We are writing as a group of exasperated students who want to invite our peers to meet next weekend and discuss our shared grievances with regard to recent administrative decisions. The 5.5 percent increase in attendance cost demonstrates a disconnect between the administrative planning process and the realities of student life. 

In particular, we are concerned about the administration’s lack of transparency when it comes to the use of the school’s budget. As students, we have felt deeply this lack of transparency through the tuition increase and an absence of adequate housing.

We recognize that we are in the second phase of the aspirational project “Becoming Lafayette.” However, we have consistently felt a chilling distance between that goal and the actions taken by the administration in pursuit of this vision. We echo the sentiments expressed in the recent faculty open letter: “The process is running backwards.”

Some of us attended the campus strategic planning sessions. While we appreciate the effort, the meetings centered on administrative concerns that do not reflect the identities and values of the student body, such as concerns about housing, inclusion and general campus experience.

In organizing this meeting, we hope to solicit the experiences of our peers and begin a collaborative process to express our concerns to the administration. If you also feel undervalued and unheard, please join us on Sunday, April 16 at 1 p.m. in the Simon Center auditorium (L3).

Ceci Montufar ’23, Lucy Cai ’23, Shirley Liu ’23, Swati Pandey ’23 and Tanushree Sow Mondal ’24 are members of Agitate, Name, and Dismantle, a group dedicated to relaying student concerns to the administration.