Students Air Grievances On Devaluation, Tuition Fees

By: Malak Ehab

Photographer: Omar Abozeid

 

A Campus Conversation forum on Sunday has done little to alleviate concerns about skyrocketing tuition fees in the wake of the floatation of the Egyptian pound.

 

Students voiced their frustration with AUC administration and demanded that a fixed long-term solution be found.

 

Some of the short-term solutions implemented by the university include an emergency tuition fund, automatic reconsideration of financial aid applications, approval of new financial aid applications, a one-time 10% tuition reduction for all who pay before February 9, and a one-time payment for employees most affected by the devaluation.

 

Students believe that these measures are insufficient and don’t help to actually solve the problem.

 

“It seems as if they are pitying us,” said Yazeed Ezz Eldin, a senior majoring in Construction Engineering, with reference to the 10% discount.

 

A major issue for all students The Caravan talked to is that this discount is not applied to the students who pay in installments.

 

“Many people can’t afford to pay this amount in one shot, either with or without the 10%, it’s still a lot of money,” said Ezz Eldin.

 

During the campus conversation, on the subject of tuition fees, students seemed very angry and baffled by what they say is the university’s inability to provide long-term solutions.

 

According to President Ahmed Dallal during the campus conversation, long-term solutions are being considered but none of them can be implemented during a budget cycle.

 

“It’s not an ideal situation for everyone, but we are doing our best and in our capacity to mobilize the resources that we can,” said Dallal.

 

Provost Ehab Abdelrahman stressed that some long-term solutions suggested by the students might end up harming the university.

 

“If we opened the window for students to pay at the end of the semester, that will result in uncertainty for us, how much are we committing, for the emergency fund,” said Abdelrahman about the limited time for the discount.

 

He explained that the fixed dollar rate, suggested by the student body, cannot be implemented because the university has rising costs that it needs to pay in dollars, which is why it cannot afford to lose revenue.

 

Many of the students called on greater transparency to see what their tuition fees are being used for. Abdelrahman emphasized that all the money is being used to ensure quality education, maintenance of current facilities, and salaries of instructors.

 

“What can be the short-term solution, what can be the long-term solution? I’m sure that this is gonna be on every meeting agenda that we need to discuss the future of this university and also the budget talk next academic year,” he added.

 

Mariam Ahmed, a graduating senior majoring in Communication Media Arts, was not convinced by this response.

 

“They keep saying that our money is being used for a better quality of education and more facilities, yet I see that in comparison to three years ago, education is deteriorating. Banner is terrible, so the question is where our money goes,“ said Ahmed.