On Monday, November 6, 2023, a Town Hall was held in the Griswold Theater. Word spread and students were led to believe this was an open event. However, upon arrival, students were told this Town Hall was only for faculty and staff. Students wanted the chance to get the same information the staff was getting. AIC’s Chief Operating Officer, Nicolle Cestero, would not let students in and told them that this event has always been only for staff and that they had to leave. Campus Police were called on the students who were peacefully asking to be let in and communicated with. Campus Police were quickly asked to leave upon their arrival. However, students were alarmed that they were called in the first place. 

This all comes after budget cuts have been happening across the board. Three staff members were let go, including Matt Scott who was the VP of Student Affairs,

and Kerry Cole, who was the VP of Admissions. While students have seen the effects across campus, RSO budgets have also been hurt. Part-time faculty have not had a raise in around fifteen years, while the administration maintains high salaries. 

This summer, full-time faculty were told they would be receiving merit raises at the end of October. Come October, they were informed there would be no merit raises. On November 8, an Instagram post from @aaup_aic shared an email from President Benitez, showing the timeline of these events, saying in their caption: “6/26/23 President announces merit increases are coming for full-time faculty. 9/15/23: HR apologizes for the delay, but assures faculty merit raises are coming, and will be retroactive to July. 10/27/23: President announces there is no money for merit raises. Sorry. Coming soon: a report to our accreditor that our finances and endowment are healthy and strong!” 

With enrollment lower than expected, there was less money in the budget than expected. There are many rumors floating around about things that will have budget cuts and more. People want to know what’s true and what’s not, and specifically, where is our tuition going? Students and staff are feeling the weight of this and want information. 

At the Town Hall, staff had questions and concerns that they wanted to be addressed. The President was given a list of things staff needed him to address. Professor Will Steffen, who is also chair of the Faculty Senate this year, summarized the Town Hall by saying, “I think a lot of my colleagues thought that the President would give the campus community time to speak and to share their concerns about the budget cuts. He spoke for an hour and fifteen minutes about the strategic plan and the restructuring that was underway. In the end, JJ spoke up and demanded that they hire more trainers for the health and safety of the workers and for the students; he quit the next day. Tears were also shed over the firing of Matt Scott.”

Following all of this, students wanted answers and they wanted the same information staff was getting. Some staff support this and want to include students in the conversations. Others disagree and want to keep things separate and leave students out of the conversations.

Students need this information. This is our school, our education, our tuition, and our investment. It is vital that the students are part of these important decisions and conversations.

One anonymous student talked to me about their issues with what is going on. They said, “Where is our money going? If they were just honest about what’s happening–but they’re not. They’re just keeping it to themselves and it’s just weird because at the end of the day, it’s our money. We’re funding the school. We’re the reason they’re getting a salary–and they can’t even tell us the truth!”

Colleges have historically been places of civil demonstrations and movements. This is because as students, we carry the biggest investment and our future is on the line. So it should come as no surprise that the students began to plan peaceful protests to get their voices heard. Only hours after students were left out of the Town Hall, there were signs up around campus calling out AIC for their actions. All signs stated that this was a peaceful protest. Despite this, staff ripped them down. This was seen as further disrespect for the students.

 Through social media, students have been sharing their experiences of ways the school has failed them. These stories all share an insight into the dark side of the AIC experience. On Instagram, the Student Government shared students’ responses to why they would be protesting. 

Here are just some of the issues listed: Underpaid professors leading to underpaid education, facilities that have not been updated or well kept, lack of athletic staff, room and board prices being raised despite living conditions like pests, mold, and flooding. Additionally, the administration receives bonuses while students struggle to keep up with rising prices. Students are being charged a new $500 comprehensive fee, but don’t understand what it pays for; one of the campus’s Title IX coordinators was fired; there is a lack of support for students of color. Campus police are not taking assault cases seriously. Dorms lack RHAs, yet students receive shot-spotter notifications weekly. Breck Hall, Pouch Hall, and Magna Hall are not wheelchair accessible.

I spoke with one student to find out why they were mad and why they came to protest. “I’m mad because my dad literally took money out of a retirement fund to pay for my bill, and our meal plans are being raised, but the meals are still bad. Then there’s not enough campus security in the buildings, and there’s shots fired like everywhere, and they have kids touring here and saying it’s safe when we know it’s not.”

On Thursday, November 16, students gathered at the main quad to protest the problems going on. Students and faculty watched as a group of students held signs and marched around campus chanting for their voices to be heard. The President along with the rest of the administration did not come out and address the students. Near the end of the protest, the President’s secretary was sent out to try and get the students to take down the signs they put up in Adams Hall. However, the students did not take down their signs.

  The student body president Swastik Chuke offered his perspective, saying, “We’re all out here because we’re upset with how the campus has been this year. The safety has been decreased with no dorm checks at night after 6:00 p.m. Rooms have been broken into and people try to report it, but campus police do nothing and we get no result. Now we need to fight back. They take our tuition money for their own Administrative salaries and bonuses and we barely get any of that back towards our professors and our own academics. We don’t have a lot of resources like we did last year. Nobody feels safe on campus anymore. They just don’t want to communicate when we’re just trying to get our voices heard and get changed to occur.”