Statement of Fall 2020 Housing and Meal Plan Fees

Good afternoon,

Several students and families have asked for a detailed explanation of Connecticut State Universities' policies regarding refunds of housing and meal plans fees, particularly in light of COVID and the changes that have been put in place to protect the safety of our students and communities.  Please feel free to share this statement if it is helpful in answering questions.

The approach described here is based on official Board of Regents policies and, in some cases, practices or procedures that have been agreed to by the Presidents and leadership of each university and the CSCU system.  

Housing and meal plan fees are established by the Board of Regents.  This last happened on February 6, 2020.  (The agenda and details can be found here.)  These are established as annual rates, which cover occupancy during the fall and spring semesters, subject to a calendar established by each university.  That calendar is established well before each semester begins, as are academic schedules.    

In 2020, because of COVID and the uncertainty surrounding public health measures and which courses would be delivered on-line or in-person, some of these decisions came later than normal.  In response, the universities extended the time for cancelling housing contracts without penalty for an additional month.  (see Board action here.)   

Some students have asked if the universities will adjust the housing fees because the calendar calls for closing the residence halls at Thanksgiving and converting to all on-line instruction for the final weeks of the semester.  The universities, with the concurrence of the Board of Regents, will not reduce housing and meal plan fees because of the calendar this year.  This is because of several factors.  First, students were aware of the new schedule at the time they agreed to live in the residence halls, or at least in time to back out without penalty.    

More importantly, in the interest of providing a safe on-campus experience for our students the Universities have had to commit significant additional money.  These costs include cleaning, testing, quarantining, contact tracing, technology, and many other categories.  While some of those costs will be supported with funding from the federal government, some or most will not.   

Nevertheless, the Board of Regents and the universities are determined to treat our students fairly, and with compassion for the difficulties we all face this year.  If the universities have to close the residence halls unexpectedly because of public health requirements, we will compensate the students who are impacted by the closure based on the length of the closure compared to the calendar in effect when the semester began.  We did this in March 2020 for all the students who lived in the residence halls at all four universities.  We did it when Western had to delay opening the residence halls by three weeks, unexpectedly, at the start of this fall semester.  We will do it again if necessary.  

In addition, the Board of Regents policy on housing refunds (see here) includes an appeal process that students may use to seek a refund in the event of unusual circumstances.  

The Connecticut State Universities are all committed to the safety and health of our students, faculty, staff, and communities.  We appreciate your collaborative support and believe that together we can emerge stronger than this novel coronavirus.  Stay healthy and safe.

Ben Barnes

Chief Financial Officer

Connecticut State Colleges and Universities