面授变网课，美国高校学生要求减免学费

根据约翰斯·霍普金斯大学的数据，目前全球新冠肺炎确诊病例已超过2300万例，死亡病例超过80万例。美国仍属全球疫情“重灾区”，其国内确诊病例已超过570万例，死亡病例超过17.5万例。

由于疫情“阴霾”继续笼罩，许多美国大学决定在秋季学期继续采取远程教学模式。还有一些先前已复课的大学因为出现聚集性感染，不得不恢复线上授课。

面授课程变网络课程后，美国部分高校学生就是否应该全额缴纳学费和校方产生了分歧。

As more universities abandon plans to reopen and decide instead to keep classes online this fall, it's leading to conflict between students who say they deserve tuition discounts and college leaders who insist remote learning is worth the full cost. 

Disputes are flaring both at colleges that announced weeks ago they would stick with virtual instruction and at those that only recently lost hope of reopening their campuses. 

The scourge has killed more than 175,000 people in the United States. Worldwide, the confirmed death toll crossed 800,000 on Saturday, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University, and cases passed 23 million. 

学生称网络授课质量不佳

密歇根州立大学、罗格斯大学、南加州大学等多所高校的学生发起了请愿要求校方减免学费。在学生们看来，网络授课质量低于面对面课堂教学，也切断了和教授以及同学们的联系。

还有一些学生认为，网络授课无法让大家体验“真正的大学生活”，学校没有提供对等的服务和体验，学生就不应该全额缴纳学费。

In petitions started at dozens of universities, students arguing for reduced tuition say online classes fail to deliver the same experience they get on campus. Video lectures are stilted and awkward, they say, and there's little personal connection with professors or classmates.

At Michigan State, senior Tyler Weisner said the online classes he took last spring were less effective than what he gets on campus. Weisner, who started a petition to reduce tuition, said he's also missing out on many of the benefits of college. 

"You're paying that price tag because colleges bring students from all over the country together, to experience different cultures," he said. "People don't just choose strictly off education or the professor. They want a nice place to live and a new experience."

Similar petitions have been started at schools from Rutgers University in New Jersey to the University of Southern California. 

网络授课也让许多美国大学面临着与学生之间的法律纠纷。已有超过100所大学的学生对其学校提起诉讼，要求校方退还部分春季学期学费。

Plans to continue virtual instruction this fall are further angering many students who were frustrated by the experience of studying online last spring, when colleges across the U.S. abruptly sent students home as the pandemic intensified. In the wake of that, students at more than 100 colleges filed lawsuits demanding partial refunds. 

高校学费政策各不相同

考虑到学生的实际情况，一些美国高校推出了减免学费政策。比如乔治城大学、普林斯顿大学宣布减免10%的学费，威廉姆斯学院宣布下调15%的费用。

不过一些高校却 “网课继续上，学费不打折”。哈佛大学表示，2020至2021学年，本科生所有的课程都会采取远程授课的方式，但学生需缴纳5万美金（约合人民币34.6万元）的全额学费。按照规定，哈佛大一新生可到校居住，不过所有课程仍在线上开展。据校方数据显示，目前约有20%的哈佛新生选择了推迟入学。

Some colleges lowered tuition as they moved classes online, often acknowledging families' hardships and the differences in online classes. Several universities in Washington, DC, lowered prices by 10 percent, including Georgetown University. Princeton University also cut tuition by 10 percent. In Massachusetts, Williams College announced a 15 percent discount after moving to a mix of online and in-person classes. 

Others, however, have refused. Harvard University is charging full tuition, about 50,000 U.S. dollars per year, even though all undergraduate classes will be online this fall. The Ivy League school invited freshmen to live on campus while taking classes online, but about 20 percent have deferred enrollment, the university announced. 

面授变网课，是否减免学费引分歧

此前已有一些美国高校重开校园，恢复上课。然而由于在学生宿舍、学校社团、校外酒吧等场所出现聚集性感染事件，这些学校不得不重开网课，避免病毒进一步传播。

Many colleges had hoped to bring students back, with major modifications. But after outbreaks at many of the first campuses to reopen — often tied to off-campus parties — some are retreating from their plans. 

北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校开学仅一周，就有130名学生确诊感染了新冠肺炎。校方只能宣布取消面授课程，转回线上。

鉴于校园内疫情出现反弹，不少学生可能会离校，校方表示学生可以取消原本签订的宿舍住宿合同，并为学生已支付的伙食费提供补贴。但是学生仍需为一些无法享受的校园服务支付数百美元的费用，比如体育设施服务、健康卫生服务、校车服务等，这让不少学生觉得难以接受。

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill halted in-person instruction this past week after 130 students tested positive for the virus. 

The university is letting students cancel their housing contracts without penalty, and it's reimbursing students for their meal plans, officials said. But students will still be on the hook for hundreds of dollars in fees that aren't likely to benefit them, including 279 U.S. dollars for athletics, 400 U.S. dollars for student health, more than 200 U.S. dollars for campus transit and 160 U.S. dollars for student union center operations. 

"I think it's ridiculous," said Mackenzie Holland, a freshman who left UNC on Tuesday. "All of those funds go to things that are specifically on campus, and I can't utilize any of those things."

密歇根州立大学表示无学费减免计划，称“无论采用面授模式还是网课模式，校方都可以为学生提供高水平的课程教学、辅导服务、学术咨询，学生也可使用丰富的图书馆馆藏资源。”

校方还表示已投入资金改善远程教学的技术和师资水平。

At Michigan State, officials said they have no plans to lower tuition. They said Michigan State has invested in technology and faculty training to improve remote instruction. 

"Regardless of the format of instruction, MSU is delivering what students pay for: courses taught by high qualified and world-class faculty, tutoring services, office hours, academic advising and access to our libraries," spokeswoman Emily Guerrant said. 

和密歇根州立大学一样，纽约的伊萨卡学院同样也没有减免学生学费。对于这两所高校而言，每年学生住宿费是收入的重要组成部分。如今学生无法返校已使得校方在住宿费方面损失数百万美元，如若减免学费，他们将面临财务危机。

而发起学费减免请愿的学生们则认为，可以理解校方的困难，但是校方要求学生缴纳的学费不仅包含了课程教学的费用，也包含了图书馆、体育馆等校园设施使用的费用。学生没有返校，就不应该为这些无法享受的设施服务买单。

Michigan State said the decision to keep classes online will cost the school millions in lost housing revenue. Ithaca College, which is not cutting tuition, said it's also taking a financial hit by telling students to stay home this fall. 

At Ithaca, junior Meghan Marzella said she understands that the pandemic has been hard on schools and families alike. But she said there's no reason students should pay fees for the fitness center and library if they won't be on campus. 

"Tuition covers so much more than just classes," said Marzella, who started a petition to reduce prices. "The reality of the situation is, we're still paying for things that we can't access."

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