When I was a young girl, I remember being taught that "knowledge is power" and that those who do well in school will go far in life. These days, a very different phrase resonates through the halls of academia.
One may not really hear it; he or she may have to put his or her ears up against the brick walls, yet it's there. The new phrase, gently echoing against the cool tiles and walls is "money is power."
These days, it seems I can't turn anywhere without being smacked in face with that phrase.
Entering my second year of college, I find myself worried over my wallet's diet and my bank account's bulimia.
I shell out hundreds upon hundreds of dollars for my education, and yet I know that once I leave this institution, it will be years before my bank account reaches a healthy weight.
Yet I continue to pay more and add hours to my job for my seemingly invaluable education.
One thing I've noticed in the past two years is that the actual concept of what the general student is learning at the university has become the background to the college life.
When you walk through the university, you do not hear talk about how much one is learning in the classroom. Instead, you hear about how much one is paying for that class.
Unfortunately, this has come about due to the annual tuition hikes.
Every year, students feel their stomachs drop after they notice the decrease in Bright Futures and how much higher their tuition is climbing.
Yet what they do not notice is a change in their university's environment.
The buildings seem the same, the classes are just as hard, and the books are just as heavy.
Tuition hikes affect all social spheres of the university, yet they especially target students from working-class backgrounds and minorities.
Students who go vacationing on their yachts over summer will barely bat an eyelash at the hundred-dollar increase while the students who worked two jobs over the summer break out in a cold sweat.
In the future, we may see a decrease of diversity as the tuition goes up.
Scholarships may even disappear.
The beautiful mosaic of personalities that made up our campus may become monochromatic and lose that special shine that it once boasted. Our campus will be made up of one demographic.
In the end, they will be the ones with the power.
Education should never be considered a privilege. Education is a right that should be promised to every single man and woman in this country, despite their socio-economic background.
Yet the direction we're headed is a dangerous and bland one.
The end of this road will result in a purely stratified society - a society where the wealthy and privileged own the inalienable rights of all human beings.
This brings me back to what I said in the beginning: "Money is power."
We need to stand up for the right to education for every single demographic in this country.
We should not shy away from the ones with "tangible" power.
The majority is the one with the power. We now have the responsibility to win our rights back, and that truly begins with winning back an affordable education.
Michela Martinazzi is an art history sophomore at UF.
