That's right, PCC Students... the Courier Editorial says, SUCK IT UP!

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EDITORIAL: Economy calls for sacrifices

Protesters must face reality

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Posted: 3/18/10

In order to achieve, sacrifices must be made.

This is a lesson that has been taught to us from a young age and has followed us since. Most people have at some point come to realize that they need to give up certain things in order to become successful, or even merely to just survive.

As an educational state, California has reached that point.

Last week's mass student-led protests against class cuts at all levels of higher education caught the attention of administrators and politicians not just in California, but across the country. The voices here echoed those of students in other states currently engulfed in similar predicaments.

But while those involved are being applauded for taking the initiative, their efforts are in vain, because the answer from up above remains this: there is no money.

There is no money to fund more classes. There is no money to pay teachers' wages. There is no money, period.

What students and everyone else have to realize is that the best is being done with what is available, particularly at this campus.

While UC students have seen an increase in tuition and Cal State campuses have implemented mandatory furlough days, PCC has not had to resort to either. Yes, our tuition (which is not locally controlled) was raised slightly last year from $20 to $26 per unit, but that is chump change in comparison to the thousands UC students have had to shell out to stay in school, or even to other community college systems across the country. According to the official website of the Connecticut Community Colleges System, the in-state tuition there had a price tag of $118 per unit for the 2009-2010 school year, and its governing board has already approved an increase to $126 per unit for the next academic year. How spoiled must we look to them?

PCC administrators are listening to the concerns of the students as well as the faculty, who fortunately have not yet been forced to take days off without pay. The newly-formed Enrollment Management Advisory Group, which is made up of representatives from all parts of campus life, is working to ensure that core curriculum is minimally affected by the section cuts. Its focus is to retain as many sections as possible of transferrable classes such as math and English, technical courses, and basic skills such as ESL. Just last week, another member of the Associated Students was appointed to EMAG, giving the student voice two representatives instead of just one, an acknowledgement of the need and the desire to listen to what the greater constituency is saying.

It all comes back to the same issue, however: money. As hard as EMAG is working, its success is directly related to the number of dollars allocated to PCC from the state government.

This is where sacrificing comes into play. If students still want good, inexpensive education, they have to give up something in return.

There are two obvious ways to raise the money, none of which are palatable but will result in more cash. The first is to cut payroll in the government sector, or in other words, lay people off. This includes firemen, police officers, and yes, even teachers. While this is already happening to a certain degree, most will agree that it is not beneficial in either the short or long term.

The second solution is probably the best but not the most popular method of government fundraising: raising taxes. This too has already begun, but the state will have to push it further in order to dig us out of this great debt we are facing.

What it comes down to is this: the students protesting against the cuts are really advocating the loss of jobs and higher taxes. There is just no other way to achieve the results being called for. Both cannot be had in this current economic environment.

This is not an effort to put down the cries of the students. This is a wake-up call to those who think they deserve diamonds at the price of pebbles. College students cannot be so naive about the costs of a good education; otherwise, our education system truly has failed us.

If you want them to stop cutting classes, then you must be ready to make the sacrifices. Or you could always just move to Connecticut. But something's got to give.
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