AUSA Town Hall Tackles Tuition, Meal Plans and DEI

The Andrews University Student Association (AUSA) hosted its biannual Town Hall on the evening of Nov. 12 in Buller Hall’s Newbold Auditorium, where administrators addressed student questions on topics regarding student life, safety, academics and more. The panel was composed of Assistant Vice President for Campus Safety Ben Panigot, Assistant Vice President of Finance Valencia Mawuntu, University President John Wesley Taylor V, Assistant to the President for Mission and Culture Willie Hucks, and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Amy Rosenthal. AUSA Vice President of the Interior, Audrey Lim, and AUSA President, Alyssa Caruthers, served as moderators and read pre-submitted questions and live question submissions from students that were given during the program. Below is every topic that was asked about by students and the answers administrators provided. 

Graduation Venues

The first question asked about the venue of graduation, which had changed from Pioneer Memorial Church (PMC) and the Howard Performing Arts Center (HPAC) to the Andreasen Center for Wellness (ACW) for the first time for the May and August 2025 graduations. When the change was officially announced on Feb. 26, 2025, many of the graduating seniors shared their frustrations, some being confused as to why PMC was deemed to be no longer an appropriate option, and others feeling disrespected by having to hold the ceremony in a gymnasium rather than a grander location. 

The graduation committee, chaired by Rosemary McKenzie, deemed the move necessary to enable more graduates to have more guests attend the ceremonies. According to McKenzie, the ACW holds 1,269 seats, 269 more than PMC and 549 more than the HPAC. In his response, Taylor highlighted the desire for extra seating and asserted that the switch in venues was a successful one. Taylor cited survey data taken after the graduation ceremonies, which indicated that 85% of surveyed attendees were very happy with the programs. He did not publicly display the survey details for attendees. 

“The recurring theme in the comments was that they [survey respondents] appreciated the fact that they were able to have family members come and be there and be assured a seat,” said Taylor. He also mentioned that they received good suggestions on how to improve future graduation ceremony experiences from the survey, which, according to Taylor, will be taken into account by the graduation committee. 

Enrollment and Academics

In response to a question pertaining to a reported increase in university enrollment, Taylor confirmed that the campus has seen growth in its student population. He shared that there has been a 13% increase in first-time college students since last year, making it the largest increase in the past several years. Taylor credited this to the enrollment recruitment team and students, current and past, sharing positive testimonies of their Andrews experiences. Undergraduate retention rates have not seen as significant an increase, according to data released by the university earlier in the day. First-time-in-any-college students have an 85.1% retention rate this school year, about a 2% increase from the 2024-25 school year. The retention rate of transfer students is down 2.3% from last school year, now sitting at 71.6%. 

Rosenthal addressed questions about the reduction of Andrews' programs and courses, stating that the university administrators still strive to carry a sufficient number of academic programs that are “optimal” to the size of Andrews. “One of the things that we’ve been doing, and really this is a constant process, is looking at our programs, looking at enrollment and historical performance of those programs, and making decisions about [if] we need this program the way it’s currently configured,” she said. “There are often so many different ways to get to a career goal, …so this allows us to sometimes shrink the number of programs.” 

Another question asked about Dean’s List announcements for the last school year, which took nearly a year to be posted, according to the anonymous student who submitted the question. Many other universities' wait time is typically a few weeks to a month after a semester. Rosenthal shared that the academic deans do not actually put together the list, and that it is the responsibility of the Office of Academic Records. She promised to follow up on the issue to hopefully find ways to improve the time to post the Dean’s List. 

Safety and Infrastructure Improvements

A question was asked about various street and sidewalk lamps that have not been working for much of the semester, and if this was being addressed. Panigot shared that it was, stating that $90,000 has been invested in campus lighting over the past fiscal year. Panigot requested that students contact Campus Safety with any information about malfunctioning outdoor lighting. He also informed students that Campus Safety offers campus escorts from one section of campus to another if any student ever feels unsafe at night. A student can call Campus Safety’s number (269-471-3321) and inform the officer of where they are and where they are going. 

Panigot also addressed a question about renovations of Lamson Hall and other campus buildings. He shared that Maranatha Volunteers International will be continuing its work on updating Lamson Hall suites this coming summer. He also mentioned that improvements to Meier Hall are being discussed and planned, namely, the enhancement of the building’s air quality and filtered water. Taylor also asked students to give any suggestions that they have for dorm improvements to Matthew Fitting, the dean for Undergraduate Residence Life, or in the end-of-year surveys. 

Questions were also asked about data published in Andrews’ Clery Report, namely a statistic that showed a sharp jump in the amount of burglaries, from single digits to 14 this year. Panigot applauded the students who read the report and clarified that the jump in burglaries is largely due to a single child who had broken into storage rooms to steal candy bars several times. Panigot assured students that Campus Safety addresses all complaints and calls seriously and does not “wait for repeated calls” before responding. 

Another question addressed the campus’s front gate arm, which has been uncharacteristically raised for nearly the entire semester instead of being down after 11 p.m. Panigot shared that this was due to a technical error that rendered the gate “inoperable.” He said that the system has been getting updated to fix the issue, and the gate should be back in operation after Nov. 18. 

Bon Appétit’s Pricing, Staffing and Service

Mawuntu addressed questions regarding Dining Services and its supplier, Bon Appétit. One question mentioned the reported mistreatment some student workers had received from Dining Services, to which Mawuntu shared that the University and Bon Appétit have had conversations and assured Andrews administrators that Bon Appétit is “committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment” for all of its workers. She also listed some ways that Dining Services workers can communicate any concerns they have about their coworkers or supervisors with Bon Appétit’s human resources and regional managers. 

Mawuntu also addressed questions on the Gazebo’s slow service times and recent price gouging. She revealed that Andrews’ Information Technology Services (ITS) met with Bon Appétit in October to find different ways to improve service and wait times at the Gazebo. Some of the tools Mawuntu said were being considered and tested were “bingo screens,” where students can see their orders and progress on Gazebo televisions, and “ticket chips” so that receipts will not be as easily lost. 

A student's question about Gazebo prices gave the example of a protein bar, which costs about $2 at a typical grocery store, costing more than $6 at the Gazebo. While Mawuntu said she understood the possible frustrations, she asserted that students were “paying for the convenience” of having such products available on campus. She also said that while the prices will be reviewed by Andrews administrators, there are “no promises on reducing it a lot.” 

When prompted by a later live question submission as to why charging three times market rate was necessary, Taylor said that Dining Services is designed to break even, not turn a profit, and that since Dining Services had come up a little short of breaking even in the past, such Gazebo prices may be necessary for operational expenses. 

Mawuntu also addressed a question about re-establishing an order-ahead or delivery Gazebo system, an option that was available to students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Another question asked about the monopoly that Bon Appétit has on all food services on campus. Mawuntu said that because of the contract agreement that the University has with Bon Appétit, all clubs and school entities must abide by the guidelines, including not serving most hot dishes and no food trucks being allowed to sell on campus outside of Bon Appétit’s own Andy’s Eats food trailer. 

Taylor said that clubs can request Andy’s Eats for their events, now with the possibility of having an expanded menu. When a follow-up question from a student was given as to why Student Involvement, Leadership & Activities (SILA) is allowed to have outside entities and food trucks at their events. Darius Bridges, AUSA’s sponsor and the assistant dean of SILA, spoke up from the audience, explaining that the “Cardnival” event on Sept. 7 was the only exception to the rule, since Bon Appétit allows for one event a year to have outside food. Bridges mentioned that in the past that one event was Change Day, and in its absence, the Cardnival was able to substitute. 

Inflation and Rising Tuition

Inflation was mentioned by Mawuntu several times during the Town Hall, as she responded to questions about why tuition prices rose due to inflation, but scholarships have not increased at a comparable rate. Mawuntu shared that U.S. inflation has been at an average of about 3% in 2025, but the university has seen increases in its insurance expenses by about “10% to 20%” in recent years, and has experienced increases in other expenses, necessitating that overall tuition costs increase. Mawuntu claimed that while scholarships have not risen “dollar to dollar” in accordance with inflation, it has risen moderately. 

Taylor also mentioned the work of the Development Office to encourage alumni to donate to university causes through various events, including the recent Giving Tuesday initiative, which received “widespread participation,” according to Taylor, which can help mitigate further tuition increases. Additionally, he said that the Office of Development is working on establishing endowments that can provide stable scholarships for students on top of Andrews Partnership Scholarships. 

Diversity and Inclusion

Panigot and Taylor shared information on how the University has planned to deal with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, should they seek to come on campus, directing all personnel to Campus Safety and not letting students be immediately approached by any officers. Both also offered advice to students on how to deal with any possible confrontations off campus. Panigot urged students to be as calm as possible, stating that “cooler heads prevail” in such situations. Taylor added that international students should not carry around any important visa or identity-related documents with them on campus because of the risk of losing them. Instead, he suggested that students make copies of any information that they can have wherever they go. 

Hucks admitted that politically, “2025 has been challenging,” but affirmed that Andrews leaders have been up to the task of responding to issues that may and have come with the politicization of diversity and inclusion practices. He also credited the Center for Faith Engagement, Student Life, Counseling & Testing Center and International Student Services for continuing to provide meaningful resources and spaces for keeping matters of culture and diversity a priority for the campus community. 

Hucks also addressed his impending departure from the university to work as the director of the Ministerial Association of the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists. “This university is committed to diversity… I don’t ever see that changing,” he affirmed. Taylor added, “We are very proud that the North American Division has chosen our very own to carry forward this really key role,” and went on to state that the university will continue to handle matters of diversity with a “Biblical foundation.”

In response to a question about a project done by the pre-physical therapy program to evaluate the accessibility issues that many campus buildings have, Hucks spoke about a school-wide audit being conducted by the School of Architecture and Interior Design, which will inform plans to make the campus more physically accessible. Panigot also mentioned that an accessibility map is being developed so people can clearly identify the best routes for those with various accessibility challenges. When Caruthers asked for an estimated timeline for this to be completed, Panigot did not provide specifics and said that “it will be a long process.”

Co-Curricular Requirements

The topic of co-curricular and chapel requirements is one that has often come up in past Town Halls, and Taylor was prepared to address a question asking for the penalty amount for missing co-curriculars to be reduced or for the total requirement to be reduced. Taylor read from a statement prepared by Frances Faehner, vice president for Campus and Student Life, who was not able to attend the Town Hall. In the statement, Faehner mentions that while Student Life continues to evaluate the co-curricular system, the current requirement of six residence hall credits out of an estimated 50 programs in a semester and 30 total credits, with hundreds of other opportunities available for general credit, is not considered a large requirement. 

Faehner’s statement asserted that students should not have any class conflicts that prevent them from attending enough co-curriculars, and that any questions or suggestions should be directed to Fitting, Assistant Dean for Student Development Ethan Jasper or Assistant Dean for Co-curricular Education Patricia Fitting. Faehner defended the necessity of co-curricular programming while teasing a new program that is in development. 

“We have been thinking about a way in which we can integrate the co-curricular deeper into the footprint of our overall curriculum at Andrews,” Taylor read from Faehner. “Perhaps soon, we can share with you more about the proposal that we call the ‘Andrews 360 Pathway,’ that may involve a certificate or minor that is grounded in this pervasive, integrative view of life.”