Two years ago, I was at the brand-new residence life pool with a friend. Everything looked perfect, but something felt off.

Both of us were from middle-class families, we had never had a pool or fountains steps from our residence and likely would never have them again. Living at Chapman sometimes felt like living in a TV show – glamorous and exciting, but false. That was when my friend rolled on her side, looked at the manicured lawn, and said, “Do you ever feel like we don’t belong here?”

The question has been ringing in my head ever since.

The sentiment was that we were guests in someone else’s home. Despite 85 percent of Chapman students being on financial aid of $15,000 a year or more, the stereotype is still one of opulence and wealth. With so many students on scholarships and loans, how does Chapman still feel foreign to a working or middle-class student? Who is setting this cultural tone of over-the-top wealth and image?

Last week, with the administration’s response to the $300 controversy at the gym re-opening, I got my answer: Chapman is a school defined by its donors, not its students – and because it is their donations that make this school possible, we are asked not to question or criticize as they build their university, of which we are merely four-year guests.

Almost immediately after the three $100 bills were thrown, students voiced their opinions on the event. Facebook was a buzz of criticism and offense to such a tasteless show of class, as well as impassioned defenses of the good intentions behind the gesture.

Instead of having an open and fair discussion of the controversy and the valid offense taken by working and middle class students, the administration went into damage control. In a quote to The Panther, President Doti tried to cease any conversation by taking all the blame for the philanthropic faux pas.

“To those who felt that was some sort of ‘let them eat cake’ message, I am the Marie Antoinette, not Mrs. Argyros,” Doti wrote in an email.

There is a lot wrong with this message, and it’s not only because Marie Antoinette never actually said that.

Not once did Doti, or anyone else in Chapman’s administration, apologize for the gesture, nor did they even show understanding of how some students might take offense to it. All this dismissive response says is that Chapman administration does not understand its working and middle-class students.

The $300 that was thrown at the gym re-opening ceremony is not the problem, but merely a symptom of the problem, just like an auction that climbs to $1,001 for a reserved parking permit.

The issue is class, and the problem is that we’re discouraged from talking about it. This discouragement stems from the fact that those who are building and expanding Chapman – the donors and the administrators – are all members of the same wealthy class. As they continue to expand the university, it is imperative that they understand the diverse viewpoints of their students.

If the $300 controversy is any indicator, we have a long way to go.