Last Thursday, the Board of Trustees passed a bill to increase tuition by 2.2 percent for Oregon State resident undergraduate students and a 4 percent increase for non-resident graduate students.

The board voted 12-1. Shockingly, the only person to not vote for the increase was Mark Baldwin and not student representative Brett Morgan. In his defense, Morgan states that the fees will be utilized to create an Office of Institutional Diversity, which would work to create a more socially just campus.

This logic is counter-intuitive because raising tuition disproportionately affects people of color, like myself, who are already at a disadvantage.

Morgan also fails to mention that, according to Dr. Bunsis’ independent analysis of OSU’s budget, Oregon State subsidizes 19.4 percent of its athletics through student fees and tuition, which is the highest percentage in the Pac 12 conference.

Moreover, Morgan sort of pats himself on the back by saying he “missed class, given up social obligations, and foregone endless amounts of sleep” trying to fight for student issues. Again, he fails to realize that students will now have to pick up a second or third job and most likely experience the same sacrifices as Morgan.

In my first two years of college, I worked 2 jobs and attempted to pay my way through school. I soon realized that was impossible if I wanted to maintain my mental health.

The stress of working and sustaining a decent grade point average embedded a lot of stress on my body. This led me to quit one job and take out a student loan. The loan feels like a burdensome anchor that I drag to class everyday, and it just got heavier with last Thursday’s vote.

Azeem Hussaini

OSU Student, Biohealth Sciences

Allied Students of Another Politics (ASAP)