.
I think Samantha brings up a really good point. By the time schools finally closed, at least some people at Aragon probably had already gotten the virus. It is especially difficult to differentiate because according to different coronavirus reports, young people don't always show signs of the virus. Therefore, some students may have it right now and just not know. I wonder if we will have to be tested before returning to school (if they do decide to re-open).
I feel that forcing students to go home in order to reduce the spread of the virus was the best solution possible under our current circumstances. However, like Srimaye said, college students such as international students have a harder time returning home than normal students do. Although Srimaye does bring up the possibility that they may find a classmate/friend’s house to live in, the classmate/friend’s parents or family members may not necessarily feel safe with a stranger in their household during an outbreak. Nevertheless, I do understand why schools are closing down and feel like it’s the most reasonable solution with the time we had left before the spreading of the virus became uncontrollable. Like Sam said, schools like ours were already too late in shutting schools down and letting students stay away from each other. Having students catch and carry on the virus not only affects the students’ health, but also will risk harming their family members, especially elders of the family. I am glad that the school closed down because either way I was not going to come back knowing there is a virus hanging around. I do hope though, that the spread will soon decrease and we can return back to our regular lives.
I think it’s a good idea to close campuses because, especially in a time with such high stakes, it is much better to be proactive than reactive and stop the spread of the virus as much as we can. Of course, it’s really disappointing to miss out on part of your traditional college education that so many of these students have worked hard for and, especially for college seniors, the last bit of time as students for the rest of their lives, students’ health and wellbeing should come first. That being said, college and living expenses are extremely expensive, and these students should be compensated for dorm payments at least. Of course this situation is not the universities’ faults at all and they’re doing the right thing by closing, however it isn’t fair for students to have to pay for housing that they won’t even be using. They can be recompensated maybe by having their already-paid living expenses for this semester move over to next semester. I also think more should be done for students who attend school out of state and especially international students. Travelling by plane is pretty risky right now and they could catch the virus and spread it further if forced to travel back home, and like Srimaye said, this may not even be an option for international students.
Personally, I believe that is a very sad period of time for many people. People in their last year of college would never see their friends ever again and likewise for us seniors in high school. However, I believe it was a good thing for colleges to close down. This would significantly limit the spread of the virus and would allow the number of cases to fluctuate less. On the other hand, I do feel like students should receive some compensation for the time they missed at school. Although most colleges won't because they still consider online school as the actual school, you also have to take account the housing and the meal plans that many students have bought. Even though this might not be a big problem for some students, some students value the money they use in college a lot and watching that money disappear right in front of their eyes might be detrimental.
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