A new poll reports that 65 percent of college students are willing to return to campus this fall without a vaccine for the Chinese virus. Only 31 percent of respondents said that they would prefer to resume classes virtually if a vaccine is not available by the beginning of the fall semester.
According to a report by Axios, a new poll found that the majority of college students are willing to return to campus this fall without a vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus.
Although 65 percent of respondents said that they would return to campus before the introduction of a vaccine, 31 percent said that they would prefer to resume online classes in the fall. Four percent of respondents said that they would withdraw from their university or college if a vaccine is not available the fall.
The report suggests that online class sessions are less productive for students. Nearly half of respondents said that they attended class less often and a majority of students said that they were too distracted to learn.
“The desire to attend classes in person comes as students report that the virtual education experience is full of pitfalls: 45% say they attend class less often and more than 70% say they’re distracted by their phone, computer and things going on at home,” the report reads.
University and college administrators around the nation are concerned about the financial impact that the ongoing Chinese virus pandemic will have on their institution’s bottom line. American universities and colleges were eligible for approximately $14 billion in federal coronavirus relief under the CARES Act.
Breitbart News reported in April that Harvard, Yale, Princeton that they would reject millions of dollars in federal coronavirus relief grants. Other wealthy institutions, such as Columbia University, faced criticism in April over their decision to accept federal aid.