Last week, students sent a powerful message to the administration, and it was heard loud and clear. Apparently, most of us just don’t care about tuition increases.
That was indeed the unfortunate message students sent the administration last week, when the president and senior staff made themselves available to answer questions about the reasons and impact of next year’s tuition increases, and less than a dozen students showed.
That’s one for every 100 students here, and The Weekly would like to thank those few who made the time.
While perhaps poor notification and busy schedules contributed to such a low student turnout, it is nevertheless disappointing that one of the most protested issues on campus did not receive more attention from the very students bearing the brunt of it.
Midterms, short notice and prior engagements are certainly valid reasons, but the cost of tuition at Mills — why we pay what we do to attend this school — is one of the biggest concerns students face if they want to stay here.
And as students, we have plenty to address. Is it not odd that the president’s letter claims tuition increases are necessary to “support our commitment to…financial aid” among other things? It is almost offensive that the College is boasting a huge windfall in donations, while raising tuition and housing another 10 and five percent respectively.
While the answers may not have been what cash-strapped students wanted to hear, The Weekly nevertheless applauds the administration, all of whom present made a valiant effort to answer every part of complex student questions that often covered many concerns.
What we hope most is that this is not a once-only event, that despite the low turnout, administrators continue to make themselves available for important issues like this, and in similar ways. It was remarkable to see so many gathered, ready to answer questions, and truly attempting to address every part of questions.
While we don’t want to chastise already over-stressed students, we feel it is vital that while we are students, we learn to prioritize our concerns. How many of you watched an hour of TV at any point on Wednesday? We wish you had saved that hour for the studying you needed to get done for your midterm, and instead shown up to quiz your administrators on why current students are facing a trend of 30-40 percent in tuition increases over four years at Mills.
