SUNY students get answers on refunds, graduation

CANTON, N.Y. (WWNY) - There are answers for SUNY students on room and board credits and refunds as well as graduation.

When SUNY Canton students were told they wouldn't come back to dorms this semester they asked: “What about the room and board I paid?”

Now they have an answer.

“Students will either get a credit or get a refund if they qualify. They're are a lot of details to work out… but rest assured there will be credits and refunds in an appropriate way,” said Zvi Szafran, SUNY Canton president.

At SUNY Potsdam, it will be the same policy for room and board. Labs and nursing clinicals can be offered online. Last week, they thought students might have to come to campus for those.

“I don't think that any students are going to need to return to the campus because they have to take a lab or a clinical. We've figured out other ways of delivering them,” said Szafran.

There are some students still on SUNY campuses. Most are either international students or ones that don't have homes to go to.

“We're using technology to do things the way we never had and doing our best to ensure that the end of the semester is successful for our students,” said Alexandra Jacobs Wilke, SUNY Potsdam public relations director.

And there will be graduation events of some type – eventually.

“We're absolutely doing a graduation. It's going to be live, because that's how people want it. We'll do it as soon as it's safe to do so," said Szafran.

Clarkson University and St. Lawrence University both suspended classes until at least mid-April. Neither has yet answered the question of credits or refunds for room and board.

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