Students sue University of Miami and Drexel University over tuition controversy
Students suing universities for tuition adjustments claim that virtual classes cost universities less but are also less effective for both students and professors.
Lawsuits outline that students are paying for services they are no longer able to benefit from.
Two students, one at the University of Miami and one at Drexel University, have initiated lawsuits against their colleges over not decreasing tuition costs for virtual classes due to COVID-19. The concerns come after the closing of college campuses around the country and the switch to an online learning education system.
Students Adelaide Dixon at the University of Miami and Grainger Rickenbacker at Drexel University both claim that tuition costs still include university services such as in-class lectures from professors, campus facility access, and general campus-based mandatory fees.
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Additionally, both students claim that although online classes often cost significantly less than in-person classes, they are also less effective for educating students and for professors to teach the material.
The suits, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, are being pushed under the guidance of Anastopoulo Law Firm.
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Both the complaint against UM and the complaint against DU aim to represent the thousands of students who attend the universities while noting that students will be “deprived of the benefits of on-campus learning,” according to Dixon and Rickenbacker in their lawsuits.
They continued on to say, “the value of any degree issued on the basis of online or pass/fail classes will be diminished.”
In a statement to Campus Reform, Drexel University noted that “the university remains committed to providing students with a challenging and engaging academic — and social — experience, utilizing an array of creative digital tools to keep connected to their professors and to each other.”
“The university is aware of the court filing and has no further comment on the pending litigation,” said the university.
The University of Miami also issued a statement to Campus Reform regarding the lawsuit.
“The University is aware of the court filing and we will continue to monitor the situation,” UM said while adding that, “at this time, the University will not have any further comment since this involves pending litigation.”
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