Upon entering the halls of the prestigious Baltimore City College, many students set themselves up for a lack of sleep, extensive work, and a lot to pay for. If you don’t know by now from the constant emails; every class that attends Baltimore City College has to pay for dues, despite being a public school. The dues are a package deal for all the events that will occur at City College, covering things like Senior Inaugural, Prom, Homecoming, and Graduation, which are all supposed to be paid quarterly.
An issue which arises with class dues is that Baltimore City College is a public school, where students are able to attend tuition free. Private schools are supported by the tuition that their students must pay, and therefore it doesn’t make sense that our school, a public school, demands that their students who come from all different types of socioeconomic backgrounds must pay to graduate. Correspondingly, City’s administration has said multiple times that those who don’t pay their dues will be unable to attend graduation.
The class dues can be perceived as unfair and inequitable, in the sense that these costs directly impact individuals who come from low-income and working-class families. The money that students are giving to the school could be used for paying bills, putting food on the table, and on college.
Students are expected to pay hundreds for events many do not attend. I personally have not gone to a single event except for The City vs Poly game from my freshmen year, yet am expected to pay for numerous events which I haven’t attended. It’s unfair not only to myself, but to many other students at this school who have to spend money on events they may not plan on attending, or cannot afford due to their financial situation.
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