By snoadmin
Throughout California, all of our once distinguished higher education institutions are suffering.
That goes for the Cal State University system, the University of California system and the California Community College system.
All these institutions are facing their respective trigger cuts that will be enacted if Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative does not pass. If passed, Prop. 30 would increase the income tax on those making more than $250,000 annually and raise the sales tax statewide.
The trigger cut for California’s Community College system itself reaches $551 million. That sort of money loss will certainly cripple the already struggling school system.
Budget cuts and class cancelations have had their way with community colleges, like everywhere else.
At these institutions, many students are finding it difficult to transfer after the average two years because it is impossible to get into general education courses.
Remedial classes like English and math are always full and tough to crash.
Some students are forced to take just one class per semester, reducing the speed of graduation from community college to a crawl.
Even though most students here at Cal State Long Beach are past most community college courses, we do still recognize their importance.
Many of us would not be here if we did not get the opportunity to transfer here from a community college.
We first joined a community college either because a four-year college was too expensive or it was too tough to be accepted as a freshman. It was a way for us to be in school and get our general education before moving on to CSULB.
It is worrisome to think what will happen if community colleges suffer the same trigger that the CSU and UC systems will endure if Prop. 30 fails. Will they even be able to exist?
During summer and winter breaks, community colleges also offer students a less expensive way to make up units or get ahead in our education.
The more students at community colleges that are forced to take one-class semesters to get their education, the more we will see students start to give up.
If we get to a point where more and more students cannot get through community college, both the CSU and UC systems will also sink in missing out on excellent students.
