A University of Florida graduate student is going up against the Florida Board of Governors in a class action lawsuit demanding refunds for on-campus services that are no longer available to students because of the coronavirus.
“If you promise to provide a service, and you can no longer provide it, students should receive refunds for these fees,” said student Anthony Rojas.
The class action lawsuit filed Monday claims the Florida Board of Governors and its 12 state universities need to refund close to 300,000 students for thousands of dollars in fees that the students paid for on-campus services that they never got to use.
It’s important to note that the lawsuit isn’t asking for tuition refunds, because students are still taking classes and earning credits even though it’s all virtual.
“Students across the state pay hundreds of thousands in student fees whether it be for use of gyms or healthcare centers, and we feel since we lost half our semester, that it’s only right that if students cannot have access to a physical service that they paid for that they receive a prorated refund for those services.”
The lawsuit says the Florida Board of Governors announced in March that classes would be moved online for the remainder of the spring semester. Students living on campus were told or strongly urged to go home. On top of that, it says campus activists were shut down.
“We recognize that universities are having a difficult time right now, but students are also in a very difficult financial situation. Many struggling to pay rent, pay for food and even take care of loved ones. We want to do right by students. We want to make sure that students have as much help as possible,” said Rojas.
We reached out to the Florida Board of Governors for comment, however, a spokesperson told us they don’t comment on pending litigation.
