CA Community College Students Need More Support

By: Tania Salceda

As part of a historically marginalized group in our education system I have always wondered why there is such a large gap between students of color entering higher education and those who complete their degrees and graduate. What I have come to understand is that money is one of the biggest factors: money that students like myself do not have and money that institutions require in order to have access to an education. Although this disparity is most commonly seen at 4-year universities, since the cost of attendance is higher, we are beginning to see this  at our community colleges more and more. On top of the pandemic already disproportionately affecting students’ learning, accumulated debt is preventing community college students from being able to enroll in classes and continue pursuing their degrees. This needs to change. According to the Los Angeles Community College District the median debt forgiven was just $41. A $41 debt should not be the reason a student cannot have access to education.

Education should be treated as a right, not a privilege. We need to fund our schools and have institutions implement more retention work on their part so that more students can have access to a debt free higher education and obtain their degrees.