Coronavirus Pandemic Impacts Universities and Students Across the U.S.
Colleges adapt to the coronavirus by switching to online classes, affecting attendance rates and student life.
By Jaimee Rissman
Throughout their lives, children are taught that they should go to college in order to have a successful future. They have worked hard throughout high school, completing assignments and studying for tests, while balancing multiple extracurricular activities each afternoon. They have spent hours during their senior years perfecting their applications and essays. They have even pictured themselves at their dream school.
Now, the main question on their minds is not how can I make these next four years memorable, but will I even have the chance for a normal school year?
Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, colleges and universities across the United States are facing a decrease in attendance this fall as parents debate whether it is worth paying a large tuition to send their children to school simply to take online classes. Since businesses were forced to temporarily close as part of the nationwide shutdown, many companies laid off staff, causing the unemployment rate to increase to 14.7% in April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Thousands of families lost their main source of income. The decision for students to transfer to community college or remain in state has affected both private and public universities, which stand to lose large sums of tuition money.
In such an unprecedented time, colleges and universities are scrambling to make accommodations for their students and faculty to ensure the safety of everyone, both on campus and at home. Each college has its own method for educating this fall as their circumstances vary. The University of Florida, for example, has decided to move the majority of its classes online, with the exception of some hands-on classes, while Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida is allowing students to decide whether they want to take courses on grounds or continue to learn virtually.
It is much cheaper for students to attend public colleges or universities within their state. “So say, if you lived in Georgia, and you came to the University of Florida, you pay, and I’m using rough numbers here, let’s call it $25,000 dollars a year. If you are in Georgia and you stayed at the University of Georgia where you are in state, you would pay $10,000,” says Rahul Patel, a member of the University of Florida Board of Trustees.
Rahul Patel is a member of the Board of Trustees at the University of Florida. Credit: University of Florida
In many cases, students are deciding to transfer to state schools to save money. Maria Schodowski, an incoming freshman, was originally planning to attend Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan because she can live at home and commute back and forth to class each day. Now, she has decided to take a few classes at a local community college while still taking a majority at OU to reduce costs. “At Oakland University, one credit is $500, so if you have a class for four credits, it is $2,000. But at the community college, their entire class is $500 for four credits all together,” Schodowski says.
Colleges across the country are facing a loss in tuition as out-of-state students decide to transfer. Schools need tuition money to pay teachers, keep classrooms in good condition and to support the general funds budget. With the loss of tuition and payments for room and board, colleges are struggling to find alternative sources for funding.
Many students need help from their parents to pay tuition, and with the increase in unemployment, parents have lost the ability to provide financial support. As a result, schools are noticing an increase in the need for financial aid, which comes from both the federal and state government as well as scholarships funded by private donors.
“We’re working hard to ensure the government allocates more money for students, and also, we are reaching out to our alumni that are able to make even more of a contribution, that we can use towards scholarships,” says Patel, the U-F trustee.
The decrease in attendance from out-of-state and international students will be costly for schools, not only in terms of tuition money, but also in diversity. In recent years, universities have strived to look for students with diverse backgrounds, whether racial, ethnic, socioeconomic or geographic. But with fewer students from out of state, colleges will begin to lack a diverse student body.
“A big part of school is not only learning in the classroom but also learning from the fellow students, being around certain types of students and learning about different people,” Patel says.
With the increase in online virtual classes, incoming freshmen will not be able to have the same normal college experience as their predecessors. College is supposed to be about experiencing new things and learning how to be independent while making connections that could last a lifetime. Because of social distancing guidelines, it will be more difficult for freshmen to meet their fellow classmates and socialize. While students are able to interact through social media, it will not be the same as spending time in person because it can be difficult to open up in an online setting.
Maria Schodowski is an incoming freshman at Oakland University. Courtesy Maria Schodowski
“OU would have a ton of events where you could go and meet people,” Schodowski says. “But how are you going to do that online? It is so different meeting someone through a screen compared to being there in person and physically talking to them and being there with each other.”
Thus far, the only thing that is certain is uncertainty. Colleges will begin to adapt as more information about the future arises. Nobody knows for sure whether students will go back to a normal classroom setting later this spring. Due to this ambiguity, Federico Glitman, the associate director of admissions at Lynn University, advises students to make their college choice carefully.
“My advice is that when you’re looking at schools, one of the things you really want to look at is that you want to find an institution that has your top three interests,” Glitman says. “Not to scare you, but close to 80% of students in the United States typically change their major in their first year of college. So you want to make sure that wherever you go, the school’s community has all of your intended interests because when you’re selecting a school, you’re not selecting an institution, you’re selecting a community.”
Both students and universities will need to be flexible over the next few months because nobody knows for sure when life will return to normal.
About the Writer:
Jaimee Rissman of Boca Raton, Florida
Jaimee loves to read and spend time with her friends and family in her free time. At school, she runs for the cross country and track team, but she is also involved in clubs such as DECA, the academic team and a nonprofit that raises money for public schools.