TOPLINE
Columbia University is the latest university to change plans as Covid-19 continues to spread nationwide, announcing Friday that all undergraduate classes will be taught remotely in the fall.
Columbia University has reversed its plans for the fall semester.
KEY FACTS
Princeton University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Howard University, Loyola University Maryland and Smith College all made the same decision last week.
Columbia President Lee C. Bollinger wrote in a letter that the school has to drastically reduce the number of undergraduate students who can live on-campus to only students who need to for approved personal or academic reasons.
While the university has the physical capacity to conduct many undergraduate courses in person, Bollinger wrote online instruction is the “only realistic approach” with students living in so many different locations.
The New York travel advisory, which requires people from 32 states to quarantine for 14 days after arriving in the state and the impact the necessary public health regulations have on student health were the two main deciding factors.
Although all undergraduate classes will be online, 40% of the graduate courses will be in person or a hybrid.
Columbia announced last month it would allow only 60% of undergraduates to live on campus on a rotating schedule.
further background
Students and parents have protested the steep tuition prices at colleges and universities that have moved to mostly or exclusively remote learning for the fall. While some universities have offered discounted tuition, most have resisted arguing that remote learning and other public health measures are making their operations more expensive, according to the New York Times. Some colleges and universities have added new Covid-19 related fees to help cover the extra cost of testing and necessary campus changes. The fees range from $50 to $475 a semester, according to the New York Times.
Surprising fact
Less than a quarter of America’s 5,000 colleges and universities are committed to providing instruction primarily or completely in person, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
big number
$74 billion. The American Council on Education estimates America’s colleges and universities will collectively spend at least $74 billion to prepare for the fall semester whether classes are completely online, in person or a hybrid.
tangent
In recent weeks, colleges and universities across the country have revised their academic and athletic plans. The Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences announced plans to cancel the fall football season this week, leading many schools to lose a large revenue generator. The National Collegiate Athletic Association has officially canceled all Division 1, Division 2 and Division 3 fall championship events. The Ivy League has also canceled all fall athletic competitions.
further reading
NCAA pulls plug on all Division I fall championships except for top-tier football (Washington Post)
New Fee on Some College Bills: It’s for the Virus (New York Times)
As Covid-19 Resurges, More Colleges Revise Their Fall Plans. Here Are The Latest Changes (Forbes)
