Students leaving campus after WCU leaders said they should not come back to campus for the rest of the semester. Photo by WCJ, March 19, 2020.
Some WCU students will be receiving prorated refunds for their dinning and housing plans that they are unable to use at this point due to the circumstances created by the COVID-19 virus.
The decision was announced by WCU officials Monday, March 30, after a special meeting of the UNC Board of Governors. The UNC system is now racing to get the refunds out as fast as possible because they recognize the urgency of the student’s need in these dire times.
Mike Byers, vice chancellor for administration and finance at WCU, will be working with the chief financial officers across the UNC System to establish a consistent process for refunding the students.
“The devil will be in the details. We anticipate that it will take us a few weeks to figure out the logistics, because there is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution,” Byers said in a message to WCU students co-signed by Sam Miller, WCU vice chancellor for student affairs. “We will figure this out, but it will require a bit more time for us to get it right.”
This decision has overall brought a sense of relief to the student body. However, the uncertainty surrounding the whole situation still lingers in the back of the minds of some students.
“I’m really relieved that I’m getting refunded on what I paid for and am no longer able to experience, so I’m thrilled about it! That said, I wonder how it’ll affect the school because even though there won’t be people using the dorms and meals, there might be figures that I’m not thinking about and could negatively affect the school. I hope that’s not the case,” said Luc Seguret, a Freshman at WCU.
Dawson Spencer, SGA VP, released a statement via email to WCJ with a message to the student body regarding the prorated refunds they will be receiving.
“I am thankful that the UNC System decided to refund unused housing and dining services because there were many students eagerly waiting to see what they were going to do. I hope that now they are relieved that such a financial burden was lifted off their shoulders during these unprecedented times. On another note, I do ask the Students that are waiting on the refunds to be patient, this is a new experience for both the University and the Student Body. I wish all Students success with unforeseen online classes and good health.”
Clarissa Mitchell, SGA Senator, provided some additional insight on the prorated housing and dinning refunds.
“I think that it’s great for the UNC system to be considering a refund, and I think that Western will do its best to take care of its students and give them the fairest outcomes. I think that, especially for the people who were living in dorms on campus, the refunds are going to help students who maybe were struggling to scrape money together for the fall semester. It’s going to be interesting to see how exactly all the refunds play out, but I’m glad that the UNC system is at least taking a step in this direction,” Mitchell said in an email message.
At this point it’s uncertain how much of a refund each student will get. WCU officials are in the process of determining the criteria involved in giving out the refund. There are a lot of factors they are considering for each student’s refund: what residence hall they stay in, what meal plan do they have, and when did they leave campus.
“I was pretty relieved knowing students were getting a refund. I understand the amount will vary for every student since everyone is different, but getting a refund is obviously better than just letting it go to waste,” said Dara Sanderson, a Resident Assistant at WCU.
Overall the student body feels as though the refunds are a big win for them. It’s an emotional boost during a difficult situation that hasn’t had a lot of good news. So, the uncertainty has been pushed to the side for now as WCU students relish some good news for the first time in a while.
