Talon Marked

Here's the Talon Marks article that pissed me off...

The Chancellor's Office of California Community Colleges, Linda Michalowski, Interim Vice Chancellor, Student Services reports that all 108 community colleges Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the SB-1108 on Aug. 11, the education trailer bill of the 2004-05 state budget and setting with community college enrollment fees to $26 per unit, effective Fall 2004. Having all those students who are affected feel no heat due to the help those students with financial aid.Two students, Amanda Aguilar, Criminal Justice and Aurora Oviedo, Undecided, said, "We feel its wrong. It's just too expensive for us and we pay for our own schooling."Dr. Erlinda Martinez, Vice President of Student Services/Assistant Superintendent, said that many students receive other types of services to help them through college such as Financial Aid and other support services. The Department of Rehabilitation for disabled students also work to help them with issues of financial needs.Martinez explained that the way the Peoplesoft program works is to help the needs of students who need financial payment plans. The plan can be affective as early as the fall of 2005. " Let me explain. The new system that will be in effect will help create an account for the person, who wishes to help the student, whether it is the parent, employer or the student, where they can deposit money as the time progress, said Martinez. "Cerritos College has financial hardship plans for those students who need help paying for college and we will not drop students from their classes if they cannot pay. We will be flexible with those students and help them the best we can", said Dr. Martinez.She wants to encourage all students that if they want to make changes or help stop any more increases from the state, "you must be involved in our political system," write a letter to your legislature, get involved with our student government. Student Body President, Josh Franco, is aware of this issue and is willing to help the students.Evelyn Santillana, Dental Hygiene, said, "I feel that the increase isn't good. It's bad enough being an international student because I pay too much money now as it increases every year."Lastly, the fees that the students pay do not stay at Cerritos College but is used to help with California's budget problem. Even though $26 a unit seems high from the $11 a unit many students were used to, California's Community Colleges still pay the least amount of tuition fees compared to the rest of the United States.

As I told Sylvia, here's the letter that might well end my WPMD career...

Few things please me more than solid adversarial journalism. Talon-Marks columnists taking on their displeasure with items ranging from predatory marketing of DVDs to how the consumer suffers with conflicts between mainstream vs. underground rappers is great.

But with the article subtitled “Fee Increase to $26 A Unit,” Talon-Marks suddenly becomes an apologist for the status quo, a status quo that places an enormous burden on those that the paper should be representing, the students. It’s all about $15 per unit fee increase, from $11 to a budget-popping $26.

If you frequented a restaurant that charged $11 for a delicious dinner, which without warning, upped the price to $26, maybe you’d seek out a competing steak house. But in the case of community college fee increases, there are no competitors. It’s matter of paying up or doing without. And examples of getting deferred fees and hardship exceptions amount to extra effort and time spent on a process that shouldn’t be the student’s problem.

The apologist part of the Talon-Marks article is: “the fees that students pay do not stay at Cerritos College but is (sic) used to help with California’s budget problem.” When did it become the responsibility of the community college student to solve financial problems caused by politicians, consultants and administrators?

Don’t forget, newly elected Gov. Arnold guaranteed reducing the state’s vehicle licensing fee as a key part of his successful campaign. I can’t understand why the connection between reducing rates for owners of new SUVs and expensive newer cars (generally the most economically successful demographic) and the fee spike for community college students (generally the least economically successful demographic) hasn’t been protested by members of that latter population.

The chart that accompanied the article and that demonstrated the difference between various states as to fees doesn’t really tell much, as it’s just a raw number. Who cares what it costs to attend a New Hampshire community college? Does that make Cerritos College any more affordable? And what are the other economic factors in the states listed – property taxes, vehicle fees, sales taxes and the like?

You’ve heard of “old school.” Let me tell you about old school. Community colleges were established in California to provide a two-year degree at NO COST. That’s right, just like public high school, these were schools that provided a solid foundation for a good education, gratis. And it worked until you, the student, was identified as a profit center that could provide an guaranteed income stream to government.

I attended Long Beach City College when it was free to attend. At first, they added on a $5 activities fee, whatever the hell that was. At El Camino college, there was a $2.50 activities fee that was voted out by student referendum. Those were students who paid attention. But after all that, the schools still sold them out, taking them down the path of per-unit fees, at first a buck or two, but that path never goes back, just forward.

But at least students who are on the ever-upward track of fee increases can content themselves that our super-popular governor doesn’t have to worry about being overcharged for his fleet of Hummers.

Can fees for attending high school or any level of public schools in California be far behind? You say that free high school is a tradition? Well, so was free community college, until that tradition went away. What’s to stop the new tradition of pay-as-you go education at all levels, from nursery school to graduate school? From what I’ve observed, certainly not the current crop of passive community college students if the Talon Marks is any indication.

Rockinsteve, CA