Occupy Movement Inspires Mason Students to Speak Out

Students discussed concerns about tuition debt and the search for George Mason University's new president Wednesday afternoon in a gathering inspired by the movement. 

The open forum to discuss social, economic, and political issues in relation to attracted about fifty students, and a few faculty members. They got together at the Fairfax campus' George Mason statue to begin an open conversation about their grievances with the university.

“I’ve lived in Virginia for the past four years, and I’m not eligible for in-state tuition,” said Daniel Stock, a senior at Mason. He did not explain why.

Students must live in Virginia for 12 months prior to the start of the semester in which they wish to qualify for in-state tuition. In-state tuition can be denied to students who moved to Virginia primarily to attend the university, according to the Mason website.

Full-time undergraduate, out-of-state students currently pay over $25,500 a year, while in-state students pay just over $9,000.

This fall Mason’s in-state tuition increased by 5.7 percent (out-of-state increased by 5 percent).

Adam Proctor spoke to this issue. “The supposed pay-off is that when you graduate, you’ll get a job, said Adam Proctor, who is studying for a Masters in Mason's political economy program.”

The graduating class of 2012 will be facing a nationwide 9.1 percent unemployment rate and a 6.5 percent unemployment rate in Virginia.

“I consistently hear students being talked about as dollars,” said a professor in the School of Arts department. “They instruct us to keep our students enrolled in our class past the drop date, so that if the student drops the class, they will be financially penalized.” 

This statement received a strong reaction from the crowd, many surprised to imagine that their university ultimately views their enrollment as an investment.

The crowd also talked about the university's search for a president to replace Alan Merten, at the end of this school year.

“Some of our concerns include the student debt crisis and the selection process for the next president of the university,” said Ce Garrison, a senior and a conflict analysis and resolution major at Mason. “There is only one student on the presidential search committee. That’s an issue.”

That one student representative is the president of Mason's student government, Allyson Bowers.

“I think it’s great that students are voicing their opinions and concerns,” Bowers said. While addressing the crowd, she announced that student government will be holding an event called, “Knowledge is Power.” This event will encourage the student body to use Mason’s student government as a liaison between the students and the university. 

At the close of the forum, a general assembly organizer announced that Occupy D.C. will take place on November 23, and encouraged students to attend the protest and to visit the general assembly’s website to learn more about future events. 

“There has been a lot of excitement about the Occupy Wall Street movement, and we wanted to create a place where the Mason community can talk about their issues,” said Anartia Gamboa, a senior, global affairs major at Mason. Gamboa is one of the students who helped coordinate the Mason discussion. She clarified, “We are not using the same model as the Occupy movement, but the forum is in the same spirit.” 

The GMU general assembly website clarifies that this event and the group is not synonymous with the Occupy Wall Street movement, however, their call for change is clearly similar.