There are at least three potential class-action lawsuits facing Florida’s public university system as some students contend they should receive refunds for what they see as “inferior” products as universities were forced to shift to online learning during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Former University of North Florida President John Delaney, who is also a lawyer, is a shareholder at Roger Towers Attorneys At Law in Jacksonville.
While Delaney says students have some legitimate claims, he doesn’t think they’ll get very far.
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“I think courts are going to say, ‘hey look, it’s an emergency thing. It’s temporary, not a big deal,’” Delaney said Monday on WJCT’s First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross.
He was referring to the current spring semesters. As to what students decide going forward, “Summer, fall, that’s your choice over whether you want to take those classes online at a particular university or not. So that’s why I don’t think the lawsuits are going to get far,” Delaney speculated.
He noted that despite the pandemic and online learning, enrollment at Florida’s universities has shot up for the summer semester.
Delaney said that tends to happen when unemployment rides. “I think it's going to be a bubble, how long this bubble lasts, you know, your guess is as good as mine.”
He said the pandemic will put some colleges out of business. “I don't think there's any question that some of the marginal, smaller private schools across the country are probably not going to be able to get through.”
Delaney said it’s too soon to know how quickly Florida’s larger universities will bounce back, but he points out that Florida is a growth state.
As to the future of learning, Delaney remains a big supporter of the on-campus experience.
“You know, for me personally, I like the face to face stuff. And I think it's by and large, better, but a hybrid or a mix of those. I think it's gonna work out just fine.”
You can listen to the full interview with Delaney on Monday’s First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross podcast.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
