I attended college during the pandemic, and all I got was this stupid refund check
Christopher Tremoglie
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I was in the middle of my last year in college at the University of Pennsylvania when the COVID pandemic happened. In March 2020, I was on spring break when the university stopped in-person classes and switched to remote learning. I didn’t know it then, but I would never set foot on Penn’s campus again before graduating. Last month, I was sent a refund check as part of a class-action lawsuit for the transition to online learning. The total didn’t even amount to the cost of one of my textbooks.
“The consolidated class action being settled is captioned Asha Smith and Emma Nedley, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated v. University of Pennsylvania, Civil Action No. 20-2086 (E.D. Pa.). This case is a putative class action, meaning that the Settlement Class Representatives — Asha Smith and Emma Nedley — brought this action as individuals acting on behalf of a putative class of all people who paid tuition and/or fees for the Spring 2020 semester at Penn,” the website for the settlement reads.
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“The Settlement Class Representatives alleged claims for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and conversion. On April 20, 2021, the Honorable Timothy J. Savage, U.S. District Court Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, dismissed all claims except Plaintiffs’ breach of contract claim with respect to fees for the portion of the Spring 2020 semester when Penn was forced to transition to remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the settlement reads. “After this decision by the Court, as well as substantial class discovery, class certification briefing, motion for summary judgment briefing, and the involvement of a mediator (who is a former U.S. Magistrate Judge), the Parties came to the proposed Settlement.”
The settlement for Asha Smith and Emma Nedley, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated v. University of Pennsylvania, was for $4,500,000. After dividing that amount with the thousands of students registered at the time and having attorney fees deducted from the settlement, my “refund” check was for less than $120. That is how much the University of Pennsylvania and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania believed losing in-person education was worth.
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I cannot remember the exact amount, but each class cost thousands of dollars in tuition. This “refund” amounted to less than $30 for each of the four classes I was registered in then. It also didn’t appear to consider the tuition I paid for my classes in the fall 2020 semester, for which I paid full price while being forced to do remote learning.
Ultimately, I graduated and received my degree, for which I am grateful. So, to be fair, I did get more than just a “stupid refund check.” However, the settlement was arguably insulting insofar as it did little to compensate for the fact that students didn’t exactly receive the quality of education for which they paid. Upon applying to Penn, an admissions official told me that online classes were not deemed as valuable as in-person classes. Yes, there were unforeseen circumstances in the middle of the pandemic, but it still doesn’t justify charging the full price for tuition. Everyone was inconvenienced and had to deal with hardships, but colleges were protected from having to do what was honorable.