Students in New York file class-action lawsuits against 3 universities, claiming that schools have failed to adequately refund fees

纽约的大学生对3所大学提起集体诉讼，要求退还部分学费

音频收听：美国大学生起诉学校索还学费

(CNN)Class-action lawsuits have been filed against three New York universities by students who argue the schools have failed to adequately refund or reimburse students for tuition and other fees they paid to have in-person, on-campus classes and other activities.

(CNN)纽约的三所大学被学生们提起了集体诉讼，他们认为这些学校没有为学生们支付的学费和其他活动费用支付足够的退款或补偿。

The lawsuits were filed this week against Columbia University, Pace University and Long Island University, all private institutions located in the New York City area.

本周的这些诉讼是针对哥伦比亚大学、佩斯大学和长岛大学提起的，它们都是位于纽约地区的私立大学。

The students argue that not only is online-only instruction less valuable and should cost students less, it is not what they paid for. The students are calling on their universities to acknowledge what is being lost in the transition from in-person, hands-on learning to online instruction, such as interaction with professors, access to campus facilities, housing, meals, and social interaction, and asking them to adjust the financial burden accordingly.

学生们认为，线上教学价值降低了，花费也应该降低，而且网络教学并不是他们花钱买来的东西。学生们呼吁他们的大学承认在从实践学习到在线教学的转变中所失去的东西，比如与教授互动，使用校园设施，住宿，吃饭，社交，并要求学校相应地调整费用。

Although the undergraduate students acknowledged that the closing of their campuses was necessary given the spread of the coronavirus, the plaintiffs argued that transitioning classes online starting in March and closing campuses forced students to miss a significant portion of the semester that they had paid for.

尽管学生们承认，鉴于冠状病毒的传播，关闭他们的校园是必要的，但原告们辩称，从3月开始的在线课程过渡和关闭校园，迫使学生们错过了本学期的大部分课程，而这些课程是他们已经付费了的。

While Columbia University has announced that it will be issuing full pro-rata refunds for room and board fees, the university Financial Services team made clear on its website that tuition will not be refunded as long as instruction continues, but it said it would rebate a portion of the facilities and student life fees.

尽管哥伦比亚大学已经宣布将按比例全额退还食宿费用，但大学金融服务团队在其网站上明确表示，只要继续上课，就不会退还学费，但也表示，将退还部分设施和学生生活费用。

"Tuition and fees will continue to pay for the delivery of instruction, as well as the associated costs of academic support services. As long as instruction continues, tuition will not be refunded," the Financial Services team wrote on the university website.

“学杂费将继续支付授课费用，以及相关的学术支持服务费用。只要继续上课，学费就不会退还。”金融服务团队在该校网站上写道。

In the lawsuit against Columbia, the student, who filed the class action suit anonymously, argues that the university "breached the contract with Plaintiff and the Fees Class by moving all classes for the Spring 2020 semester to online distance learning platforms, constructively evicting students from campus, and closing most campus buildings and facilities, without reducing or refunding fees accordingly."

在对哥伦比亚大学的诉讼中，这名匿名提起集体诉讼的学生称，学校“违反了与原告的合同，将2020年春季学期的所有课程转移到在线远程学习平台，将学生赶出校园，关闭大部分校园建筑和设施，却没有相应地减少或退还费用。”

The lawsuit claims that the university has "refused and continues to refuse to offer any refund whatsoever with respect to the tuition that has already been paid."

该诉讼称，该大学“拒绝并继续拒绝就已经支付的学费支付任何退款”。

The student also pointed out that continuing to pay for an on-campus undergraduate degree in social work for the spring, summer and fall semesters, which costs approximately $58,612, is considerably more expensive in comparison to the university's online program, where the tuition for the same degree costs $48,780.

这名学生还指出，继续支付春季、夏季和秋季学期的社会工作本科学位的学费约为58,612美元，与大学的在线课程相比要贵得多，后者同样的学位学费为48,780美元。

The Columbia student argued that while the university has refunded some of the fees, "such refund has come with no explanation, appears to be arbitrary, and in any event, is wholly insufficient." In the filing, the individual noted that out of $1,065 in mandatory fees paid by the student, only $119 was refunded.

这位哥伦比亚大学的学生认为，虽然学校已经退还了部分费用，但“这种退还没有任何解释，似乎是随意的，而且无论如何，都是完全不够的。”在申请文件中，这名学生指出，在他缴纳的1,065美元强制费用中，只退还了119美元。

Long Island University student Nicolas Irizarry filed a class action suit against his university on April 21, seeking refunds because he says his educational experience dramatically changed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Irizarry had paid approximately $21,827 in tuition and fees to Long Island University and has not been provided a refund for any portion of his payment.

4月21日，长岛大学学生尼古拉斯·伊里萨里对该校提起集体诉讼，要求退款，他说，由于冠状病毒爆发，他的教育经历发生了巨大变化。伊里萨里已经向长岛大学支付了大约21,827美元的学费和杂费，并且没有收到任何退款。

A similar lawsuit was filed on April 23 by Pace University student Xaviera Marbury. The lawsuit says the university "has either refused to provide reimbursement for the tuition, housing, meals, fees and other costs that Defendant is no longer providing, or has provided inadequate and/or arbitrary reimbursement that does not fully compensate Plaintiff and members of the Class for their loss."

佩斯大学的学生哈维埃拉·马布里在4月23日也提起了类似的诉讼。该诉讼称，该大学“要么拒绝为不再提供服务的学费、住宿费、伙食费等费用提供补偿，要么提供不足的补偿，无法充分补偿原告的损失。

Marbury claims that while the university has said it will issue campus housing refunds of $2,000 for students living on the New York campus and $1,600 for students at the Pleasantville and Haub Law campuses, "this planned refund is both completely arbitrary and wholly inadequate."

马布里称，尽管该校已表示，将为纽约校区的学生发放2000美元的校园住房退款，为普莱森特维尔和豪布法学院的学生发放1600美元的校园住房退款，但“这一计划中的退款既武断，也完全不够。”

Marbury said the rent for her dorm in New York was $9,380 for the semester, which began January 27 and was scheduled to end on May 16. Marbury left campus on March 11 for spring break.

马布里说，她在纽约的宿舍租金是9380美元，学期从1月27日开始，预定在5月16日结束。马布里3月11日离开了学校。

Pace University spokeswoman Marie Boster said in a statement to CNN that while the university has not been served yet with the lawsuit, "housing fee adjustments for students who had to leave the residence halls are being issued. We are planning to use CARES Act funding to support our students when it is available."

佩斯大学女发言人玛丽·博斯特在给CNN的一份声明中表示，尽管该大学尚未收到诉讼，“但已经对不得不离开宿舍楼的学生的住宿费进行了调整。”我们计划利用关怀法案中的基金来支持我们的学生。”

The CARES Act is the coronavirus relief fund passed by Congress earlier this year.

关怀法案是今年早些时候由国会通过的冠状病毒救助基金。

CNN has reached out to Columbia University and Long Island University for comment and has not yet received a response.

CNN已经联系了哥伦比亚大学和长岛大学，但尚未收到回复。

Marbury claimed in her class-action lawsuit that Pace University has "refused and continues to refuse to offer any refund whatsoever on its meal plans." The university's website says unused meal plan funds will roll over to the fall semester, and for graduating students, the unused portion of their spring meal plan will be refunded.

马布里在她的集体诉讼中称，佩斯大学“拒绝并继续拒绝为其膳食计划提供任何退款”。该大学的网站上说，未使用的膳食计划资金将延续到秋季学期，对于即将毕业的学生来说，春季膳食计划中未使用的部分将被退还。

The lawsuits against Columbia and Pace Universities were the result of petitions that had been circulating those campuses, collecting thousands of signatures to try to pressure the institutions to give refunds.

针对哥伦比亚大学和佩斯大学的诉讼是请愿书的结果，这些请愿书一直在这些大学校园里流传，收集了数以千计的签名，试图向这些大学施压，要求它们退款。

The students at Columbia and Pace argue that the college's endowments - which the lawsuits estimate at $10.9 billion and $182 million, respectively - coupled with the money it is eligible to receive from the CARES Act, places the institutions in the financial position to meet the students' request.

哥伦比亚大学和佩斯大学的学生认为，学院的捐赠基金 -估计分别为109亿美元和1.82亿美元 -加上它有资格从关怀法案获得的资金，使这些学校在财政上可以满足学生的要求。

原文链接：

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/25/us/student-class-action-lawsuits-coronavirus/index.html

（责任编辑：张钧洋）

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