PEORIA, Ill. — Bradley President Stephen Standifird sent out an e-mail Thursday night to students, in which he addressed concerns over tuition and fees, with some classes set only to be offered online, and some learners choosing to take other classes remotely because of COVID-19 concerns.
Standifird said costs will not be reduced on the basis of students’ courses being delivered virtually.
“The quality and value of a Bradley education are not reduced by the online and hybrid formats, and the cost of providing a Bradley education has not been reduced,” he said.
Student opinion differed.
“It doesn’t sound fair at first glance,” said Sophomore Jeremy Oliphant.
“If you go online, it’s not the same quality education, plain and simple. But if that’s what they have to do, I suppose I’ll respect it.”
Sophomore Charlie Avendano offered a more optimistic perspective.
“It’s still the same classes, just not in person,” he said.
“You can still talk to all the teachers, it’s just not in the classrooms and everything.”
The university’s president did go on to say housing and dining fees will be deducted for students who choose to live at home instead of moving back to campus.
Standifird said the university has made some enhancements to cater to the online learning environment, such as increasing internet bandwidth, upgrading the student virtual private network, and upgrading classrooms to be able to provide in-person and virtual learning, seamlessly.
Bradley’s first day of fall semester classes is scheduled for Aug. 26.
