It is no secret that New England College is expensive. $54,440.00 a year expensive. Although many students receive or apply for scholarships and grants, these only cover a portion of the bill. They can take away some of the financial burden, but depending on the student, there can still be tens of thousands of dollars to be covered. This requires many students to seek additional funding to cover the remaining cost, such as student loans.
As a junior at New England College, I am $52,378.00 in debt from student loans, which is the only way that I can afford to attend this institution. I am anticipating being over $100,000.00 in debt once I graduate: 22 years old and completely broke.
I chose to live in Colby Hall as a junior to save money since it’s known to be a lower quality dorm by most of the students on campus, and is also one of the cheapest places to live. A shared room in Colby costs $3,280.00 per semester according to mynec.
Remember, living in Colby was an effort to try to save money.
On September 4th, I got an email from the area coordinator that only added to my financial stress. This email announced that a hole was punched in the wall of Colby Hall, Tower 2, and that residents would be given one week for someone to come forward and take responsibility for the damage. The email ended with an ultimatum:
“…or the entire building will be charged $5.00 for the repair.”
On September 12th, 2019, I got another email announcing that everyone in the building would be charged $5.00. This might not seem like a lot of money, however to many students, including myself, it is an additional financial burden that should not be mine to shoulder. The charge appears on my account as “Dorm Damage Colby.”
When this appears on my account, it insinuates that I inflicted the damage. This forced me to explain to my parents, “Hey, I did not punch a hole in the wall, but I still owe $5.00 to pay for it.” That’s hard to explain.
I am paying to clean up after someone else. If this is a disciplinary tactic, it is an inequitable one. As a student, I feel that the administrative response to the situation was not appropriate.
The message this sends to students is not that actions have consequences.
The administrative response influences the individual who inflicted damage as well as other impressionable undergraduates. The response that “this behavior is not tolerated” does not really matter. Someone else will fix it, someone else will pay for it.
Someone’s fist was the cause, but my money is the effect, right?
$52,378.00 + $5.00 = $52,383.00
