Washington University for Undergraduate Socioeconomic Diversity disrupted the University Tuition Forum to advocate for need blind admissions, Jan. 22.

Photo by Curran Neenan

The forum, held in Tisch Commons, is hosted annually to allow students to ask University administrators questions about how undergraduate tuition money is allocated.

At the end of the forum’s question and answer portion, senior Rachel Hellman, WU/FUSED member, asked the panelists if the University has a plan in place to become a need-blind institution.

After listening to Hellman’s question, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori White responded by emphasizing the University’s commitment to becoming a need-blind institution but failed to provide a specific date.

“I can’t say that there’s a specific timeline, what I can say is that Chancellor Martin has said that this is one of his highest priorities and I know he is out there talking with folks about continuing to invest in Washington University, continuing to help us raise money for the endowment so that we can move toward need-blind admissions,” White said.

After White’s response, Hellman began to read an excerpt from the organization’s need-blind report that compiled research on need-blind admissions at peer institutions and gathered student testimonials. The members presented the report, which recommended that the University go need-blind, to Martin in a meeting, Nov. 22. One by one, different WU/FUSED members, scattered across the commons, read out excerpts from the report before the group began to chant with posters, exiting the Danforth University Center.

WU/FUSED leaders planned the protest in such a way that it would be disruptive while still respecting the other students in attendance.

“We did our best to let the actual presentation take its course and let anybody else ask any questions that they had,” WU/FUSED member senior Zach Leonard said. “But our central question that we came to the event with was: ‘What date can we expect Wash. U. to go need blind?’ And they didn’t have a date to offer.”

Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Rob Wild, who was a panelist at the forum, said that he has worked with the organization in the past and supports their efforts.

“I think they have always done a great job of bringing up the important issues facing students from a socioeconomic diversity issue…The request to go need-blind is a big issue for students,” Wild said.

“I’m always proud of students when they have a strong belief and they find ways to constructively share their beliefs and state their opinions,” Vice Provost of Admissions & Financial Aid Ronne Patrick Turner said. “They’re very passionate about need-blind and as someone who is in the enrollment world, I 100% support them and I 100% support Chancellor Martin in his goal to get us there as soon as he can.”

Going forward, WU/FUSED plans to keep pressuring the administration for a concrete commitment.

“We are going to definitely be consistent in our efforts to push for a need-blind institution,” WU/FUSED member senior Amaia Cook said. “Based on the administration’s response to our disruption, we hope that we can work with them in the future to establish a need-blind commitment date. So hopefully [another] protest won’t have to happen.”