A (weak) Defense of Harvard Moving to Online Courses
Shock waves moved through higher education today, as Harvard announced that it will hold all courses online for undergraduate and graduate students for the entirety of the 2020–2021 academic year. They also announced that there will be no change in tuition price. This has, rightfully, caused a fair amount of outrage. The reaction to this news has been hyper-focused on tuition, but Harvard is making this decision in the interest of student safety. They also have the capital, which many other schools do not, to do so. This is precisely why other schools are planning to open their doors this fall.
Here’s what the CDC has told us time and time again about COVID-19: “The virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to spread mainly from person to person, mainly through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. Spread is more likely when people are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet)” (CDC.gov).
College campuses are potential breeding grounds for a virus of this nature. The United States, alone, has reported more than 3,000,000 cases and more than 132,000 deaths (Worldometer). Cases are spiking again, rising more than 40% in the last three weeks (CBS News).
Harvard’s situation is actually quite simple. They are listening to medical experts because they can afford to. They have a $40 billion endowment.
This is not a defense of Harvard, but rather an understanding of why they were able to make this decision. Many other schools charge the exact same in tuition as Harvard, but do not provide the same education. Those are the kinds of schools who are planning to be back in the fall. They simply do not have the capital to survive without revenue and cannot charge full price for online classes. Very few schools have a brand in the same league as Harvard.
Higher education has a number of problems that this pandemic will not aid. For instance, more and more faculty are becoming part-time employees, while administrative pay is as high as it has ever been. In addition, schools who do have money still pay front line workers poverty wages.
Private schools that cost as much as Harvard but do not allow you to say you graduated from there are planning to reopen this fall. Schools like that have small endowments. Those are also the kinds of schools willing to pay millions to consultants to have a plan they can point to for justification. These plans are going to be meaningless once one student tests position. But these schools are simply not in the same financial position as Harvard is. They are opening their doors because they need to if Administrators are going to continue to make six figures. They are choosing to reopen at the expense of student safety.
Harvard has plenty of other issues that start with access. Most students who attend Harvard can probably 1) outright afford tuition or 2) get scholarships or financial aid. Elite institutions in the United States are too elite. The best schools in Canada admit more students than schools in the United States do. That’s why, frankly, Harvard can charge whatever it wants and a student will accept that price if they fall outside of the above criteria.
Schools that want to open make a lot of their revenue from students who are truly middle class, who justify paying more money than they should for an education they believe will give them an edge. Those students will likely catch onto this scam if their University moves to online only classes and continues to charge what Harvard charges. At that point, the market will be ripe for some competition. You will probably be able to find a school willing to provide a quality education at a much lower price.
The six figure earners at schools that are opening up need to protect their jobs. They had no problem laying off cafeteria workers and custodians when this pandemic started and they were able to work from home. Now that their jobs are on the line, they need their campuses to reopen.
We are living through a pandemic that worsens with human contact, with being in close proximity to others indoors, and in small spaces. Harvard got this one right, but they are one of the few institutions in a position to choose student safety and profits. What is going to happen when the first student tests positive at a school that chose to re-open? That student will already have interacted with other people and the disease will be well on its way. The school might also find itself amidst legal battles over liability.
All American universities should move to online learning in 2020–2021. That is the only thing that makes sense with an airborne virus with no cure. Locking students in an enclosed space is a recipe for failure. The problem is that online learning might result in administrators being the ones taking the furlough days. Those part-time faculty that they like to stress are independent contractors may very well find themselves negotiating what they think a college course should go for. You can bet it’ll cost less than tuition at Harvard.