The novel Corona Virus is affecting all sectors of the economy, jiu-jitsu included. Many schools are proactively deciding to close their doors as a means to slow the spread of the disease, putting pressure on school owners to pay bills without having a regular teaching schedule. Students have been encouraged to maintain their tuition if possible, as a means to allow schools to
stay afloat while the CDC recommendations of social distancing goes into effect.
Some are even taking it a step further.
As a way to ease the burden on over 170 affiliates, Gracie University Headquarters has announced that they are effectively putting a pause on affiliation dues and licensing fees for their Certified Training Centers around the globe that are electing to close their doors. The length of the amnesty clause extends for an indefinite period of time, contingent upon the containment on the Corona Virus and whenever schools feel it is ok to open up again.
This act is the first of its kind of a BJJ organization taking measures to ease the financial burden for its affiliates. Although unprecedented, it shows that members of the community understand the collective efforts we must take as a society to be considerate of one another’s welfare.
Although Gracie University Headquarters has elected to cancel their group classes through March 31st to comply with CDC guidelines of minimizing exposure to crowds, they are remaining open for private and semi-private instruction. In an effort to minimize cancellations during the downtime, they are offering 100% credit for any tuition payments made during the closure, to be used on future training or merchandise. Furthermore, they are allowing students to engage in home-training through their online learning portal, and upon reopening the school students will have the chance to test their techniques learned over the hiatus with an instructor to earn attendance credit.
Though unprecedented, the silver lining in this global pandemic is that it is showing how businesses and organizations are going out of their way to help their employees and treat their clientele with extra consideration. Perhaps we will see more BJJ affiliations step up to help out their school owners in a similar fashion, as many of them depend on their academy as their singular source of income, and an extended period closure could be futile.
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