California Educator

November 08

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Studies show that after taking inflation in- to account, the cost of attending a four- year public college has almost doubled over the past 20 years, and that 23 percent of students graduating from those colleg- es cannot manageably repay college loans on a starting teacher’s salary. The NEA released a poll last month showing that college costs would be a key factor in the 2008 elections for 65 percent of students and that it was the most im- portant issue for 34 percent of those polled. A strong ma- jority, 63 percent of those surveyed, also indicated their sup- port for the federal government to play a substant ial role in making college more affordable. “It’s definitely a burden having loans,” says Corine Caloca, president of San Di- ego State University’s SCTA chapter. “But I was ineligible for financial aid, since my parents were both teachers. So I depended on loans — and my credit card — to pay for everything. But even with my parents paying my rent, I owe $20,000.” Caloca has earned her teaching creden- tial and is presently in her sixth year of school working toward an additional cre- dential in special education for students with mild to moderate disabilities. She does some substitute teaching on the side. But even with student loans, she is run- ning up a credit card bill for textbooks and other expenses. “I try not to think about what I owe,” says Caloca. “I try to just think about how much I want to be a teacher.” “We’re seeing more and more students who are burdened within the CSU system,” comments Janet Millar, who until recently was the counselor representative for the California Faculty Association. “They have to rely on second or third jobs. We are seeing students who have to ‘stop out’ as opposed to ‘drop out,’ which means they drop out for a quarter or two, earn money to pay for a few quarters of tuition and then come back. Last year, many students took the spring and the summer off from school to work in order to pay for the fall quarter this year.” Millar, a counselor at CSU Bakers- field, suspects more college students are also dropping out, even though she has Times, high school graduates and mid- career adults are “flocking” to commu- nity colleges this fall due to the weak economy and lower tuition. “We’re definitely seeing more stu- “I try not to think about what I owe. i try to just no current statistics. “But intuitively, I know they are, because of the high cost.” And, says Millar, students are getting less for their money due to fewer course offerings and classroom crowding caused by budget cuts. “Counselors are seeing that more students are anx- ious, stressed and worried. So counselors are doing more outreach across the state, in addition to counseling. We are helping with stress man- agement and helping them with techniques for prioritiz- ing their time.” The stress of financially think about how much i want to be a teacher.” Corine Caloca, student at San Diego State University dents — and more of a need,” says Clar- ence Louie, a counselor at San Joaquin Delta Community College in Stockton who works with financially disadvan- taged students. “Our enrollment is up 15 percent, and we’ve noticed a large group of re-entry students coming in who have either lost their jobs or who want some retraining.” Louie, a member of the San Joaquin Delta College Teachers Asso- ciation, says communi- ty college teachers are experiencing more stress due to bulging classrooms. “It’s hard because no one likes to turn students away. But when a room is full, the fire code says that you can’t have stu- dents on the floor or blocking doorways.” He frequent ly counsels students who are having fi- nancial problems in Stock- ton, the foreclosure capital of the country. “They come in and say burdened students, a tough economy and budget cutbacks has also taken a toll on CSU faculty, who report that they are experiencing higher stress levels. When the economy takes a dip, en- rollment at community colleges tends to surge. According to the Los Angeles Janet Millar, California Faculty Association their bills aren’t being paid, they are having trouble with their housing situation and they can’t afford textbooks. “But I always tell them that no matter what, they are mak- ing a good choice by going to col- lege. Even if they are unemployed or in between jobs, it’s good to build up their skill sets in mathematics, writing or the trades. And I tell them that hopefully the economy will turn around and they’ll be ready for that. Opportunity always favors the prepared mind.” november 2008 | www.cta.org 17

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