PROVIDENCE – Brown University is a defendant in a federal class-action lawsuit filed Thursday in which a student has alleged the Ivy League university broke federal laws in continuing to charge for tuition, fees, and room and board despite students being sent home from campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The suit was filed in U.S. District Court of Rhode Island by Providence-based firm McIntyre Tate LLP and Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, which has an office in Boston. Hagens Berman also filed similar suits against Boston University and Vanderbilt University.
The plaintiff, identified as “John Doe,” claims in the suit that Brown continues to charge tuition, fees, and room and board “as if nothing has changed,” and the school “continues to reap the financial benefit of millions” of dollars from students. Doe alleges that Brown is doing so despite “complete inability” to normally continue school and occupy campus buildings, and other aspects of campus life.
“So while students enrolled and paid [Brown] for a comprehensive academic experience, [Brown] instead offers [Doe] and the Class Members something far less: a limited online experience presented by Google or Zoom, void of face-to-face faculty and peer interaction, separated from program resources, and barred from facilities vital to study,” the suit states.
The suit also states that Brown assessed $28,556 for tuition for the spring semester – which Doe claims Brown refuses to reimburse – and $4,710 for room-and-board fees. Brown has “agreed to prorate” some fees and costs “but not equal to the number of days the student has paid for room and board for the remaining spring term,” the suit states. The plaintiff is seeking a refund for tuition, fees and/or room and board, and other monetary relief.
Brown spokesperson Brian Clark told Providence Business News in March that students will receive credits on their accounts for the “unused portion” of their room and board. Credits will be prorated based on “each family’s contribution to the cost of attendance,” Clark said. Graduating seniors at Brown will receive a prorated refund for unused portions of their room and board.
According to Brown’s website, students’ tuition and fees will not be adjusted because instruction will continue remotely.
“We are aware of the lawsuit filed in court April 30, although Brown has not been served,” the university said in a statement Friday. “During this time of global crisis, no aspect of our daily lives are what anyone expected. However, what has not changed is the core value of a Brown education.”
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
This story has been updated to include a response from Brown University.
