Junior Johnna Yu opened her phone to her notes app filled with a bulleted list of all of her expenses for French Club. From costumes, to sweatshirts, studios, and social events, she estimated the overall cost was around $300. It’s no question that extracurriculars also come with extra costs, and Yu has certainly recognized this.“I understand that it’s a privilege to be able to participate in I-Days because it does come with such a significant cost,” she said.
While a lot of the time costs are inevitable, these extra fees can exclude students. Yu said that while there are a lot of free clubs and activities to participate in at Lane, I-Days is a large part of the social setting, and she believes that costs can be a barrier for some students.
Junior Lilly Lewis shared the costs of being involved in Irish Club. She said she has paid around $45 for costumes, $10 for studio time each Sunday, with added costs for social events. Lewis said that clubs can get really expensive, “which is really unfair to those who are from lower income backgrounds and can’t afford to have the same activities and opportunities as I do.” But, I-Days are really only the beginning. Students also mentioned AP tests, ACT test prep, extracurriculars, and sports all as factors of the fee problem.
Lewis said she used multiple companies for ACT test prep and is currently using C2 tutoring. On average, a tutoring session at C2 costs around $75-$100 an hour. “Students that can’t afford test prep are definitely disadvantaged when taking the ACT,” Lewis said after acknowledging the benefits of test prep. Yu agreed saying, “Private test prep really puts you ahead of other people.”
Lane Tech is trying to bridge these gaps. Yu explained that Lane provides an ACT test prep course for only $30. “I know that you can get the fee waived for that too,” she said. Yu participated in the Lane ACT prep but said, “ I definitely don’t think it’s up to the standard of private test prep.”
Participation in sports also contributes to fees coming directly out of students’ pockets. Lewis has participated in track since her freshman year. “Some of the expenses include our track uniform, spikes, extra gear, and a sports fee that goes with that,” Lewis said.
Yu, who participated in lacrosse, said that team members had to pay an athletic fee and booster club fee upon arrival. “Then obviously equipment isn’t covered, and a lot of the games are pretty far away, and you have to pay a bus fee,” Yu said.
Junior Nicholas Zgonena, a varsity rower, claims that cost is a major barrier to people participating in his sport.“There’s a reason that it’s very niche and that’s because it’s an expensive sport,” Zgonena said.
Zgonena goes on to say that through all the expenses and long practice hours what really motivates him is, “being a part of something bigger than just myself.”
This sentiment was similar to something Yu touched on. “Lane is such a big school and it encompasses so many people’s interests, and I think that part of the experience is meeting new people,” Yu said. “What mainly motivates me to stay involved is just experiencing new things, like taking advantage of everything that Lane has to offer as a school.”
