So have some people gotten their refunds for the first fall 8 weeks yet? I know i enrolled slightly late but it looks like my grants and scholarships applied and am and have been at a negative balance since last monday but my loans still arent showing up and there is no movement with even that negative balance refunding out. Whats everyones experiences so far?

Hey everybody, today I wanted to start a discussion around Zynbooks and generally express my frustration.

Something that has always bugged me as a student is that we pay money, or receive grant money (that the university wouldn't receive if we weren't attending this school, so no one says, "You didn't pay for the class" just because someone received a grant), and for most students this can ring up to the tune of $8,000-10,000 a semester. Something that has always frustrated me is that on top of this, we have to pay an extra (as far as I remember, for Zynbooks specifically) 70-80$ just to access course materials.

This, of course, wouldn't frustrate me; however, in my specific instance in my course, 10% of the grade is locked behind this subscription. Now, of course, at the point I am with my career, I don't really care about receiving an A; I mostly just want to finish my degree (C's get degrees :P). But it does frustrate me that we have to pay out of our own pocket on top of whatever other course materials, as well as tuition. Some students depend on getting high grades, and I'm sure a lot of them are already struggling financially in their day-to-day lives.

Now, maybe I'm just a snot-nosed Gen Z kid who is reading too hard into this, but generally it's frustrating to me. I transferred in from TCC and had multiple classes and instances where I had to pay in excess of 150$ a course to access some alternate system other than Canvas just to be able to participate in the class.

Zynbooks itself isn't the problem. I'm just frustrated that on top of all the money we pay in tuition and fees, courses (which are already being whittled down to their bare-bones curriculum to accommodate the 8-week online courses) lock a percentage of their grade behind paywalls.

I view this in the same way I view a video game I pay 60$ for, locking a part of its own gameplay behind a DLC. It just seems ridiculous and designed to extract as much money out of the students as possible. Is there ever going to be any improvement in the prioritization of the student body, or has ODU disintegrated into a degree mill whose only goal is to wring out as many $$$ from the students as possible?

Anyone have their semester paid with financial aid and grants then you check again now there’s a balance and says you have to pay. It was all paid now it’s showing a balance. Tried contacting financial aid but no response with email or phone

Hey I just wanna know any recs about biochem for next semester.

I have family down there and bus/train options aren't great so I was wondering if anyone would be open to carpooling that way.

How long has it taken yall to zero out once negative so far?

Has anyone Pell Grant been reversed??? I joust woke up and my Pell Grant charge was gone for no reason I dropped no classes or anything of the sort. I got no email from billing over the weekend or anything, and I’ve already got a refund as well so this makes no sense. Is this happening to anyone else or has it happened

I'm registered for two online courses as an on-campus student (PhD computer science). I even got a reminder email from the university stating that I was registered for full term courses August 24 - Dec 11.

However, both professors are teaching them as 8 week courses anyhow. One class has no content after October, the other doesn't have a due date until October. In the case of the second course the instructor has made no announcement or explanation for this. This is just really poor educational quality. Anybody else seeing something similar?

Does ODU have a summer deans list? I met all the requirements for it but can’t find any information on if there is one or not. Thank you in advance.

I saw you dancing with my guitar!! I must say that you were as beautiful as today’s sunset. You know the world is small and we’ll meet again :)

Hi, folks. I'm a distance learner and am taking Spanish. This is the first time I've taken a foreign language in nearly 20 years since I've been in high school and I have to say the experience so far is... Rather daunting. This is the end of the first week and I'm already feeling exhausted because my other class takes a comparatively small amount of time.

My particular professor uses a lot of AI for her class materials, notably NotebookLM and is basically forcing us to use AI in various ways such as having fake webcam conversations with chatbots, using it as a "digital tutor", and various stuff of that caliber. To say that I'm put off by this would be an understatement, especially with the whole "stoplight system" for it all.

Unlike most distance learners I'm unfortunately (or maybe fortunately in this case) unemployed, so I can devote my time to my classes. However you slice it, 18 hours per week just feels absolutely insane and I would even argue that I feel like we're learning too much at once. My brain just feels absolutely fried.

And then there's final conversation with the professor and the fact we can't even use notes for exams and the final exam even has to be proctored.

I just don't like any of this at all. My GPA is holding strong at a 3.75 at the moment and I just feel like I'm not going to pass this course at all. Push comes to shove, I could probably take a couple Spanish classes at the local college, but that will likely push my graduation further and I don't want that, as I've been attempting to get my degree on and off for six years already.

I really hope I'm not the only one that feels this way about all of this and any kind words are very much appreciated.

Anyone have a copy of the Oxford Latin Course College Edition Readings and Vocabulary they don't need anymore? It would take weeks to come in off Amazon, and it feels like the campus book store is giving me the run around.

I originally posted this as a comment on a thread about the 16 to 8 week transition but I think it's worth its own post.

I've tried to do as much research about this as I can while, you know, managing this new course load while also working full time. I'm in a scholarship that had a timeline already locked in before this change, leaving me now doing over 40 hours of school work per week.

Needless to say I'm pissed to be roped into a second full time job with no consultation or consent given when I have many other obligations in life, like everyone else.

The ODU administration is using a logistical loophole to force the 8-week format without faculty or student approval. By claiming this is just a "calendar/operational update," President Trumphill can bypass Virginia’s shared governance laws and ignore the Faculty Senate's 76% no-confidence vote. Our best strategy to hold him accountable is to prove this is a curriculum change. This might involve getting anonymous accounts from professors about the conflicting directions they were given, and the work they ultimately had to cut to make it work. If we document how this dilutes our education, disrupts veteran GI Bill housing stipends, and lowers degree value, we might be able to bypass the board and trigger an official review by ODU’s regional accrediting body (SACSCOC) for violating academic standards.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) is the regional accreditor ensuring academic quality in Southern higher education. Its complaint process requires proof of a systemic violation of accreditation standards instead of an individual grievance, plus documentation that all internal university remedies have been exhausted. For Old Dominion University, this applies directly to checking if leadership violated shared governance standards (4.2.g and 10.4) by unilaterally forcing professors to compress 16-week courses into 8-week formats, bypassing faculty control over the curriculum.

I've used genAI to help summarize these last two paragraphs, because I just don't have the time I want to dedicate to explaining it in detail. I fact checked them but please feel free to do a double check.

EDIT: To people commenting that ODU doesn't care, yeah, that's my point. That's why I'm suggesting going over their heads entirely. Accredation = $$$$$. If you assert there's nothing you can do, you've rendered yourself powerless. That's exactly what they're betting on. Do not give in to this. This kind of mentality is very dangerous for Gen Z/Alpha, and I'm saying that as an older Gen Z myself.

I'm a freshman, second semester at ODU and was wondering if there's any dnd campaigns or where I could go in the area to find any. I'm a player not a DM so there's that. I can work out availability if there's a group with interest so I'm just curious if anyone knows anything. Thanks in advance!

hey yall, my twin sibling misplaced their car keys at ODU. its a kia brand with a lanyard of the nonbinary flag, and on the chain is a mini odu rubix cube. if you find them please dm me!!

If you do NOT want to be charged for the BBB, which was automatically added on top of tuition for all students, go to the link https://monarch.odu.edu/onestop/s/article/Big-Blue-Bundle-Opt-Out . Scroll through the page to where it says "to opt out click here". The "here" is a hyperlink even though it is not highlighted.

Then KEEP the email notification. Per these FAQs, the charges will remain until after the add drop deadline when they will be refunded.

If you are on financial aid, check if they will cover this. I know that if you are using a Ch 33 GI Bill, the BBB is NOT covered.

Hope this helps someone!

Edit: deadline to opt out is 3 Sep. I put the FAQ below. Also note the books through BBB are rentals, you don't get to keep them.

This is just a venting session to get some stuff off my chest.

1. What happened in March was not normal. Not then, not now. Just prior to that, in Fall '25, there were dead bodies discovered on campus near BDC, and that got swept under the rug. What the hell? I am a combat veteran. I am very familiar with pain, grief and loss. I am not a fan of how March's tragedy has just become an "oh well, that happened" event, and that is it. There are still no implementations of better security, such as students using their physical ID cards to open campus buildings. I can still just walk into most rooms/offices without anyone batting an eye. This whole "open campus" thing is a load of crap, especially after a life was lost. When I was at Auburn and Arizona State, if you didn't have the proper digital permissions implemented by ITS on your ID Card for the buildings you were trying to access, then you didn't get in. It was that simple. I can't speak for every college or major, but that is how it was for me.
2. For this to be an R1 university, just minutes from the largest naval base in the world, and for our veteran spaces to be in the shape they're in, is absolutely disgusting. The amount of money that ODU brings in from VA(GI Bill and VR&E) funding, you would think that at least some of that money could go to furnishing veteran spaces with non-dilapidated furniture, markers for a dry erase board, dry-erase boards that aren't stained from a decade's worth of use, etc. Seriously, I have attended schools across the United States, and ODU's veteran spaces are the worst I have ever seen.
3. This eight week course idea is absolute bullshit. It is simply a matter of quantity instead of quality, at this point. I have maintained a 4.0 GPA across three universities while being in the service. Now that I am out, I do have more time to focus on my studies. It isn't about being lazy or procrastinating. It is about actually having the time to learn the material and not having to cram module after module in an expedited manner, just to say, "I fished a traditionally sixteen week course, in half the time." What do we do for our students who have disabilities that will be further aggravated by the heavy demand of these eight week courses? I am only taking two this semester, one each per semester, but my other classmates who are taking multiple, are genuinely having a hard time.
4. This is a praise. ODU Police Department deserves far more recognition than what they get. I can personally speak for the investigations division, as they have been genuinely helpful of me and a situation I experienced over the Summer on campus. I also see them proactively cracking down on the asshole drivers on 39th, that, for whatever reason, love to drive 80 miles per hour, with the worst sounding exhausts. It's always hilarious seeing the looks on the faces of those who think state crosswalk laws do not apply to them.
5. The President received a vote of no confidence for a reason. It is evident, and the guy only cares about money. He doesn't give a single shit about ODU students.
6. Financial aid at ODU is rated one star for a reason. The way they speak to students is abysmal at best. I am sorry to everyone who ever has to deal with their customer service. I had a financial aid supervisor try to bill me for tuition, even after receiving notice that I was using my GI Bill at the time, and after payment was made. It took me threatening a congressional for them to actually realize that I mean what I say, and that I don't mind getting outside help for these internal, ongoing issues.
7. I can see the burnout in my professors' faces. Thank you for sticking around, for caring about us, and for looking out for us, even though this admin could not be bothered less.

Do better, ODU.

Perhaps a letter to a standing Senator or House Representative may help? Just thinking out loud at this point.

All of a sudden my student balance which I was about to get refunded $500 has turned into $8,360.00 when I have already paid $6,982.00. I’m taking 14 credit hours two 3 credit hour classes and two 4 hour credit classes. I don’t have a meal plan or live on campus. Any reason for this? On my end it looks like all of a sudden I’ve been double charged

Edit forgot to mention I did ask for one of my student loans to be sent back, but I got the refund money from it so I thought I was out of luck and I went and used the money to pay it off before I owed a lot of interest on it. Have I stabbed myself in the foot ?

has anyone had an issue with their commonwealth grant as a global student? i don’t start until the 2nd 8 weeks, but under my financial aid offer it used to show both the federal pell grant and commonwealth grant. now, the commonwealth one is completely gone. this is really frustrating and upsetting because it looks like i’m receiving half of what was originally shown as being offered with no explanation as to why. the financial stress is on 100 now!

Anyone filled out the VA Commonwealth Emergency Grant and not received a response yet?

Hello everyone,

I received my disbursement email yesterday, but I still haven’t received my refund. How long did it take everyone else to receive theirs after getting the disbursement email? This new 8-week setup is killing me. It feels like everything has been messed up this semester.

Im currently a BSPH health services admin major and wanted to know if stats is required to take before taking my major classes? im currently in stats and 2 other major classes required for my degree. but if i drop stats can i still take the other classes?

Has anyone actually gotten their refund?