By Felipe Rodriguez Many community college students are not prepared to face tuition bills that pass the $10,000 mark right after transferring. Fewer can imagine the amount of debt that will accumulate after they graduate. Even with financial aid, many students still find it hard to pay for simple things like necessary supplies and eventually find themselves paying out of pocket for fees that financial aid disregards. Many ditch the…
By Helen Trang The minimum wage should be raised and the prices of the items shouldn’t change. In California, the minimum wage is $9 per hour as of July 2014 and the living wage is about $11.37 for one adult. This only includes food, medical, housing, transportation, monthly income, annual income and annual taxes. It doesn’t take in account how much people have to pay for their student loans. Most apartments…
By Megan Perry Every other school day, I walk into my earth science laboratory class to see bored students who don’t want to be there, but suffer through the class anyway because they must. Before class, I can hear students griping and groaning about how much they hate the class, can’t stand the work and just wish it was over already. As I walk to my seat, I see some students…
By Amanda Mayberry Recently, students from six CSU campuses have announced they are on a hunger strike in protest of budget cuts. The students are demanding that administrators freeze tuition for five years and instead make decreases to the pay raises for CSU chancellors and presidents. They say they will continue to starve themselves until these demands are met. The persisting budget decreases and fee hikes made to community colleges…
By Sergio Berrueta Education is one of the many beneficial elements students strive for in life, but when the cost of education gets high, students may not know how to cope. Enrollment fees in California community colleges will go from the traditional $36 per unit to $46 per unit starting this summer session. For many others, this may not seem like a tremendous increase in price, but to the students of…
By Vivian Ramirez With the possibility of a $200 million budget cut pending the tax initiative in the November elections, California State Universities may shut their doors to new students for the Spring 2013 semester and create a wait list of applicants for Fall 2013. The CSU system will turn down an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 student applicants for the 2012-13 school year. But freezing Spring enrollment at many campuses is…
By Veronica Hurtado Increasing the cost of high demand classes by approximately 400 percent, while still offering the same classes at a regular price may be a fine solution for colleges to increase class offerings but it’s an unfair deal for students. Last week, Santa Monica College announced that due to budget cuts it would have to raise tuition from $36 to $46 per unit. In addition, the school also plans…
By J.C. Casarez While the Board of Trustees met on Wednesday afternoon at East Los Angeles College, angry protesters representing the American Federation of Teachers College Staff Guild, Local 1521A gathered outside. According to Union President Velma J. Butler, the cause for protest is over the removal of their representative chair from the board’s meetings.“For 25 years we have been a part of the decision making (process), but now we…
By Vivian Ramirez Many East Los Angeles College students who have received Cal Grants in the past may no longer qualify for them due to proposed higher grade point average requirements. California Governor Jerry Brown released his proposal earlier this year in the 2012-13 state budget plan that will save the state an estimated $372 million throughout the year. The changes affecting Cal Grant A will raise the required GPA from…
By Vivian Ramirez The state Executive Committee of the District Budget Committee (ECDBC) is currently drafting a new allocation formula for the distribution of funds to the Los Angeles Community College District that would cost ELAC an estimated $4 million. The District Budget Committee (DBC) oversees the development of the district’s budgets, makes recommendations to the budget and monitors college debt and attempts to reduce it. Currently, the allocation model…