OP-ED: Instead of Helping FGLI Kids, Penn Should Support MGHI (Many Generations, High Income) Students

In times like these, when our lives change in dramatic ways and decisions have to be made on the fly, it’s easy for marginalized groups to be overlooked. And right now, at Penn, that group is many generations, high-income students.

When school is canceled abruptly and students are forced to return home, it’s important to think about the different ways students will be affected. MGHI students will face a unique set of severe problems that the administration has overlooked. 

First, if students’ parents attended college, they will be all up in the business of their children, asking questions about what they’re learning. In the worst cases, they will share details about their own college experience. For most MGHI students, this distraction will make it impossible to learn.

Second, high-income students face the guilt of having comfortable lives while other people endure hardship. While many students have to deal with their parents losing their job or not being able to afford healthcare, it is much worse to have those things and know that less fortunate people do not.

Therefore, I call on President Gutmann and Provost Pritchett to do what’s best for the community: shift your focus away from FGLI students for a little bit: and help address the issues of the people who need help the most: MGHI students.