Coronavirus effecting College Campus life in the United States! Coronavirus effecting college life according to university leaders, and will likely continue beyond the fall semester. With May 1st, a traditional decision day for future college students in the United States, fast approaching, universities are weighing the possibility that many will stay at home.
Colleges are having to refund an estimated $8 billion in room and board fees due to switching from in-person to online learning. Much of the cost will covered by the federal government via stimulus packages, but there are costs that universities must take on for security and deep cleaning.
Research universities are also being effected by the Coronavirus – they usually rely on students to maintain projects.
For students, the days of sitting in a lecture hall alongside hundreds of other classmates is over, at least for the near future.
Prominent universities are also forecasting incredible losses for the future, with Johns Hopkins University releasing a blunt and frank letter explaining how they could expect a $100 million dollar loss for this financial year, with losses up to $375 million for the next financial year ending in June 2021. Johns Hopkins will be suspending employer contributions to retirement accounts, implementing furloughs and layoffs, as well as cutting salaries to help mitigate the losses. Harvard is taking similar steps.
Students are also making decisions that are pragmatic due to the Coronavirus – many are opting to choose colleges closer to home or in areas that have not been as hard hit by the Coronavirus.
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