Students Follow Money Trail

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Students at the University of the District of Columbia were furious about the current proposal to increase tuition. Students have been protesting the proposal for two months by holding town hall meetings and creating petitions. Most recently students camped out at the University and have been conducting rallies to demonstrate they have an active voice and will not tolerate an increase in tuition.

William Kellibrew, a senior and leader in the protest said “if you’re going to double increase in tuition, why not double services? He continued, “I suggest you withdraw your proposal and I will be sending you a letter asking you to resign.” His last statement made the students at the meeting applaud and cheer in agreement.

Other students told Sessoms and the board of trustees that the current economic crisis the country is in makes a tuition increase more difficult. Renee Campbell, a senior, said “I am an out-of-state student and I pay for my education out of my own pocket. I also pay for parking that is not always available.” She questioned, “I will not be able to afford school with the tuition increase and would like to know where my money is going.”

Richard Johnson, a sophomore at UDC said “UDC gives people an opportunity. I came from New Jersey and this is my chance; if the price of tuition changes it takes that opportunity away from me.” Johnson is not alone in that statement. His peers share similar views. Shawn McGhee said “they are taking away freedom of enrollment so I am actively marching to show that I have an active voice and to let everyone know UDC is a university of dedication.”

Allen Sessoms, President of UDC proposes to change DC residents tuition from $3,770 to $7,000. Metro area students will pay $8,000 and out-of-state students will pay $14,000. These changes are scheduled to go into effect this fall. Sessoms’ plan to increase tuition was approved by UDC trustees last month. Johnson said “an informational meeting was held last month to let us know about the proposal; the meeting included a presentation of the proposal, a PowerPoint and plans to create a community college.”

At a Board of Trustees meeting Sessoms discussed his proposal and presented a PowerPoint which displayed fall tuition rates for UDC, Americas Flagship Urban Land Grant University, and UDC Community College. The UDC Community College will offer affordable, open admissions focusing on workforce development, technical and academic certifications and academic associate’s degrees that fully correlate to four-year college programs. The tuition rate for the community college is $3,000 a year.

At the meeting Sessoms said “an increase in tuition is normal for every university.” Johnson argued, “while an increase in tuition may be normal everywhere, a double increase is not normal.” Johnson continued “they need to restructure the proposal and include input from alumni, faculty and students.”

At the meeting Sessoms said “financial aid is available for students that demonstrate a need for it.” Students at the meeting agreed that while financial aid may be available not everyone qualifies for financial aid. Sessoms also said “Congress is passing the bill that will provide more money in the Pell Grants.” Others said the bill had not yet been passed by Congress and will not go into effect before the new tuition increase.

Students also argued the tuition increase goes against the school’s mission statement which states “The University of the District of Columbia is an urban land grant institution of higher education with an open admissions policy. It is a comprehensive public institution offering affordable post-secondary education to District of Columbia residents at the certificate, baccalaureate and graduate levels. These programs will prepare students for immediate entry into the workforce, for the next level of education, for specialized employment opportunities and lifelong learning.”

E.D. On Wednesday, February 19, the Board voted 10 to 3 to impose a phase-in tuition increase of $1,600 for the Fall and an additional $1,700 the following year. School officials credited additional funding from the stimulus bill as allowing them to take this measure, as the UDC had anticipated a loss of $24 million in Executive Branch funding, according to a February 16 press release.

Alanna Hultz is an intern at the American Journalism Center, a training program run by Accuracy in Media and Accuracy in Academia.