They had not signed for that: studying alone, at their computer for distance courses with uneven content, without access to laboratories or libraries, deprived of community life and emancipatory which greatly contributes to the charm of American campuses, and brutally weaned sports activities, central to many university courses in the United States.
Returning to their homes since the campuses closed in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, American students are starting to kick up and universities are worried. Legal proceedings have been brought against 26 establishments to obtain a partial reimbursement of the (often staggering) registration fees and boarding school expenses; the vastness of the country forces a large proportion of young people to live year-round on campus.
The complaint filed on behalf of students at several universities by lawyer Steve Berman, known for his victories in class actions, regrets that students who paid for " a global academic experience ” are offered " an online experience on Google or Zoom, without interaction with their peers or teachers, and deprived of the resources vital to their learning ”. Thousands of students have signed similar petitions. That addressed to the University of San Francisco denounces the financial burden of families, constraints of "Pay $ 25,965 per semester for online courses". Students from Johns Hopkins University (Maryland) threaten not to pay fees for the next semester.
For the time being, considering that their diplomas retain all their value, the universities refuse to even partially reimburse the registration fees. Many are content to pay families part of the expenses for rooms and catering.
Universities weakened financially
It must be said that the pandemic promises cascading effects on the finances of these institutions, which are as much a business enterprise as a place of learning. Small or large, prestigious or less famous, rich or poorly endowed, public or private, the 4,000 American universities, the alma mater of some 20 million students, are preparing for the shock. For example, Berkeley (California) expects a loss of $ 200 million (185.3 million euros), assuming its campuses reopen in September.
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