WU for Undergraduate Socio-Economic Diversity (WU/FUSED) and the Social Justice Center (SJC) hosted an event titled “Money Talks” to highlight socioeconomic issues on campus.

Throughout the week WU/FUSED tabled in the Danforth University Center inviting students to share their personal stories and opinions regarding economic diversity at Washington University on 5×7 notecards.

The notecards including information ranging from anecdotes of personal financial struggles to accounts of the embarrassment experienced by both wealthy and not-wealthy students, and were subsequently displayed in College Hall during the event.

Junior and member of WU/FUSED Dylan Bassett said that students were specifically asked to explain how they perceive socioeconomic culture at the school.

“We had people writing about socioeconomic background. What they perceive Washington University to be like compared to their hometown, what they perceive their situation to be like compared to their friends,” Bassett said.

Bassett said that keeping the cards anonymous encouraged people to share things that others might not expect. Many highlighted the difficulties of being a student on financial aid, while others addressed the stigma associated with wealth in a world with a growing wage gap.

“Every night, after getting into Wash. U., I would pray that I got a large enough scholarship—because if I couldn’t afford Wash U, then I wouldn’t be going to college,” one card read.

“I am in the 1 percent and quite frankly there’s a real stigma about it that makes me feel uncomfortable and embarrassed,” another read.

In addition to the cards, WU/FUSED screened a student-made documentary.

The documentary was produced by a member of WU/FUSED and included a series of interviews with Washington University students to discuss their various socioeconomic backgrounds.

According to junior and WU/FUSED member Nina Stoller, the event aimed to not only raise awareness among students but to hold the administration accountable for bringing in more lower-income students along creating a more inclusive environment for students already on campus.

“Our administration agreed to go from 8 percent to 13 percent Pell grant[-eligible] students. It’s important to increase the number of low-income students but it’s also more important to support them once they get here,” Stoller said.