On Wash U Housing
BY AITAN GROENER
It’s easy to persecute those with little resources.
Many residents of Lee, Beaumont, and Ruby, count among the now infamous eight percent of students who receive government Pell Grants, meaning they come from low income families.
Leading up to early stages of the housing selection process, it became clear that Lee and Beaumont’s sole ‘South 40’ housing preference, Shanedling signaled an end to their presence on the South 40.
With the rising size of freshman classes, it seems highly likely that all those who do not receive housing from within their residential college will be displaced off the South 40 and into Village House or Lopata, the most expensive housing options on campus with costs north of $11,800 per year.
Many Lee and Beaumont residents choose to live in traditional housing specifically in order to lower the exorbitantly high cost of attending Washington University in St. Louis. An forced eleven thousand dollar housing option is a slap in the face of their efforts.
Recently, in response to a slew of condemnations from publications like The New York Times, the University administration has released a plan to increase the number of pell-eligible students by promising a commitment to improved socioeconomic diversity on campus by 2020.
These commitments, while commendable, will have minimal impact if the university fails to acknowledge its contributions to a culture that marginalizes those who cannot afford it.
Washington University, in time-honored tradition, continues to prioritize increased “luxury” utilities for the wealthy in lieu of support to poorer students.
This policy is understandable if the university functions as a business, which operates according to money interests. It makes sense to cater to those who can afford to pay the most. Let the poor fend for themselves.
However, if Washington University wants to be seen as a cultural institution, committed to ethics and the promotion of higher values, then it is entirely hypocritical for it to prey upon its poorer students.