Georgetown University students overwhelmingly voted to increase their tuition to pay reparations to the descendants of slaves once owned by the school.

The move came as reparations are increasingly being discussed by 2020 Democrats on the campaign trail.

Students supported the measure by a 2-to-1 margin this week. The fee would increase tuition at the nation's oldest Catholic university by nearly $28 per semester for every student. The money would go into a fund for descendants of the 272 slaves the Jesuits sold in 1838 to keep the deeply-in-debt university open.

The vote is not binding, however. University leaders will take the final decision on whether to implement a mandatory fee for reparations.



The results of the referendum are as follows: 66.08% for yes (2541 votes), 33.92% for no (1304 votes). This means that the referendum passes. — GUSA Elections (@GUSAElections) April 12, 2019



"There are many approaches that enable our community to respond to the legacies of slavery," said Todd Olson, vice president for student affairs. "This student referendum provides valuable insight into student perspectives and will help guide our continued engagement with students, faculty and staff, members of the Descendant community, and the Society of Jesus."

Reparations have become a topic of debate in the race for the Democratic nomination for president. At least four White House hopefuls — Obama housing secretary Julián Castro, California Sen. Kamala Harris, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke — support payments to descendants of slaves. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker has ripped into his opponents for not doing enough to make reparations a reality.

Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders disagrees, however, saying that he would rather focus on economic inequality.