Tuition Updates for 2021-22
Friday, June 4, 2021
Dear Albion Parents and Families,
I hope you and your families are enjoying a safe and healthy start to your summer.
Earlier today, we shared a message with all current students with an update about tuition for the upcoming year (2021-22). Albion College’s tuition for the upcoming academic year will increase 4 percent ($2,500) — the lowest we’ve experienced in the last 10 years. Albion is able to achieve this through an increase in tuition only, while holding room, board (meals) and the student activity fee at 2020-21 levels. This will be the fourth consecutive year that the room, board and student activity fee will not increase.
If students have applied for financial aid, please keep in mind the College's financial aid package when reviewing the information below. Your student’s final bill may well differ from the costs shown below. The housing rate is based on a double occupancy room. The board rate is based on the 15 block meal plan.
Fee Type
|
Yearly Totals
|
| Tuition |
$52,570.00 |
| Student Activity Fee |
$520.00 |
| Housing |
$6,080.00 |
| Board (meals) |
$6,300.00 |
| 2021-22 Yearly Totals |
$65,470.00 |
There are no standard fees for textbooks and supplies. We continue to work with the bookstore to offer additional savings such as expanded used book offerings and increased availability of eBooks. Additional information about fees is available on our website, which we will be updating in the coming days.
Should you have any questions about your student’s financial aid package, please contact . We also offer financial advising through the Cutler Center for Student Success.
We look forward to welcoming your student back to campus for another year of learning and growth this fall.
Dr. Mathew Johnson
President, Albion College
Together Safely: COVID-19 Vaccine Policy for Fall 2021
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Dear Albion Parents and Families,
As you know, Albion College will welcome students back for full in-person classes for Fall 2021 following our standard academic calendar.
Earlier this morning, our COVID-19 team shared with students, faculty and staff that, in order to support the continued health and well-being of our community, and following rigorous consultation with public health advisors and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the College has made the decision to require that all students, faculty and staff receive a COVID-19 vaccination in order to return to campus for the Fall 2021 semester.
Students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to submit a medical or religious waiver should they require an exemption from this policy.
Over the spring semester, we saw dramatic decreases in positive cases as more of our community received the vaccine. We also experienced an overwhelmingly positive response to vaccine opportunities on campus. In a student survey conducted this spring, almost 80% of respondents indicated that they would like to sign up for a vaccine appointment, with close to 10% of additional respondents indicating that they had either already secured a vaccine appointment or been vaccinated. The majority of faculty and staff have also received vaccinations. Albion College’s proactive approach to risk mitigation was noted by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in her recent commencement address to the Classes of 2021 and 2020 as a leading example in Michigan.
Throughout the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters, our focus has been managing the risk associated with COVID-19 and prioritizing the health and safety of our entire campus community. Thanks to the collaboration of our students, faculty and staff, we have been able to offer a highly successful year of in-person teaching and learning. This vaccination requirement is a continuation of that commitment.
Students, faculty and staff will need to present proof of vaccination or complete a waiver by August 1, 2021. We will share details of a safe and secure process for uploading your proof of immunization later in the summer. You can find more information in our COVID-19 Vaccine Policy FAQ.
More details on Albion’s approach to the Fall 2021 semester, including important updates regarding both academics and student activities, can be found on the College’s Together Safely website as the Fall 2021 semester nears.
Thank you for all that you continue to do to support the health and well-being of our Albion community.
Dr. Mathew Johnson
President, Albion College
Together Safely: Student Dining and Wellness
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
Dear Albion Parents and Families,
The semester is in full swing at Albion, and it is a joy to have students back on campus.
During the fall semester, we heard lots of feedback about our new dining vendor, Metz Culinary. While much of it was positive, we recognize there are also many areas for improvement. Today, I am writing with information about student dining and wellness resources, along with a brief update on student testing.
Indoor Dining
As a residential community, we know how important eating together is. As of February 1, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is allowing indoor dining in Michigan in restaurants and dining venues with some restrictions. As a result, Albion College will be offering limited indoor dining opportunities to students in Lower Baldwin, Upper Baldwin and the KC Stack. Our staff at Metz are taking all necessary precautions to keep students safe, including wearing masks, lowering the capacity of dining halls, appropriately spacing tables, optimizing ventilation and regularly sanitizing all surfaces. Students will be expected to continue to comply with all health and safety protocols that have been put in place to support a successful dining experience.
For the time being, Read Between the Grinds, Briton Break and the Dow Smoothie Bar will continue to be available only for carryout. To give students more opportunities and choice, we are also working on opening a new dining venue in Baldwin with a limited menu (smoothies and power bowls only).
Based on MDHHS guidance on indoor seating and dining, all venues will be limited to one person per table. Our team at Metz has made several adjustments to indoor dining spaces to ensure that dining is safe and hygienic. Stanchions and signage have been installed to make these spaces safe and easy to navigate. Staff will be regularly sanitizing tables and have marked all seating six feet apart.
Expanded Menu Options
Just as we have been working hard to support indoor dining this semester, we have also been evaluating all of the feedback we received last semester to expand our menu options.
Baldwin Hall
In Baldwin, we have a new bakery supplier who will source products from 21 local vendors, allowing us to expand our bakery offerings. In addition, artisanal stone-oven pizzas will be returning to the menu. To better accommodate our students’ diverse dietary needs, we have added 20+ new menu items, including vegetarian, vegan and Halal items. We are also looking forward to some exciting daily themed menus, including Taco Tuesday, Mac N’ Cheese Takeover, Pizza and Wing Night and Breakfast for Lunch!
To make Baldwin Hall easier and safer to navigate, we have added new, large digital menu boards that can be seen from a safe distance. In response to student, faculty and staff feedback, we have also switched to eco-friendly containers and utensils to decrease our impact on the environment.
The Eat Shop
We have added new convenience items to the Eat Shop menu to offer more variety in grab ‘n’ go options. We have also rearranged the Eat Shop to make the space easier and safer to navigate in light of COVID-19 restrictions.
Briton Break & Read Between the Grinds
For the spring semester, sushi will be back at Briton Break twice a week and breakfast sandwiches will be added to the menu at Read Between the Grinds.
You can view menus for all of our dining spaces on the Metz website. These will be updated weekly and offer filters for dietary restrictions to show what students can eat safely in real-time. The changes we have made this semester are a direct result of the feedback we received. As in the fall, signs are hung in dining venues with a QR code that students can scan to submit feedback, and we hope they will continue to provide input.
Keeping Dining Safe
To ensure that we are keeping our dining spaces safe for our community, our staff at Metz has undertaken COVID-19 training in line with guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They have also undertaken extensive allergen training. Throughout the semester, our dining staff will continue to undergo training to better serve all and keep ahead of industry trends and standards. They are working hard to keep students safe.
As with all of our employees, our dining staff are required to participate in daily health screenings and follow our testing protocols. Dining employees will have their temperature recorded daily. As we continue to strive for safe, indoor dining, we will remain responsive to MDHHS and CDC guidelines.
Deliveries to Isolation Spaces
For spring 2021, we have a new system to streamline and improve the delivery of meals to students in isolation. Our facilities staff will be helping us to deliver food promptly, and we will be utilizing new thermal units to keep food hot during deliveries. Our isolation menu will be created from the Baldwin menu to ensure that students in isolation or quarantine will not miss out on new and fun menu items.
New Telehealth Program
We are excited to share that, in partnership with TimelyMD, Albion College will launch a new telehealth program for students this spring. As you know, we are actively working to prioritize and better support student wellness. This new service will provide access to 24/7 medical and mental telehealth care from anywhere in the United States. The service will be free of charge, with no insurance necessary. More information, including how to register and use the service, will be shared with students later this week. In addition, Counseling Services remains available to support student wellness needs on campus.
Student Testing Update
Our third round of student testing took place last week, on January 28 and 29. We will be sharing more information about upcoming testing schedules with students in the coming days. This spring, we are using Abbott BinaxNOW tests to administer regular rapid testing of students, faculty and staff. Abbott’s COVID-19 app, NAVICA, pairs with the rapid antigen test to deliver results quickly and safely to individuals. All students, faculty and staff have been asked to download NAVICA from the App Store or Google Play at no charge. We have a process in place for students, faculty and staff who do not have access to a Smartphone.
NAVICA will not be used for contact tracing and does not require that location services be turned on. For more information on NAVICA, visit Abbott’s NAVICA FAQ. NAVICA has security protocols in place to ensure that all personal data is protected. For more information on how NAVICA collects and stores data, see their Privacy Policy.
Daily Health Monitoring
We will be shifting away from using the Aura app for health monitoring and testing this spring. Instead, we have a new Daily Health Assessment form that all students, faculty and staff have been instructed to fill out every day by noon. Our COVID-19 team will receive alerts and reach out to symptomatic individuals if testing is required. This information will only be shared with our COVID-19 team and used for the management of COVID-19 on campus.
Reporting Testing Data
As in the fall, Albion will continue to report testing data on our website. COVID-19 updates will be added to our Together Safely site daily, Monday through Friday, as current numbers of active cases change. Our COVID-19 dashboard will be updated at the same time.
As always, copies of the parent and family newsletter will be added to our website and information regarding our COVID-19 policies and protocols for spring 2021 will be added to Together Safely as it is released.
Thank you for your continued support of our students and our whole Albion community.
Dr. Mathew Johnson
President, Albion College
