The Undergraduate Senate unanimously passed a bill on Feb. 8 to advocate for a 2.7 percent increase in tuition and to join the Education Not Debt coalition.
Although the Senate will join the Education Not Debt coalition, Student Government will not adopt the coalition’s request for a full tuition freeze.
END is a group of on campus organizations that opposes student debt and any type of tuition increases, according to the coalition’s website.
SG maintains its position, which was voted on at the Nov. 16 Senate meeting, of a 2.7 percent tuition increase, according to freshman Senator Shannon McDermott.
McDermott wrote the bill establishing SG as a member of the coalition.
“SG is advocating for a 2.7 percent increase because we believe that is the lowest feasible tuition raise we can advocate for,” McDermott said.
The University is not likely to agree to a tuition freeze in the near future, because of the rise of minimum wage and other costs that the University must meet, according to SG President Sophia Wirth.
Wirth also said she believes that the END coalition and SG have more authority with the University as a unified front, despite the fact that the coalition wants a freeze and SG will advocate for the slight raise.
“To me, I think that even though we don’t have the same asks, doesn’t mean we can’t have the same goals,” Wirth said.
SG has also voted to align with other campus organizations that support END, including the, AU Student Worker Alliance, AU Democrats and AU Eco-Sense among others.
“We, as members of the American University community, believe that an education at our institution should be accessible to all students who meet the criteria for admission,” according to END Coalition’s website.
The University will make the decision on tuition increase for the next year on March 6.
“They know we're going in with 2.7 percent and we know they want a tuition freeze, but overall we both agree that the lowest possible tuition raise is the goal,” McDermott said.
