Following the university’s closure last week, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Kennesaw State’s Office of the President announced on Thursday, March 19, it would be refunding students $234 for mandatory student fees, while Friday, March 20, the university announced students could withdraw from a class without academic penalty.
In an email released to KSU students, the Office of the President said KSU is following the University System of Georgia’s guidance in giving students refunds.
“Kennesaw State will provide a refund of $234 to students who have paid mandatory fees for campus services that will be discontinued for the remainder of the semester,” according to the statement. “Please log in to Owl Express to verify [the] fees you have paid this semester.”
The $234 refund is representative of the fees KSU students would have paid for the 50 days left in the Spring 2020 semester for various campus facilities, according to the statement.
The refund should be posted to students’ accounts by no later than Friday, March 27, and will be refunded through BankMobile.
The statement also explained that students who paid to live in on-campus dormitories and for dining will receive proportional refunds of the balance that remains. The mandatory parking fee will be returned to students within residence halls.
Remaining balances for students who lived in dorms that have individual parking permits will be deposited directly into students’ accounts.
For questions and information relating to refunds, KSU advises students to contact the Talon One Service Center or email the Office of the Bursar at bursars@kennesaw.edu.
Additionally, KSU has altered its course withdrawal policy due to COVID-19 concerns causing classes to be taught remotely.
KSU Interim Executive Director for University Advising Jerryl Morris within the Office of the Provost released a statement Friday, March 20, saying that KSU has adopted a new withdrawal policy with regards to grades during virtual classes.
“Students who withdraw from a course prior to the last day of class during Spring 2020 will receive a W rather than a WF,” the statement said. “Students will be encouraged to seek the assistance of their advisors because a ‘W’ can still effect [sic] their progression and graduation.”
This policy extends the date a student is able to drop a class without receiving an academic penalty. Students can now withdraw from a class that is currently online without receiving a failing grade on their transcripts.
A “W” grade means that a student was able to withdraw from a class without receiving an academic penalty. W grades are not included in a student’s calculated GPA, according to KSU’s Undergraduate Academic Catalog.
A “WF” grade means that a student withdrew from a class after the withdrawal date with permission from the KSU registrar. A WF counts as an “F” in the course and is calculated as such in the student’s GPA, according to the catalog.
In the email forwarded to students, Morris said he will share further information as it becomes available to him.
Originally, the last day to withdraw without receiving a WF was Wednesday, Feb. 26, according to KSU’s Office of the Registrar website.
Despite students voicing concerns over having difficulties adjusting to online courses, the USG has firmly stated to presidents of USG institutions that the USG will not adopt a pass/fail grading policy.
A statement with this information was forwarded to some students Monday, March 23.
“Dear Presidents: Some institutions around the nation have decided to shift to Pass/Fail grading after transitioning to remote education,” USG Chancellor Steve Wrigley said. “There are numerous technical challenges in the University System of Georgia to shifting to P/F, and, in addition, I believe we can trust faculty to teach and grade students effectively as they always have. Therefore, we will not shift courses to grading P/F.”
As of Monday, March 23, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at KSU, according to KSU’s website on Coronavirus Information and Resources.
