Georgetown Students Vote In Favor of $27 Fee for Slavery Reparations
Style Magazine Newswire | 4/19/2019, 2:16 p.m.
Georgetown University could become the first college in the nation to mandate a fee to benefit descendants of slaves sold by the university nearly 200 years ago -- a debate that takes place against the backdrop of a broader political conversation unfolding on the 2020 presidential campaign trail about reparations. By almost a 2-to-1 margin, students approved the measure, which still must be approved by the university to go into effect. The school's undergraduates voted on the referendum, which would increase tuition by $27.20 per semester to create a fund benefiting descendants of the 272 slaves sold to pay off the Georgetown Jesuits' debt -- a move that saved the university financially. Todd Olson, vice president for student affairs at Georgetown University, in a statement issued after the vote, lauded the students' efforts saying, " university values the engagement of our students and appreciates that 3,845 students made their voices heard in yesterday’s election.
