One of the things that has been the most frustrating to me is the number of students (and parents helping with students’ tuition costs) who have approached me and asked, “Why didn’t you do anything?” Don’t get me wrong, I am not aggravated that they are coming to me; far from it. What I am frustrated by is the fact that I, and the rest of Student Congress, could do nothing to help them. Let me explain.

I heard rumors that tuition was going to be raised a few months ago. Whispers, here and there, but nothing specific, and nothing from the administration. Not once, in the entire process of deciding to raise tuition, figuring out where the money would go, and working out the specifics, was I or any member of Student Congress consulted. So, then, to students who say to me (and there have been many), “Why didn’t you speak out on students’ behalf about tuition going up?” my answer is simple: I didn’t know about it either. That grieves me, and especially because Oakland has traditionally been extremely supportive of and open to student input. Why this did not happen in the case of the tuition increase remains a mystery.

There is good news, however. As you are aware, the Oakland Center is far too small. Students are lining the hallways at lunchtime, looking for a place to sit. It’s gotten so bad that we’ve run out of floor space, as well as table space. In the tuition increase, there is $40 million allocated to an expansion of the Oakland Center. That is excellent. However, there is no timeline for completion of the OC, which troubles me. The fact that the money has been earmarked is superb; however, action needs to occur. The next step for Student Congress is for me to meet with members of the administration and ensure that they are getting a timeline to you, the student body, so we know exactly when the first brick will be laid and the last ribbon cut on the OC.

There you have it: the tuition increase. To sum it up, we weren’t told it was happening (which is bad). There’s money earmarked for the OC (which is good). There isn’t a timeline for completion of the OC (which is bad). We are working to ensure that the administration gets this timeline (which is the next step).

As always, if you have any questions about this, or would like to discuss further, come see me in my office in the basement of the OC, shoot me an email at [email protected], or text me at 248-818-2875. Enjoy the rest of your summer, and I will see you in the fall!