To the editor:

Thank you to Chancellor Douglas Girod and KU administrators for their leadership in this extraordinary time. I am a proud alum and parent of a Jayhawk freshman. COVID has created great fiscal demands for the university, and I am concerned by the Kansas Legislature’s attempt to wring remedy from it.

KU should proactively propose bold relief before the Legislature mandates something disastrous.

Refunding tuition for all students isn’t feasible. What would help is rewarding current Jayhawks for their loyalty by providing modest relief without forcing an immediate and burdensome payout.

1. Offer Spring/Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 students a credit equal to 3 hours every semester until their original projected graduation date. For freshmen in the Class of 2024, who also lost the end of their high school careers to COVID, this would equal a full semester at no cost by the time they walk down the Hill.

2. Freeze tuition for those students through their expected graduation date and limit fee increases through 2024.

3. Seek help from the KU Endowment Association to support graduating seniors with rebates/refunds, since they would be unable to take advantage of free classes (or extend the credit-hour offer to graduate study). Use other endowment money to offer across-the-board scholarships or other relief to students.

It is time to be proactive and bold. KU could be a compassionate leader as we recover and rebuild from COVID. Offering relief now would short-circuit attempts at legislative control and keep KU’s destiny in its own hands.

Donna Swaffar,

Berryton