The Cost of the Coronavirus

Cody Van Den Berg, Staff Writer

 

          If you are a human being anywhere in the world today, you have probably heard the term coronavirus.  The coronavirus is a virus that commonly causes mild upper-respiratory tract illnesses. Unfortunately, it can also be deadly. This virus is new and very contagious. Because this virus is so deadly, colleges in our nation have moved to online classes instead of face to face classes. College dorms have been emptied, lunchrooms have been closed, and students and staff were forced to go home.

            Iowa Lakes Community College went to online classes at the end of March right after spring break. A few weeks later students found out that they needed to pack up their belongings and move out of the dorms for the rest of the semester. So now the question remains…will these students be refunded their money for room and board, or will that money be kept by the college?

           Jeff Soper, chief Financial officer at Iowa Lake’s Community College said, “We are currently in the process of applying refunds to students’ accounts for the portion of housing and dining services that were unused as a result of student displacement from Covid-19 pandemic. Any credit balances resulting from the refund will be sent to the students by check. If a student wants to carry the credit into a future term, they can notify the business office and we would happy to move the credit forward. We anticipate applying the credits to students’ accounts at the end of the semester when are normal refund process occurs.”

            I decided to compare this decision with some other colleges in the area. I spoke with someone at Dordt College who works in the register office to hear Dordt’s policy on this matter. Lisa Christians stated, “Dordt went online on March 23. Room and board is being refunded on a prorated basis according to how many days of the semester the students aren’t on campus. The students were given a couple of options: current students can use the adjustment as a credit toward next semester or they can donate to the Hope fund to help needy students. The non-returning or graduating students can either apply the money to any unpaid tuition, get a check for the refund, or donate some or all to the Hope fund.”

            “Avery Den Herder, a student at Dordt says, “The students were refunded $2,000 for room and board. The seniors will get a cash refund and for everyone else it will be applied towards next year.”

            “I also spoke with someone from Northwestern college in Orange City. Their last day of class was March 13. Jill Harskamp, a Northwestern student’s parent told me, “They got a refund on room and board, so Northwestern refunded one half of the semester. If you had a balance left on your tuition for the semester, they applied the money to that balance first, and then they issued a refund check for the rest.”  

          It appears that area colleges seem to be basically in agreement in their response to the coronavirus situation. It is going to cost these colleges quite a bit of money to refund the students their room and board costs. However, it is the right thing to do. Students have not been on these campuses since different times in March, so they should not be required to pay their full room and board costs.

          Yes, the coronavirus has really impacted college students today. The students have had to adjust to online learning and were forced to return home and not remain in college dorms. While colleges made their decisions at different times, most of them seem to agree on refunding room and board costs to students. Hopefully, refunding the money will not put too much of a strain on college budgets. Next Fall, colleges will continue to provide education to the students they serve. The future remains uncertain, but hopefully brighter days are ahead for everyone!