The single most pressing issue at Georgetown is the exorbitant cost of tuition. It is a problem that impacts all students. We, John Matthews (COL ’18) and Nick Matz (COL ’18), want to put money back in students’ pockets.
This is the driving force behind our platform and what distinguishes us from every other ticket. By keeping cost in mind when approaching all issues, we have formulated a set of realistic policy goals that are pragmatic and attainable.
While others claim to be for college affordability, they do not realize that increasing the number of administrators or adding money to the budget of the Georgetown University Student Association, an organization that spent $400 on ice cream sandwiches during a referendum last semester, is counter to decreasing students’ costs.
We have real goals. Eliminate the mandatory Yates Field House fee. Cut Student Neighborhood Assistance Program funding. Have professors fill out a form assuring that there are no less expensive alternatives than the textbooks assigned.
The status quo of GUSA has been to promise expansive changes across the board. One of the other tickets running has over 100 bullet points on its platform; how many of these are really feasible? Our ticket is about focus, which is why our platform is based on a concise 10 points to lower tuition.
The status quo of GUSA has seen tuition increase by more than 4 percent per year since the Class of 2017 arrived at Georgetown, and the university plans on continuing this past the graduation of the Class of 2020.
The status quo of GUSA has failed to represent the student body in its most important battles — allowing tuition to increase while forcing students to live on campus for three years to further subsidize the bloated university budget.
It is time to end the status quo and elect two students who understand the qualms of those outside the GUSA bubble. Our campaign slogan is “Real recognize real,” which is exactly the truth: Real Georgetown students recognize real Georgetown issues.
Simply put, this election is a referendum on tuition. Other campaigns call for adding great features across the university, but these features come at a cost. Like it or not, Georgetown is a business where revenues must equal or exceed costs. By adding services, departments, administrators and additional GUSA funding, other platforms call for increased costs.
As much as our opponents call for lowering tuition, the fact of the matter is that tuition is the most easily changeable source of revenue at Georgetown. Adding costs without pragmatic solutions to cut other costs is the exact same as asking for a raise in tuition. Say no to raising tuition. Say yes to Matthews-Matz.
John Matthews is a junior in the College running for the Georgetown University Student Association presidency. Nick Matz, a junior in the College, is his running mate.
