Community College Students March On Sacramento

On March 15th, ten thousand community college students from around the state of California converged in Sacramento to demand an end to program cuts and tuition hikes. Tuition, which was $11 dollars per last fall, will rise to $26 per unit this fall. This means that next semester, the average community college student will pay over $300 to enroll.

Community colleges have traditionally been an affordable alternative for poor and working students, who received valuable job training and certification. Now, 200,000 students will be forced out due to their inability to pay the new steep tuition. Today’s march and rally to the state capital building comes at a time when Gov. Schwarzenegger has announced his plan to cut 8,000 incoming freshmen from the CSU and UC system this fall.