NAULEGE

Rice University Sued Over Online Classes

A student at Rice University has filed a suit against the university saying the university should not have charged full tuition rates when most of the education was delivered online, The Houston Chronicle reported. The suit seeks to be a class action.

"Plaintiff and the members of the class have all paid for tuition for a first-rate education and on-campus, in-person educational experiences, with all the appurtenant benefits offered by a first-rate university. Instead, students like plaintiff were provided a materially different and insufficient alternative, which constitutes a breach of the contracts entered into by plaintiff with the university," the suit said.

Students enrolled at Rice this fall for a mix of in-person, hybrid and online courses. But many facilities -- libraries, labs and study rooms -- were closed. The university boasts that it offers students "an unconventional culture,” the suit said.

A Rice spokesman said the university does not comment on litigation.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/03/03/live-updates-latest-news-coronavirus-and-higher-education" target="_blank">Story from Inside Higher Ed, Writer, -- Scott Jaschik