University education is basically an economic transaction. The student pays $X to get Y, where Y is certain learning and social experiences, plus a valuable cr

University education is basically an economic transaction. The student pays $X to get Y, where Y is certain learning and social experiences, plus a valuable credential, with a certain level of safety and protection. Due to COVID-19, the university is no longer able to provide the same learning and social experiences with the same level of safety. This isn't the fault of anybody involved in the transaction, neither students nor university could have prevented COVID-19. Here are the options: - (a) Cancel or postpone the transaction. Students get their money back, the school is freed from providing their now-impossible obligation. Perhaps they are allowed to re-enroll when COVID-19 is under control again, without penalty to admission status or scholarship dollars. - (b) Lessen the obligation. Students continue to pay and attend, but get less effective social and educational experiences, and more restrictive safety rules, due to COVID-19. - (c) Ignore safety. Continue to operate as always, recognizing that a large number of students, faculty and administrators will sicken, and a smaller number will die. People have mostly decided on option (b). Option (c) is a non-starter for parents and administrators, but a large subset of students is probably quite willing to take personal risks. Nobody seems to want to discuss option (a), perhaps because it will destroy higher education's finances and force some institutions out of business entirely without massive external support.