LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) -- Dozens of U.S. colleges and universities will be getting millions in aid from the $2.2 trillion CARES Act for financial strain and operational disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
During his an appearance on Sean Spicer’s show, Jerry Falwell Jr. says if Liberty University receives any money from the coronavirus relief package, it will go to students who had their semesters interrupted.
Falwell tweeted a YouTube video of the show Thursday, April 23.
“I’ve already told my top administrators that if we receive any money, Liberty University, through the CARES Act, that every penny will be given back to our resident students whose semester was interrupted. They had to convert from classrooms to a different type of learning. It’s not what they expected,” Falwell told Spicer.
“Their lives really have been interrupted and if any money goes anywhere, it should go to them. Liberty is prosperous, we’re doing well. We wouldn’t take the money if they dropped it on our doorsteps. Every penny will go back to the students," he added.
Residential students were told they were "welcome" to return to LU's campus, according to an email sent to students last month, although most other universities and higher education institutions had moved all classes online and asked students to stay home.
Liberty announced that students who did not return to use their on-campus residence hall room for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester would receive an automatic $1,000 credit toward any Fall 2020 charges.
"Liberty’s attempt to profit from the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic is reprehensible and incredibly hypocritical in light of the values upon which the University says that it’s based," said Adam Levitt, co-counsel for the plaintiffs and a partner at DiCello Levitt Gutzler LLP in Chicago. "This pandemic has already placed tremendous financial strain on many of Liberty’s students and their families, and the fact that Mr. Falwell would disingenuously keep the campus open as a pretext for holding onto student fees while putting their finances and health at risk is a stark illustration of where his true priorities lie."
Liberty said there are about 1,060 students living in residence halls as of Wednesday, April 15 compared to the 8,000 approximate students who were living on campus in residence halls before spring break.
On Thursday, April 16, Liberty University announced that two employees and one online student have tested positive for coronavirus.
Those employees were working from home two weeks before they were tested.
In their FAQs posted to their website, it shows that eight students have been tested for COVID-19; six have been negative, one is pending, and one is positive among an LU online student.
For more information on the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, go here
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