(PHOTO: STEVEN SENNE/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Students feel like they’re missing out on campus life
University campuses remain closed for the time being have switched to offering only online classes for the fall semester. The decision to extend online learning comes as a safety measure against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but more and more students are deciding they don’t want to pay thousands in tuition for Zoom classes.
And colleges are having a hard time convincing them it’s still worth the cost. Since the switch over to Zoom, many students have had a hard time adjusting or simply do not like the new way of learning. Some much prefer to be present in a class than sitting at home looking at their professor and classmate on a screen.
For the 2020-21 academic school year, the University of San Francisco costs a little over $50,000. For students new and old, paying this price for online classes while missing out on college social activities—clubs, sports, etc.—is not a fair price to pay, especially when the student is used to on-campus life.
Students are also displeased with the lack of access to campus resources such as libraries and labs. This alone is already proving it difficult to convince students to stay on for virtual classes.
More recently, students from universities all over—Columbia, Purdue, Drexel, and Michigan State to name a few—are filing class-action lawsuits against their schools demanding refunds.
More challenging for colleges is the fact that if they reduce tuition for online classes, it will be more difficult down the line to convince students that paying a higher price for the on-campus experience is worth it.
By: Maytinee Kramer
