EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University students are suing the university, asking for a refund on tuition during the coronavirus pandemic.
New York-based law firm Milberg Phillips Grossman is representing the students.
“Despite the cancellation of live in-person instruction, the constructive eviction of students at the University for the remainder of the semester, and the cessation of all campus activities for at least the same time period, the University has not offered adequate refunds of tuition, room and board, and fees paid to cover the cost of certain on-campus services which will no longer be available to students,” the firm wrote in a press release.
The suit claims MSU has not offered a partial tuition refund that reflects "difference in value of live instruction versus online learning."
Monday, MSU President Samuel Stanley said the school is losing between $50 million and $60 million.
"It really hit us in a number of ways, so it hits us in terms of our ancillary support services so our resident halls and dining," said President Stanley. "You should know, we essentially had to close, not close them down but reduce what they're doing, so the amount of work and scope of work has been reduced considerably. But also then that was associated with refunds to students and their families for services we weren't able to deliver and they receive those on a pro-rated basis."
Students who live on campus received a $1,120 credit, but the lawsuit claims that's not enough. MSU charges more than $5,000 per semester to live in their dorms.
In a statement to FOX 47, MSU spokesperson Emily Gerkin Guerrant wrote, "It would be inappropriate for me to comment on pending litigation. However, I can say that MSU is delivering what students pay for: courses taught by highly qualified faculty, tutoring services, faculty office hours, academic advising, financial aid and access to our libraries.
We don’t negate that this has been a difficult time for our university, especially for our students. It is, in part, why we provided credits or prorations for many on-campus expenses, including room and board, parking and recreational sports fees. But it is important to remember that while the university incurred many additional costs associated with rapidly transitioning to distanced learning – including investing in new hardware, software, 24/7 IT and help desk services and new course materials – we have maintained our commitment to providing meaningful and robust learning experiences at no additional cost to our Spartans."
The firm representing the students is part of a Coronavirus Litigation Task Force. It's handling similar suits against the University of Michigan and Wayne State University.
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