Contributing Writers: Azad Ali, Tangerine Clarke,
Nelson King, Vinette K. Pryce, Bert Wilkinson
GENERAL INFORMATION (718) 260-2500
Caribbean L 14 ife, JUNE 18-24, 2021
By Robert A. Scott
Robert A. Scott, president
Emeritus, Adelphi University;
Author, How University
Boards Work, 2018, Eric Hoffer
Awardee, 2019
Community colleges
are colleges for the people,
designed to be accessible to
everyone and intended to be
affordable for all. They enroll
39 percent of all college students,
with an average age of
28. Most work at least parttime
and many take classes
part-time; countless numbers
have family obligations with
children or adults. When these
students succeed, they have
overcome obstacles that most
students in four-year colleges
have not experienced.
The mission of community
colleges generally is twofold.
Some students enroll in
Associate of Arts and Associate
of Science degree programs
in order to transfer to fouryear
colleges and universities.
These are pathways to baccalaureate
degrees. In many
cases, public and private baccalaureate
institutions have
what are called articulation
agreements with community
colleges so that students can
transfer credits almost seamlessly.
Community colleges also
offer more technical degrees
and certificates. In these
cases, the designation is Associate
of Applied Arts or Applied
Science. While these degrees
do not lend themselves as
easily to transfer, they usually
lead to a certification or
license, such as in computer
technology, emergency
medical technicians, medical
laboratory technician, paralegal,
and bookkeeping, among
other fields.
Graduates of community
colleges have higher earnings
than those with only a
high school diploma and have
less need for social services.
They also have better health.
It is estimated that this saves
about $46.4 billion per year in
government spending.
The financial model for
community colleges is unique
in higher education. The general
formula is for one-third of
the funding to come from the
sponsoring state, one-third
from the hosting county, and
one-third from the student
and family. Unfortunately, this
formula is often honored in
the breach. For example, in
New York, the proportion of
support from the state and
counties has declined while
the proportion from tuition
has increased. Despite their
important role in upward
mobility, community colleges
nationally receive nearly
$9,000 less per student than
those enrolled in four-year
public college, or nearly $78
billion less. This results in an
excessive reliance on parttime
faculty, fewer advisors
and services, and undeveloped
programs.
The COVID pandemic hit
community colleges especially
hard. Nationwide, overall
higher education enrollment
fell 4.5 percent and 2.8
percent at private and public
four-year colleges. For community
colleges, the drop was
nearly 12 percent, including a
4.9 percent decline in retention.
Locally, Nassau and Suffolk
Community Colleges saw
declines of 16.7 percent and
10.5 percent from fall 2019 to
fall 2020.
Why was the drop in community
college enrollment so
great? What are the consequences?
The drop in community
college enrollment is related
to the demographics of their
typical students. A substantial
proportion of Nassau’s
and Suffolk’s student are from
Black and Hispanic families.
COVID hit low-income and
minority families especially
hard. Also, community college
students typically are
older, first-generation, and
lower-achieving students from
blue-color working families
who live in high poverty communities
and attended lower
resourced high schools. The
sharpest decline in overall student
enrollment was of those
older than 25 years, that is,
the typical community college
student.
In addition, community
college students tend to work
at least part-time in low wage
jobs because they lack a degree.
During the pandemic, many
lost their jobs or had to stay
at home to care for children
or parents. Given their family
circumstances, students
at community colleges may
lack the computing capability
necessary to take courses
remotely. Many have children
who need the computer and
wi-fi for their schoolwork.
Consequently, people who
sought a community college
education for skills training
or academic transfer were
blocked from pursuing their
dreams. Those who dropped
out due to costs, health, or
family obligations left earned
course credits unclaimed.
If they owe money on their
account, they cannot transfer
these credits to another college.
It is estimated that some
6.6 million students have
stranded credits and a total of
$15 billion in unpaid bills. One
result is that these students
have higher loan defaults than
students at four-year public
and private colleges.
Another consequence of
this reduction in community
college enrollment is that
there will be fewer students
to transfer to four-year colleges
and universities, exacerbating
enrollment challenges
caused by fewer high school
graduates. Four-year colleges
should recruit the students
with stranded credits both to
help them and enhance their
enrollment.
Some politicians and pundits
argue for community colleges
to be free. This is a noble
idea, but it does not consider
the other realities of community
college student life. For
example, New York’s Excelsior
Scholarship Program provides
free tuition at two-year and
four-year public colleges for
state residents who complete
30-degree credits per year,
including January and Summer
sessions, come from families
that earn under $125,000
per year, and plan to live and
work in New York following
graduation for the length of
time they participate in the
scholarship.
By Staff
When early voting polling
places across New York City
opened on Oct. 24, 2020 for
the first voters in the presidential
election, they saw a
massive turnout — more than
93,000 people across the five
boroughs on the first day.
But on June 12, 2021, the
first day of early voting in
the allimport
a n t
Democ
r a t i c
primary
for
mayor,
j u s t
16,867
people
showed
up to vote — still a good
number for a beautiful Saturday
in June, but just 17% of
the turnout seen on Oct. 24,
2020.
It’s a bad sign that the voter
interest in this election —
focused primarily on city government
— is nothing close to
last year’s heated presidential
contest.
We’ve said it before, and
it bears repeating: The local
elections matter, too — and,
in many respects, the people
elected to represent us at
City Hall and Gracie Mansion
have a far greater impact on
our everyday lives than those
working in Albany or Washington,
DC.
We’re about to select a new
mayor to lead the city out of
the worst health crisis in a
century which devastated our
economy.
The mayor, among other
responsibilities, oversees the
NYPD and the public school
system — and will choose a
police commissioner and a
schools chancellor reflecting
their priorities and reshaping
how our streets are protected,
and our children are educated.
All but a handful of City
Council seats are up for grabs
in this election. They will elect a
new speaker who will hold great
i n f l u -
e n c e
in city
governm
e n t ,
working
with the
m a y o r
to shape
b u d g -
ets and
e n a c t
new policy.
They will also be tasked
with handling land use issues
and passing new regulations
which will impact every New
Yorker almost on a block-byblock
level.
And in this city where registered
Democrats outnumber
registered Republicans by more
than a 3-1 margin, the winners
of the June 22 primaries
are almost certain to win their
seats in the November general
election.
If you were passionate about
voting last November and were
willing to stand in line to cast
your ballot, you ought to do
the same in the week ahead
— because this primary matters
just as much to the life of
our city.
To the victors belong the
spoils — but to the apathetic
non-voters belong the silent
shame from refusing to make
their voices heard when they
had the chance.
OP-EDS
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Associated Press/Mary Altaffer