"Community College Is Essential"
Austin, Texas – More than 1,500 Texas community college students will converge on the State Capitol Thursday, February 22 to highlight the essential role of community colleges in education and economic development. Beginning at 9:30 a.m., leaders of the Texas Junior College Student Government Association (TJCSGA) will be joined by state officials speaking from the steps of the Capitol. The event marks the second time that community college students have organized statewide to visit lawmakers.
Wearing ribbons with a slogan saying “Community Colleges are Essential,” the students will stress that it is time for the state legislature to enter into a new compact with community colleges. Figures from the Texas Association of Community Colleges show that the 50 community college districts in Texas provide accessible, affordable, quality higher education to more than 70% of all first-time college students. Last year, Texas community colleges accounted for $13.47 billion in all annual earnings—the equivalent of 351,530 jobs. The association wants to safeguard and support the educational opportunities that keep Texans and industries working.
Cisco Junior College student Kristina Reece, SGA vice president said, “State support is a must if education at community colleges continues to be affordable and available. It is imperative that elected officials understand the importance of community colleges, and I am excited to have an opportunity to explain to legislators how I have benefited from attending a community college like CJC.”
DeShawn Parks, CJC sophomore and SGA president, is also looking forward to meeting with legislators. “I think that traveling to Austin later this month will be very beneficial. A large student turnout is expected, and although this is a SGA sponsored event, we will be representing the interests of all current and future students. Tuition, coupled with the expense of books and other related costs, is a financial hardship for many students and their families. Some students delay their studies as they work to put back funds for college and others simply feel like they can never afford to further their education. We hope that this event will be an effective tool in addressing these problems. We also want lawmakers to understand how necessary state support is in order to ensure affordable tuition,” Parks added.
TJCSGA state president Damian Tovar of El Paso Community College explained that students want to make sure their lawmakers are impressed with the role that community colleges play in our state’s economy and economic development. “The support of our elected officials is essential for the 548,000 Texans now attending our community colleges,” he warned, “We will remind our representatives and senators that an investment in our community college students is an investment for Texas’ future.”
The students will observe the House and Senate in session and visit their individual representatives and senators. The students and their legislative guests will continue their discussions at a lunch hosted by the Texas Association of Community Colleges.
In addition to TJCSGA, participants include students enrolled in community college honors programs around the state, members of the Texas Community College Teachers Association and the Texas Association of Community Colleges. The students will be asked to post their observations and comments about their day in Austin on their online forum at www.tjcsga.org.