Tag: Brian Coy

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Coronavirus News

At what cost?: Bewildering financial aid changes have left UVA students in the lurch

Many UVA students are questioning why their financial aid has been slashed just a few weeks before the start of the fall semester. PC: Jack Looney

By Sydney Halleman

The University of Virginia is sticking with its plan to allow students back on Grounds September 8, two weeks later than its initial August 25 start day—though many students are facing a virtual fall semester with significantly less financial aid than in previous years.

Sean Dudley, a rising fourth-year, decided to continue college at his parents’  house in Midlothian due to the concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. When Dudley checked his financial aid status on August 15, he found that he had an outstanding balance of around $2,900 that was due less than a month later.

Abby Keats noticed that her aid had been reduced by roughly $4,000, leaving her with an outstanding balance of $817. Her previous financial package had remained unchanged since June, and the most recent change had come without warning.

“My main issue with this is that it was done last minute with no prior knowledge of it happening,” Keats says.

On August 17, some students were greeted with an email from Student Financial Services indicating that their aid package had been modified. Carolyn, a fourth-year, logged on right away and found her financial aid package empty. She called SFS and was put on hold. She was the 54th person in line, and waited for over three hours to speak to a representative. C-VILLE Weekly spoke with 11 students who reported their financial aid packages had been significantly reduced without notice.

The reductions likely stem from an August 5 survey that asked current students about their plans to return to Grounds. The email, sent by Dean of Students Allen Groves, did not indicate that the survey might result in changes to financial aid.

Students choosing not to return to Charlottesville or student dorms were given the option to select between “living at home with financial costs,” and living at home “without cost.” Many students, including Dudley, chose the “without cost” option, because he wasn’t paying rent. But Dudley acknowledges that, even if he didn’t have to pay rent, his family would accrue additional charges, like increased utility bills.

Colleges and universities are required by federal guidelines to factor in housing costs when calculating financial aid allowances. “The cost of attendance for students may change, as required by federal regulations, since they may no longer have housing or travel costs and will have a reduced student fee,” says UVA spokesman Brian Coy. “This reduced cost of attendance will be why some students see a reduced financial aid award.”

Even so, some students were specifically told that they would not have a reduction in financial aid, regardless of their housing situation. Another UVA student, who did not want to disclose their name, sent a message to SFS asking for confirmation that they wouldn’t be charged for on-Grounds housing if they decided to live at home due to COVID-19.

“Financial aid does not change whether you live in UVA housing or not,” the email response from SFS states. “We utilize the estimated amounts in the cost of attendance when calculating financial aid.”

Two months later, the student’s financial aid was reduced by $8,000, then amended to a reduction of $4,000, after they chose to stay at home.

“The entire process has been horrible,” the student says. “I had to wait for about two hours on the phone in order to finally be able to talk to someone. SFS, on the whole, has been very quiet about every-thing and have made few public announcements so I learned much from my friends and other people on Reddit.”

Just the week before, some students had experienced unrelated errors in their financial aid packages, which were then corrected over the weekend of August 15-16. At press time, other students still have not received their financial aid package for the fall semester.

Coy recommends that those affected by the confusion modify their response to the August 5 survey to “living at home with cost,” or email sis-cc@virginia.edu to change their housing status.

Some students, like Dudley, received more financial aid after battling with SFS. “I still wanted to say that it was ridiculous that UVA made me jump through all these hoops and lied to me about certain things,” he says.

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Coronavirus News

Be prepared: Is Charlottesville ready for the coronavirus?

It’s been nearly three weeks since most of Virginia moved into Phase 2 of the state’s coronavirus reopening plan. Some restrictions were loosened on businesses and social gatherings, but the pandemic is far from over, warns Ryan McKay, deputy incident coordinator for the Thomas Jefferson Health District. PC: Robert Llewellyn

Since last week, when health officials warned that Americans should prepare for the inevitable spread of the coronavirus here in the U.S., at least 12 Americans have died and new cases have been emerging almost daily. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that Americans should be prepared for the spread of the virus in local communities, as well as the possible disruptions to daily life it could cause, such as school and daycare closings.

So how is Charlottesville preparing? 

While the risk in Virginia “is still low” (there have not yet been any confirmed cases in the state), the Thomas Jefferson Health District is monitoring the situation and is prepared for any potential outbreak, says Jessica Salah, TJHD’s health emergency coordinator.

“We have been working with our central office since 2004 for pandemic influenza. We regularly meet with our community partners, local service providers, and health care partners to plan how we handle pandemic flu,” Salah says. “If you take pandemic flu out of the equation and insert a different communicable disease, the planning process and preparedness is very similar.” 

At UVA Health System, spokesman Eric Swensen says the system also “has a team in place that meets regularly…and makes updates to our plan as we need to,” based on guidance from the CDC and Virginia Department of Health.

According to Dr. William Petri, chief of UVA’s Infectious Diseases and International Health division, UVA hospital has numerous isolation rooms available for those infected with contagious diseases like COVID-19 (the disease caused by the new coronavirus). It also has plenty of face masks on hand, since the virus is primarily spread by coughing and sneezing (or by touching a contaminated surface). 

“And if a physician needs to go into isolation for 14 days because they potentially may have COVID-19 or are being treated for COVID-19…we are establishing a backup system, so that there’s another physician that can take their place, and we don’t get shorthanded,” Petri says. 

Petri, along with UVA virologist Peter Kasson, is currently applying for a research grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. Though the grant could take months to be awarded, he believes that, with support from UVA, they should be able to start working on the vaccine soon. And with pharmaceutical companies like Gilead Sciences already conducting clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines, there could be a treatment available within a year, Petri predicts.

Dr. William Petri PC: Sanjay Suchak/UVA

Meanwhile, the university itself is also making plans. Since January, “a UVA team has been meeting regularly to prepare for the potential impacts of [COVID-19] on the university,” according to an update issued to parents by Patricia Lampkin, vice president and chief student affairs officer. The university has made arrangements to quarantine potentially infected students, if necessary. 

UVA has not canceled any of its study abroad programs, but says it will do so if any countries where it is hosting programs receive Level 3 warnings or higher from the State Department. (Currently, China, South Korea, Iran, and Italy have such warnings, and UVA is not hosting any programs there this semester.) The university also strongly recommends students not travel to these countries during the upcoming spring break.

According to UVA spokesman Brian Coy, there is a small group of students studying abroad in Italy with a non-UVA program. The university has advised those students to return to the United States, where they may undergo screening for the virus.

Student travel organization WorldStrides, which has its headquarters in Charlottesville, has canceled or relocated programs scheduled for China, South Korea, and Italy this spring, but there are currently no students in those countries, according to Beth Campbell, vice president of content and communications.

Though TJHD recommends Charlottesville residents stay updated on the COVID-19 outbreak, it ultimately encourages them not to panic, and take simple precautions to keep themselves (and others) healthy, Salah says.

“Monitor CDC travel recommendations and avoid nonessential travel to [Level 3 countries],” Salah says. “We are also recommending that folks older than 65 get the pneumonia vaccine, and that everybody over the age of 6 months get the flu vaccine.”

TJHD does not recommend buying a face mask, but, as with every cold and flu season, advises people to wash their hands regularly, minimize touching their face and commonly used surfaces (like railings and door knobs), and stay home when sick. 

“And if you suspect you might have [COVID-19]—and the biggest reason to suspect that is that you have been to a country where COVID-19 is spreading person-to-person, and now have a fever, cough, and shortness of breath—call in first,” Petri adds. “Don’t just walk into the emergency room or doctor’s office, because then you run the risk of spreading the infection to other people.”

Charlottesville City Schools’ page on coronavirus: charlottesvilleschools.org/coronavirus/

Updates from UVA Health: uvahealth.com/services/infectious-disease/coronavirus-faqs

 

Updated 3/4 and 3/5 to reflect the increasing number of American deaths. As of 3/10 there are now five confirmed cases in Virginia, more than 720 in the U.S., and 26 deaths. 

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News

Price check: UVA raises housing costs, again

UVA announced last month that it was raising on-Grounds housing prices by 3.5 percent for the 2020-2021 academic year. PC: Staff Photo

My first semester at the University of Virginia was full of surprises. I was surprised to learn just how difficult college classes are, how frustrating roommates can be, and how competitive everything at UVA is—just to name a few things.

What I found the most surprising though was that in October—a little over a month into the semester—people were already asking me where I was going to live next school year. I quickly learned that it’s quite common for UVA students to sign leases almost a year in advance, hoping to snag a good deal on a house or apartment before they’re all gone. However, there are still some students who, for a variety of reasons, opt out of apartment hunting, and sign up to live on Grounds.

Now, the decision on whether to stay on Grounds or move off Grounds may be more difficult for some students to make, with UVA announcing last month that it’ll be raising on-Grounds housing rates by 3.5 percent next fall to help pay for its increased debt and operating expenses. 

According to The Cavalier Daily, that’s an extra $220 for first-year housing, bringing the cost to $6,680 per year. For upperclassmen housing, that’s either a $250 or $270 increase, with several dorms now costing $8,120 per academic year.

And it’s on top of a previous hike (also 3.5 percent) the university enacted last year.

Third-year Sarandon Elliott says she’s enjoyed living on Grounds, and that, as a transfer student, it’s made it easier for her to navigate Charlottesville. However, she doesn’t know if it will still be worth it next year, “especially with the Board of Visitors already voting to increase tuition prices.”

“For a working-class kid like me, it’s scary because I’m wondering in the back of my mind, on top of all my studies, ‘How am I going to afford to live off-Grounds next year?’” she says. With dorm prices going up, off Grounds might offer some cheaper options, she says, “but it’s still expensive.”

Joe, another third-year (who asked that we not use his last name), says that with the university raising housing prices two years in a row, he doesn’t regret moving off-Grounds after his first year. 

“I have been able to get a much better quality of housing given the cost, with my rent being cheaper than on-Grounds prices this year and last,” he says. “I initially was a bit envious of the on-Grounds housing perks, like reduced maintenance fees, but soon found that there was no real competition when it came to costs.”

According to the University Finance Committee, the increased revenue from student housing will help pay off the $2 million in debt that the university accrued while renovating the McCormick Road Residence Halls (for first-years), and building Bond House (for upperclassmen). 

Elliott says this debt is no excuse for the university to raise housing prices, pointing to its $9.6 billion endowment.“They can afford to freeze prices. They can afford to build more dorms. It’s ridiculous,” she says. 

University spokesman Brian Coy says the endowment, which provides funding for professorships, scholarships, lectureships, academic prizes, and library acquisitions, cannot be used to “support or supplement” on-Grounds housing. 

Joe is just as frustrated with the university, and the heavy financial burden it has put on students.

“The university has already increased tuition…and the [Board of Visitors] seems wildly out of touch in terms of feeling the resentment students have for these decisions,” he says. “These changes will be marginal in terms of revenue, but significant in terms of the cost felt by students.”

To Elliott, it is even more frustrating that UVA is considering requiring second-years to live on Grounds, but keeps raising housing prices. However, if the university were to require them to live on Grounds, Joe thinks it should push for rezoning near Grounds and build more upperclassmen dorms, “freeing already existing affordable housing from student demand.” He says it should also contribute more to the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund and partner with more affordable housing advocacy groups.

Students aren’t the only ones worried about the price hike. Aaron Winston, a member of the Charlottesville Low-Income Housing Coalition, is concerned that it will only “continue the trend of UVA students choosing to live off Grounds,” putting even more pressure on the city’s already strained affordable housing market. 

“UVA has the resources to house its students, whether on Grounds or off, in a way that does not impact the Charlottesville affordable housing market,” he says. “It has land available that it can build additional student housing on.”

Winston is in favor of UVA requiring second-years to live on Grounds, as it “could potentially go a long way towards mitigating the impact of student rentals on affordable housing stock.” 

“But that alone isn’t going to be enough,” he says. “The university can do a whole lot more to improve the housing situation not just for its students, but for members of the Charlottesville community.”

Despite these concerns, there is still a high demand for on-Grounds housing—with 98.4 percent of on-Grounds housing being occupied during the 2019 fall semester, according to The Cavalier Daily. 

And that percentage could be even higher next year—while the housing process for 2020-21 is not yet complete, Coy says “the number of returning students who have signed housing agreements so far is 25 percent higher than at this time last year.”

“[This] suggests our students continue to appreciate the convenience, flexibility, and close-knit communities offered in on-Grounds housing,” he says.