Spring Break
Democratic Hopefuls Propose Free Education
Kala Kachmar
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: News
Democratic presidential hopefuls are tapping into the needs of youth voters by making plans to make community college more financially accessible to students.
Community college enrollment has increased nationally by 20 percent, from 3.1 million in 2000 to 3.7 million in 2003, according to a report from the Community College Research Center.
"Community colleges are an excellent gateway to higher education," said Marshall Rivers, a 7th-semester geography and political science double major and vice president of the UConn College Democrats. "The problem we are having today is that a lot of students can't afford college."
Of the three democratic candidates that have announced a plan for the increase of funding for students who attend community college, Barack Obama's is the most extensive.
The first part of his plan is to make tuition at community college free for low- and middle-income Americans by creating a fully refundable tax credit that will ensure the first $4,000 of their two-year college education is free, according to his official campaign Web site. The plan ensures that the tax credit will be available to families at the time of enrollment by using tax data from the previous year when tuition is due.
Obama also plans to create a new community college partnership program, which will provide grants to create more associate of arts degree programs. It will also reward institutions that increase the number of graduating students, among others, according to his Web site. He also plans to increase the Pell Grant, which is heavily relied upon by community college students.
Another part of Obama's plan is to provide grants to community colleges to increase the quality of their on-campus computer facilities in order to provide resources for training non-student workers on computers, according to the official campaign Web site.
"It's great that candidates are trying to make a way for everyone to be able to go to college," Rivers said. "Especially because the U.S. is falling behind in [funding for] higher education."
Community college enrollment has increased nationally by 20 percent, from 3.1 million in 2000 to 3.7 million in 2003, according to a report from the Community College Research Center.
"Community colleges are an excellent gateway to higher education," said Marshall Rivers, a 7th-semester geography and political science double major and vice president of the UConn College Democrats. "The problem we are having today is that a lot of students can't afford college."
Of the three democratic candidates that have announced a plan for the increase of funding for students who attend community college, Barack Obama's is the most extensive.
The first part of his plan is to make tuition at community college free for low- and middle-income Americans by creating a fully refundable tax credit that will ensure the first $4,000 of their two-year college education is free, according to his official campaign Web site. The plan ensures that the tax credit will be available to families at the time of enrollment by using tax data from the previous year when tuition is due.
Obama also plans to create a new community college partnership program, which will provide grants to create more associate of arts degree programs. It will also reward institutions that increase the number of graduating students, among others, according to his Web site. He also plans to increase the Pell Grant, which is heavily relied upon by community college students.
Another part of Obama's plan is to provide grants to community colleges to increase the quality of their on-campus computer facilities in order to provide resources for training non-student workers on computers, according to the official campaign Web site.
"It's great that candidates are trying to make a way for everyone to be able to go to college," Rivers said. "Especially because the U.S. is falling behind in [funding for] higher education."
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