For the past few weeks, AUC students have been protesting against the drastic increase in tuition due to the floating of the Egyptian pound. For those of you who don’t know, the tuition of the American University in Cairo is divided into two halves, half in US dollars and half in Egyptian pounds. This, however, was not always the case. A few years ago, AUC students used to pay only in Egyptian pounds until the administration changed the paying terms to that of which we have today.

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The strike attracted thousands of students and witnessed a couple of movements where Alumnus and parents joined forces in search for the following demands, announced on the Student Union’s official Facebook page.

  1. On the short-run, the university must set a fixed exchange rate for the academic year 2016-2017.
  2. On the long term, the university must propose a re-structured tuition fees system that accommodates the students’ financials and lifts the burdens off their parents.
  3. Outline a clear and full transparency from the university’s side regarding their financials.

The AUC President remained negligent to the students’ demands and insisted that the problem was not that of the American University in Cairo, but of the economic predicament that Egypt was facing. He also insisted on throwing what the students saw as provocative comments among which were his famous words “There is no such thing as free lunch”. The students, however, remained put on their demands, since they found it rather unfair how some of the students’ tuition increased drastically over the past 3 years, from 60,000 EGP per semester in Fall 2013 to an estimated 113,000 EGP per semester in Spring 2017.

All photos credit go to AUC Insider

During the senate faculty meeting, we received news that the President called the students ‘hooligans and drug addicts’. However, after speaking to several students who attended the meeting, we have received news that the President didn’t explicitly say so, but that he touched on it. He mentioned that the strikes are inconvenient to other students who wish to attend classes and learn, and that the protesting students’ attitude could be regarded as a form of bullying. From the President’s point of view, the students who protest bully other students and disturb their education which they are supposedly paying for. The students on strike, however, have assured us that they don’t disturb or hinder the other students who wish to resume their studies and attend their classes by any means, and that no such violations were ever made.

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There has also been news that the AUC President proposed to solve the spike in tuition problem by introducing the student loan system, a solution that was found unacceptable by the students. They argued that it was ridiculous that President Ricciardone would propose such a solution when he comes from a country that is negatively affected by the aforementioned system, and that a solution like his will not work in the crumbling economy of Egypt. They voiced their skepticism towards the student loan system and argued that countries like Germany for example are fighting to eliminate the need for student loans, so it doesn’t make sense for such a burdensome system to be implemented in Egypt with its struggling economy.

Finally, the situation in The American University in Cairo remains unstable. The students and the President are still unable to reach a compromise that would please both parties. A lot of students have found themselves threatened that they might be forced to leave the university in the following semester. The President is promising that he’s doing the best he can to solve the problem and ensure that all the students would remain in the university. However, time is yet to decide how the situation is going to unfold.

AUC Student Union page: https://www.facebook.com/AUC.SU/?fref=ts