In October 2018, we launched our signature campaign to abolish Cornell’s Student Contribution, an annual fee exacted on financial aid recipients that imposes an unjust burden on low-income and working-class students. Soon after, we entered into a formal partnership with the First Generation Student Union (FGSU) to take concerted action against our Ivory Tower’s classist financial aid practices. 

On October 20th, we staged an action that mobilized dozens of students to converge on three key administrative offices in Day Hall to deliver a petition signed by 300+ undergrads to scrap the student contribution. 

Using the rallying cry of “Any Person, Any Study—Any Tax Bracket?,” we then hosted a November 15th teach-in on the student contribution. We had a strong showing from key administrative stakeholders in the financial aid process, gaining financial aid admins' ears on this matter. Between November 2018 and February 2019, we staged numerous actions including letter-drops, another teach-in, and a photo campaign to advance our efforts. POC-admin negotiations on the student contribution began in March 2019.

In partnership with FGSU, POC is prepared to exert maximum pressure to make this a winnable campaign. When we fight, we win!