VCU tuition increase in response to decline in student fudning VCU could increase tuition for the 17th year in a row

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VCU School of Arts adjuncts have been fighting for equitable pay since the fall of 2017. They delivered a petition to the Board of Visitors in December, with more than 1,300 signatures requesting the university look at all forms of allocation outside of raising student tuition to achieve livable wage for adjuncts.

“They continue to link a hike in tuition to pay adjuncts a livable wage yet we continue to have building acquisitions, we continue to have one of the second highest paid state employee work for VCU, which is President Rao,” said Tom Burkett, an adjunct in VCU arts. “Yet we can’t come up with money to pay living wages to contingent faculty.

Despite being addressed in the budget announcement, adjuncts are still in fear the raise won’t be guaranteed and the university will continue to ignore their concerns about being paid less than half the national average, without benefits.

And although the budget proposes an increase in undergraduate and graduate financial aid as well as additional funding to academic needs, such as advising, students have complaints about lacks of communication with the tuition increases and the university community.

Former VCU student Brenna Singer had to leave the university because of the increase.

“I am not a current student because of the annual increase in tuition,” Singer posted on Facebook.

“I missed out on attending my dream school in my dream program because it was far too expensive. If I were still attending VCU I would be a 2019 Sculpture graduate in the School of the Arts.”

VCU spokesperson Michael