Social Justice: Reflection On The Relationship Between Students And Graduate Students

Social Justice Reflection #2 As I think more deeply about the student populations I serve as part of my fellowship, one of the things I have started to wonder more about is how student affinity groups may share different characteristics from the general student body. While I have been quick to assume that the general student body at Merrimack tends to come from more affluent backgrounds, I am starting to find that the same idea cannot be applied to commuter students and graduate students in the same way. For instance, as I think about my experience with commuters, I am beginning to wonder how many have decided to commute because of the financial implications that come with living on-campus. As much as institutions like Merrimack stress …show more content…
As a result, many students in these programs appear to be more likely than the general student population to consider the financial implications of attending a school like Merrimack. Additionally, many graduate students may be deciding to further pursue their education even though they are in a significant amount of debt from their undergraduate experience. As a result, it would seem that graduate students are more conscious of how they are spending their money compared to the general student body. When thinking about how to better meet the financial needs of our graduate students, it will be important to do more outreach to understand how these students have been managing to support themselves. In addition, the college should also consider better promoting on-campus jobs to graduate students or perhaps even providing small stipends to graduate students who are willing to oversee different academic clubs and organizations that relate to either their undergraduate or graduate