Students

Whereas, Restrictive and inadequate funding from the state and enrollments caps have forced colleges to seek alternate sources of revenue;

Whereas, Out-of-state and international students pay higher fees that potentially represent additional revenue to cash-strapped colleges and in many colleges are guaranteed enrollment in 12 units; and

Whereas, Many colleges guarantee enrollment in12 units and give enrollment priority to out of state and international students, thereby depriving resident students of access to their local community college;

Whereas, The ever-rising cost of textbooks has become a serious, ongoing problem for the students in the California Community College System;

Whereas, Implementation of H.R. 4127 (2010) will require colleges and faculty to provide detailed information on textbooks on their Internet and printed class schedules and in their bookstores so that students will be able to secure less expensive textbooks for their classes or rent them;

Whereas, Title 5 58170 (e) undermines a student's ability to assess their own needs by mandating that students enrolled in a supervised tutoring course be referred by a counselor or instructor on the basis of an identified learning need;

Whereas, Many students seek tutoring for reasons other than an identified learning need and as a result are prohibited from benefiting from tutoring services;

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges is on record as supporting student voter registration by approving resolution 17.03 S02 "Voter Registration and Student Mobilization";

Whereas, SB854, "Student E-Voter Registration Act of 2007," mandates community colleges to provide the option for students to receive pre-printed voter registration cards through online community college class registration by 2010;

Whereas, In the Spring of 2009, the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges passed a resolution (3.02 S09) encouraging Academic Senate attention to the pedagogical and student services needs of our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) students;

Whereas, Many faculty have observed anecdotally that some LGBT students do face difficulties that are particular to people from the very diverse LGBT community;

Whereas the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has supported student equity in all areas of student activities and the development of curriculum, and

Whereas the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has supported honors programs in resolution 20.04 F98, and

Whereas honors programs have traditionally been a bridge to help students transfer, and

Whereas honors programs have sometimes been seen as elitist, favoring one group over others, but there is no data to support this view,

Whereas, The mission of the California community colleges is to provide access to quality instruction to those who are capable of benefiting, many of whom are low-income, disadvantaged, or underrepresented;

Whereas, Students' ability to attend community colleges is affected by significant related expenses, such as the costs for books, transportation, and childcare, as well as general living expenses, leading the Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges to adopt many resolutions opposing an additional burden on students in the form of increased student fees; and

Whereas, The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, effective August 1, 2009, provides a maximum of 36 months of benefits for veterans to assist them in completing a college education, including full tuition "not to exceed the maximum in-state tuition and fees of a public institution of higher learning," a monthly housing allowance, and an annual books and supplies stipend of up to $1000 (http://www.gibill.va.gov/);

Whereas, Restrictive and inadequate funding from the state and enrollments caps have forced colleges to seek alternate sources of revenue;

Whereas, Out of state and international students pay higher fees and in many colleges are guaranteed 12 units; and

Whereas, Many colleges give enrollment priority to out of state and international students, thereby depriving resident students of access in spite of their contributions to California higher education;

Whereas, Certain occupational programs involve patient or client safety and classes with large numbers of class hours in laboratory or clinical practice, thus making it difficult for many of the students in these programs to carry a minimum 12-unit load;

Whereas, Many of these occupational programs are impacted and have limited training slots available for students, thus forcing students to attend laboratory or clinical classes as early as 5:00 a.m. and as late as 11:00 p.m., thereby creating burdens on students with families and children; and