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A Syracuse University student has filed a class-action lawsuit against the university, seeking reimbursement for tuition and fees after SU moved classes online due to the coronavirus.

Lead plaintiff Jonathan Yin, an undergraduate student studying information management and technology, filed the case Friday in federal court. Yin alleges that SU has not delivered the educational services, facilities and opportunities that students paid for since suspending on-campus classes. 

The university declined to comment on the case. Yin also declined to comment.

SU announced March 16 that it would move classes online for the remainder of the spring semester in response to the virus and encouraged students to leave campus by March 22. Professors have provided both real-time and pre-recorded lecture content to students through online platforms like Blackboard Collaborate and Zoom. 

The online learning options SU has provided for students are “subpar in practically every aspect,” the lawsuit reads.

SU has not refunded tuition or mandatory fees for the spring 2020 semester. Yin is seeking a reimbursement for all students who paid tuition and fees for the spring semester prorated to March 13, the last day of on-campus classes. 

The university has refunded graduating students for housing and meal plan costs and provided credit to returning students. SU prorated the reimbursements from March 23, the date the university discontinued residential instruction. 

Though SU may not have had a choice in canceling in-person classes, the university “has improperly retained funds for services it is not providing,” according to the lawsuit. SU breached contracts with students who paid for services the school hasn’t been able to provide due to the virus, the lawsuit alleges. 

SU students represented in the suit, “did not choose to attend an online institution of higher learning,” according to the lawsuit. 

Students at several other universities, including Cornell, Columbia, Drexel and Purdue, have also sued their respective schools for tuition reimbursements. 

University officials announced April 20 that SU has lost an estimated $35 million as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a figure that includes lost revenue and unplanned expenses related to the outbreak. The university will provide students with at least $4.9 million in emergency financial aid grants as part of a $9.9 million federal stimulus package. 

Published on May 4, 2020 at 9:09 pm

Contact Michael: msessa@syr.edu | @MichaelSessa3