Students worry about jobs, not grades during recession
September 08, 2009
By Cindy Von Quednow
As I start my last year of college, I´ve come to realize that "student" has become synonymous with "broke." Instead of saving up money and paying off debts, we are left working three jobs to make ends meet and owing thousands of dollars in the future.
While this might have been the case for decades, the current recession and Gov. Schwarzenegger´s budget cuts mean that being broke as a college student is now an issue along race lines.
When I first started at Cal State Northridge five years ago, tuition was around $1,400. This fall costs have shot up to more than $2,000 per semester. The accessibility of CSUs is changing rapidly due to budget cuts and higher costs. Though I am almost done with school, I can´t help worry about future generations of students, especially students of color who tend to gravitate toward state schools.
What does this have to do with race? Everything.
Cal State, the nation´s largest four-year university system, is largely made up of students of color; twenty-four percent of students are Latino, 17 percent are Asian and 6 percent are Black.
Cuts in funding to state and community colleges disproportionately affect students of color and put them at a disadvantage in finding jobs.
As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger works to fill the $26.3 billion deficit, millions have been cut from higher education, among other essential services, and leading CSUs will increase fees by up to 30 percent and implement furloughs on faculty members. Last year, 10,000 students were denied from Cal State universities and there is talk of reducing admissions by another 32,000.
Kim Geron, assistant professor at Cal State East Bay and vice president of the California Faculty Association, says "What we are seeing is the start of a new CSU, one that is whiter and middle class, and a denial of access of Black and (Brown) faces, and also Asians and Native Americans." He adds that lack of funding in higher education is negatively impacting the quality of education. "Students are paying more for less."
Many students already spend more than four years to graduate from CSUs, and now it may take even longer as majors are being impacted, fewer classes are offered and it is becoming increasingly difficult for students to pay tuition. Others, like me, consider staying longer for fear of the job market and 11.6 percent unemployment in California.
Though students are encouraged to stay in school during recessions, how are we supposed to finance our endeavors when the state continually ignores our basic right to a quality education?
While interviewing several Cal State students for a ColorLines magazine article during my summer internship, I asked how they´re staying in school in light of the recession and budget cuts. They reminded me of how amazingly resilient we are and how much we have to fight for a good education for all.
As an example this summer Daniel Santana worked two jobs and was considering a third while trying to raise money for the fall semester at Northridge. He thinks he´ll have to stay an extra year because he is often not able to get the classes he needs to graduate. These circumstances led him to Sacramento where he´s lobbied legislators with Students for Quality Education, a system wide Cal State student organization.
Another member of SQE, Angelica Mondragon, is even starting a college fund for her younger sisters, hoping they´ll be in a better position. Despite her aversion to student loans, the Cal State Long Beach student might have to take one out in the future.
Undocumented students face greater uncertainty as they work to save money to continue their education, knowing they can´t legally work in their field of study.
Alma is an undocumented single mother who works to support her daughter and raise money for graduate school. But first she must finish a class at Northridge, one that will cost her an extra thousand dollars.
How do you fix California´s broken education system?
One proposal is Assembly Bill 656, which would provide funding for California colleges and universities by imposing a tax on oil companies without affecting consumers.
In the meantime, stories like Daniel, Angelica and Alma´s and the thousands of other students like them should not be ignored. After all, we represent the future of the state and the country.
Cindy Von Quednow is a student at Cal State Northridge completing her summer internship at ColorLines magazine. See her cover story at http://www.colorlines.com.
As I start my last year of college, I´ve come to realize that "student" has become synonymous with "broke." Instead of saving up money and paying off debts, we are left working three jobs to make ends meet and owing thousands of dollars in the future.
While this might have been the case for decades, the current recession and Gov. Schwarzenegger´s budget cuts mean that being broke as a college student is now an issue along race lines.
When I first started at Cal State Northridge five years ago, tuition was around $1,400. This fall costs have shot up to more than $2,000 per semester. The accessibility of CSUs is changing rapidly due to budget cuts and higher costs. Though I am almost done with school, I can´t help worry about future generations of students, especially students of color who tend to gravitate toward state schools.
What does this have to do with race? Everything.
Cal State, the nation´s largest four-year university system, is largely made up of students of color; twenty-four percent of students are Latino, 17 percent are Asian and 6 percent are Black.
Cuts in funding to state and community colleges disproportionately affect students of color and put them at a disadvantage in finding jobs.
As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger works to fill the $26.3 billion deficit, millions have been cut from higher education, among other essential services, and leading CSUs will increase fees by up to 30 percent and implement furloughs on faculty members. Last year, 10,000 students were denied from Cal State universities and there is talk of reducing admissions by another 32,000.
Kim Geron, assistant professor at Cal State East Bay and vice president of the California Faculty Association, says "What we are seeing is the start of a new CSU, one that is whiter and middle class, and a denial of access of Black and (Brown) faces, and also Asians and Native Americans." He adds that lack of funding in higher education is negatively impacting the quality of education. "Students are paying more for less."
Many students already spend more than four years to graduate from CSUs, and now it may take even longer as majors are being impacted, fewer classes are offered and it is becoming increasingly difficult for students to pay tuition. Others, like me, consider staying longer for fear of the job market and 11.6 percent unemployment in California.
Though students are encouraged to stay in school during recessions, how are we supposed to finance our endeavors when the state continually ignores our basic right to a quality education?
While interviewing several Cal State students for a ColorLines magazine article during my summer internship, I asked how they´re staying in school in light of the recession and budget cuts. They reminded me of how amazingly resilient we are and how much we have to fight for a good education for all.
As an example this summer Daniel Santana worked two jobs and was considering a third while trying to raise money for the fall semester at Northridge. He thinks he´ll have to stay an extra year because he is often not able to get the classes he needs to graduate. These circumstances led him to Sacramento where he´s lobbied legislators with Students for Quality Education, a system wide Cal State student organization.
Another member of SQE, Angelica Mondragon, is even starting a college fund for her younger sisters, hoping they´ll be in a better position. Despite her aversion to student loans, the Cal State Long Beach student might have to take one out in the future.
Undocumented students face greater uncertainty as they work to save money to continue their education, knowing they can´t legally work in their field of study.
Alma is an undocumented single mother who works to support her daughter and raise money for graduate school. But first she must finish a class at Northridge, one that will cost her an extra thousand dollars.
How do you fix California´s broken education system?
One proposal is Assembly Bill 656, which would provide funding for California colleges and universities by imposing a tax on oil companies without affecting consumers.
In the meantime, stories like Daniel, Angelica and Alma´s and the thousands of other students like them should not be ignored. After all, we represent the future of the state and the country.
Cindy Von Quednow is a student at Cal State Northridge completing her summer internship at ColorLines magazine. See her cover story at http://www.colorlines.com.