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RE: “UMaine Housing penalties oppress impoverished students”
Unfortunately, the gouging of the student wallet is not limited exclusively to housing. The entire collegiate experience is disproportionately overpriced. We’re operating in a system in desperate need of some serious remodeling. We live in a reactive rather than proactive society, however, so don’t expect any significant change to take place without an equally significant event to motivate said change.
Until the university once again values education over profit margins, we students can expect to continue to suffer the anxiety of financial insecurity. I find many of the policies currently in operation to be quite alarming. While it is reasonable to expect students to begin the transition to adulthood and all the responsibilities contained therein, it is highly irrational to expect us to be able to handle a full course load along with having to fight just to stay informed of the rather ambiguous state of our own finances.
The university needs to go beyond its current underwhelming efforts to keep students in the loop concerning our money. Relatively simple adjustments can be made in lieu of a total system overhaul. First, more workshops should be offered explaining the nuances of MaineStreet, the loan and scholarship process, changes to and explanations of tuition and semester charges. Next, there should be readily available and current statistics – which don’t necessitate an accounting major to understand – of where exactly our monetary investments are being spent. Finally, the student body should have greater control over university capital.
If this is a business, we students are the consumers; our initial buy-in was spurred by a sales pitch, but we’re quite free to take our cash elsewhere if dissatisfied. Those in charge would do well to remember this.
— Freshman Female
