With tuition hikes on the horizon, some students have floated the grossly misguided idea that UNC should tap into its endowment to subsidize financial aid.
Of course, there’s virtually no chance those in charge of the endowment would ever act on these suggestions.
Nevertheless, if there are students who are (presumably) serious about the proposal, it’s worth stating the obvious: It’s a terrible idea.
Dipping into the principal of the endowment (instead of using the interest earned from investing it) is totally unsustainable and would work to the long-term detriment of both UNC and its future students.
This is not to say that there aren’t things about the way our endowment is managed that should be reformed.
But students’ efforts should be focused on feasible, well-thought-out improvements like increasing transparency and divesting from coal and other industries whose practices are out of line with the University’s values.
