6:00: Morning News

Marshall refunding students unused fees, reviewing summer course schedule

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall University is refunding students nearly $4.6 million in fees from services they are not utilizing while the campus is closed for the spring semester.

Marshall President Dr. Jerome Gilbert spoke directly to MetroNews and said Marshall will be providing this “emergency financial assistance” to students through funding coming to the institution through the CARES Act, a federal stimulus bill passed due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Students are receiving 37.5 percent of spring semester charges including meal plans, room and board plans, parking fees, and Rec Center fees.

“We needed to look at giving students back some of their funds that they had given us for services that we are no longer providing to them,” Gilbert said.

Jerome Gilbert

Gilbert said the school tabulated the 37.5 percent refund based on the number of weeks remaining in the semester and the total number of weeks in the semester at the time the campus closed due to the pandemic mid-March.

Students eligible for the refunds are those who did not remain on campus for the remote-learning period that had housing contracts, unlimited meal plans, other meal plan types and FLEX dollars, those who purchased parking permits, and had Rec Center fees charged on their account.

Ineligible students for the refund include fully-scholarship athletes and students online through the beginning of the semester. Gilbert said around 100 students remain in the dorms on campus and those will not be eligible for residence hall or meal plan refund, but eligible for the Rec Center fee.

Marshall plans to have all money credits available in student accounts by April 29. If there is any balance due to the university, the student funds will be used to pay that off.

READ: Marshall University’s COVID-19 information page

Gilbert said the university is getting a total of around $9 million from the CARES Act where more funding could be used towards students. He said Marshall is waiting to hear the rules from the stimulus check.

The Marshall University Foundation has a Student Emergency Fund that students can also apply for further assistance.

The school has already postponed spring commencement and added a Credit/No Credit grading option for the semester. Gilbert said he anticipates all of Marshall’s summer courses moving online but officials will make the decision next week. Summer Intersession and Session I, that are scheduled to begin in May, have already moved to all remote learning.

Gilbert said the last month has been a lot to deal with for everyone associated with the university. He penned in a letter to students for the refund announcement saying, “I look forward to the day when our world and our university will return to normal.”

He told MetroNews he hopes it’s the fall semester.

“Our greatest hope is that we could be back to face-to-face by fall. We realize that it’s a possibility it may not be that way too so we’re trying to make contingency plans in all the different options.”





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