STLCC must cut more than $1 million from next year’s budget. Is the administration making responsible decisions, or simply cashing out
Julie Wells
– Sr. Copy Editor-
Community colleges cater to non-traditional students, keep tuition reasonable, and offer flexible schedules to meet students need…or not.
STLCC-Meramec positions itself in the media and among potential students as the practical, affordable beginning to a college education for students at any stage of their lives. Unfortunately, if a student is an athlete, has a job or children, Meramec administrators have decided that budgets do not reach far enough to include those needs.
As a result, multiple programs that aren’t deemed academically necessary are being forced to close, and the students who rely on the services are simply going to be out of luck.
So much for reaching out to non-traditional students.
Though doubling the cost of daycare and re-arranging hours of operation was met with some resistance, parents utilizing the services of the Meramec daycare were quick to adjust. Quality, affordable care is nearly impossible to find, and the affordability of the on-campus care became a major factor in many student-parents decision to attend school. Administrators do not seem to understand that potential students (potential income for the school) will not flock to Meramec if the services required to meet their needs are not available.
So maybe budgeters don’t sympathize with the hard-working, struggling to improve their lives parent population, however, they should understand the dollars and cents effect of closing such services. For one class, students pay $83 per credit hour.
The average class is 3 credit hours. Daycare for a class that meets twice a week totals $640 for one semester. All together, the college receives an average $889 for every one class that a student-parent attends and up to $7900 over the duration of earning an associate’s degree.*
This potential loss should be enough to alert those on the business end of the decision making.
Beyond the simple argument of monetary concerns lies the greater issue: people, lives, potential, children.
How many single-mothers have graduated from Meramec with the ability to advance their place in society? How many degrees have been awarded that allowed parents to earn enough to truly support the needs of their families? How many have been convinced that STLCC is the springboard into a positive future but only truly decided success was within their grasp when they knew their children would not be neglected while they attended class?
Surely the stories of these parents, the successes of these students would be enough to keep the doors open.
Surely administrators and students alike would come up with alternative funding to prevent any losses. No?
What then? What needs to be done?
No one is saying. Top officials are conducting major budgeting decisions without many students knowing that such discussions are taking place. Those that are aware, those that are affected are virtually powerless.
It’s all in the hands of those looking at the bottom line. All students can do is hope they are well represented in those precious black figures.
*Based on $83 per credit hour with 64 hours required for an associate’s degree as well as the cost of daycare at the current rate and minimum time allotment of 5 hour intervals.
