William and Mary has the highest median family income of all public universities in the entire country. “The median family income of a student from William & Mary is $176,400, and 73% come from the top 20 percent. Less than 1% of students at William & Mary came from a poor family but became a rich adult.”
FGLI students are a minority population at William and Mary and have been underserved and underrepresented at the university for a long time. There is no official office for FGLI support and prior to this year there has never been an official paid position for a FGLI advisor, students simply got help from faculty willing to help. FGLI students have expressed facing barriers such as the $40 lockout fee which is both a mental and social burden. For many first-generation students, like Yannie, learning to navigate things like college study tips, office hours/talking to professors, and career development can present a challenge.
Previous and Current Work:
Advocating on the need for an established FGLI advisor position
Advocating to remove the $40 lockout policy and collecting data to prove the fee has caused safety risks as our data showed students are simply locking their doors less
Policy Moving Forward:
Action Items:
Advocate for more Pell Grants and Scholarships
Make the new paid position for the current FGLI advisor permanent through the BOV and elevate student support for this new position. There is current funding, but it is a only test run. FGLI students deserve to have permanent staff dedicated to helping them succeed.
Advocate for the BOV to further expand staff to support FGLI students
Push Residence Life to decrease/remove the $40 lockout fee, or explore subsidization through Senate.
Advertise FGLI-specific events in student body emails as the organization has expressed that they would like to expand their outreach to the broader student community
Work with FGLI to create workshops on desired topics like studying, professor talks, and career development which address challenges unique to FGLI students.
Promote and bring awareness to existing networks for help through student body emails and word of mouth: i.e. Community Love Mutual Aid and the Heart Fund