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College Students Are Suing Their Universities for Refunds Following Nationwide Closures

With their spring semesters drastically altered due to coronavirus-related closures, several college students are suing their universities for refunds.

From New York to California, students nationwide are filing class-action lawsuits seeking reimbursements for on-campus services that are no longer available to them through remote learning. In cases involving Pace University and Columbia University students, those services include face-to-face interaction with professors, extracurricular activities, hands-on learning, and networking and mentorship opportunities.

Following guidance from the federal government, most colleges and universities instructed their students to leave campus and introduced online classes in mid-March. Some institutions have offered reimbursements to their students, mostly for fees related to on-campus housing and dining. However, a number of lawsuits are also seeking refunds for tuition payments, arguing that the value of the education they’re receiving remotely isn’t on par with what they paid for.

It’s still TBD whether the courts will order the colleges to provide refunds, but the lawsuits come at a time when individuals and institutions alike are facing serious financial crises. College funding and endowments are taking a big hit, forcing some schools to implement hiring freezes or close their doors altogether.

Meanwhile, students displaced by school closures were left to scramble for housing, travel, food, and other expenses -- and many are still struggling. Low-income, undocumented, and first generation students in particular are dealing with challenges to completing their education remotely, stripped of the on-campus resources they depended on.

Take Action: Read and share our guide for students disrupted or displaced by the coronavirus pandemic.

Oprah, Lil Nas X, and Miley Cyrus Are Speaking at the Class of 2020’s Virtual Graduation Ceremony

Seniors may not be getting the graduation ceremonies they planned for this year, but Facebook is still celebrating the class of 2020 with #Graduation2020, a special livestream event.

Facebook is hosting a virtual graduation ceremony on May 15 on their platform, with a commencement speech from Oprah Winfrey. It’ll also feature smaller speeches and performances from Lil Nas X, Miley Cyrus, Simone Biles, Awkwafina, and Jennifer Garner. Individual high schools and colleges will be recognized throughout the event with messages from administrators and pictures of the class of 2020.

You can also expect some other graduation content from Facebook and Instagram leading up to #Graduation2020, including special stickers and AR effects.

Take Action: Schools may be closed, but school spirit drives on. Join the #oneteam challenge for ways to build community and make a difference for those affected by COVID-19.

This Jewish Family is Turning Hundreds Of Yarmulkes Into Face Masks For The Homeless

Brothers Matthew and Jeremy Jason (who are 15 and 19 years old respectively) found a way to help out during the coronavirus pandemic with their campaign, “Kippahs to the Rescue.”

With the help of their family, the pair are collecting yarmulkes (or kippahs in Hebrew), religious skullcaps worn by Jews, to convert them into face masks using clips and elastic. So far, they’ve received over 500 yarmulkes through a drive-thru collection box at their synagogue, and they’ve contributed an additional 150 from their own collection.

The teens are working with the organization Houston Food Not Bombs to distribute the masks to people experiencing homelessness in their community, who are among the most vulnerable to contracting the coronavirus.

Since the beginning of March, there’s been a rise in anti-Semitic hate speech linked to the coronavirus. Meanwhile, Jewish communities across the country are pitching in to help amid the pandemic -- from protecting at-risk grocery shoppers to donating life-saving plasma.

Why aren’t more people talking about… how a recent narrow ruling from the Supreme Court left gun control legislation largely unscathed -- for now.

Meanwhile, in Mexico… asylum-seekers are left stranded after the Trump administration closed the US-Mexico border and postponed all immigration court hearings.

My hero today is… Zane Powles, a primary school teacher who delivered 105 packed lunches to students along a 5-mile route.

Today in viral cuteness… this baby eats queso for the first time and truly gets a twinkle in his eyes.

I’m obsessed with… this tweet about Roof Culture during quarantine in New York City (I identify very strongly with the dude with the kite).

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