Among all the issues in this world which we could all dwell upon, one big one is the cost of attending colleges and universities. How can you determine what to change and how to change it? Inefficiencies run deep in these entities and pointing that out can be hard, especially if there is no transparency to see where exactly these inefficiencies are.
Enter the Student Government Association at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The executives of the SGA have been working to provide a better look at how much money is collected and how it is spent. This is a great starting point to tackling the issue of how to make college more affordable. After all, how does anyone expect to effectively make change unless they know what it is they are arguing against? The new system that they have set up shows an itemized list for each student assessed fee, including what was collected on each semester and the different amounts of spending from those funds.
The metaphorical veil has been lifted, and the transparency is becoming more and more apparent. Students who pay their own way or parents who pay their children’s way through school can now see what is happening with money being collected. It gives everyone a little more insight into the crazy bills people receive for their higher education. Have you ever paid more in miscellaneous fees than the tuition itself? Isn’t that absolutely bonkers? Now you can finally take a good gander and see why that is.
What does this mean for Lafayette? This shows that the school is continuing a trend of progress among peers, a trend which has been seen at UL for over 60 years. UL Lafayette is the first public white-only university to admit black students in the deep south back in 1954. Now, with respect to those pioneers, the desegregation of the school was surely not an easy and painless event. That being said, much has changed since 1954, and with a more unified student body in the current day and age we can continue to advocate for effective and meaningful progress.
If the trend of progress continues carrying on the change of the finances at UL, how does that affect the future of our students and our community? Ideally, the actions taking place can lead to a butterfly effect of, at the very least, inspiration or motivation amongst others who desire progress. Imagine if students with little to no capital to make change can in fact make change grew up to be leaders in their communities with actual capital backing and an education? The forefronts of local businesses and politics keep their fighting spirit and continue to make this city (or wherever they end up) a better place for everyone involved.
Change can start small, like a policy change at a school or transparency regarding finances. They can snowball to larger to changes amongst the university system, local and state governments, and more. Granted, most of this sentiment can be considered wishful thinking. But when I was 16, skipping school and travelling the world sounded like a dream; now we have this Greta Thunberg running around doing the same thing under the guise of being an activist. So who knows, right?
Sources:
https://sga.louisiana.edu/node/184
https://louisiana.edu/news-events/news/20040901/50-years-later-desegregation-sli
Bayou Observant 