El Paisano

Issue date: 9/11/09 Section: Opinion

Media Credit: Robert Flores/Cartoonist

This year as the Fall 2009 Session gets on the way at Rio Hondo, some students may notice that when they return to campus they will face crowded classrooms, less teachers and an increase in the cost per unit compared to last year.
With the recent California budget cuts, the so-called system to reach a higher education took a downfall. The colleges are responding to the budget cuts by raising their fees by a whopping 30% reducing teaching staff and reducing classes.

Each unit this fall will cost $26, most students will take 12 units being enrolled as a full time student.

Compared to last year, a full time student taking 12 units will pay an extra $72 this fall semester. Not only do the budget cuts hurt us as college students but it also hurts the already struggling economy.

There are over 3 million students attending college in California alone, therefore California is cutting the most out of its funds. 

Many students, especially incoming freshmen got turned away form U.C'S and Cal States this year, due to overfilled campuses. That sends all of those students rushing to get into their local junior colleges.

As when every semester starts at Rio Hondo the first few weeks of school are crowded and the parking matches. This years parking situation may have topped the charts. While on my way to school for the first day at 7 a.m.

All the lots were already full and I was forced to park on Workman Mill rd.

Besides the parking situation, many students did not get the classes they needed this year and were forced to go elsewhere. Scott lay president of the Community College League of California said he expects the community college system, which had about 2.7 million students last year to enroll 250,000 fewer students this year.

That leaves many students out in the cold and not given the opportunity to further their education in a timely matter.

The budget cuts hit people hard this year, as a student here at Rio Hondo I definitely felt my pocket get lighter and the competition get stiffer just to add needed classes.

There are simply too may students going to school and the colleges cannot keep up with the drastic increase.

Sure the budget cuts may perhaps be the best and only solution, but the students and the economy suffer the most from it.

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