By Kenndra Roberts
The Scene staff
Many Forest Park students are thrilled with President Barack Obama’s proposal to make community college free.
“It (would help) those along the way who have a strong desire to learn and educate themselves but don’t necessarily have the means to do so,” said Zenia Robinson, 45, a hospitality major. “This is motivation for everybody, regardless of their age, to educate themselves. No more should’ve, would’ve, could’ve.”
Forest Park President Roderick Nunn likes the fact that the importance of community college is being brought to the national forefront.
“There seems to be more positive than negative,” he said. “Only good can come from this conversation.”
In January, Obama rolled out some very ambitious proposals in his State of the Union address. One of them was America’s College Promise, which would give students free tuition at community colleges across the country.
“Forty percent of our college students choose community college,” Obama said. “Some are young and starting out. Some are older and looking for a better job. Some are veterans and single parents trying to transition back into the job market. Whoever you are, this plan is your chance to graduate ready for the new economy, without a load of debt.”
The proposal is controversial because it would cost the federal government $60 billion over 10 years (participating states would pay ¼). It’s opposed by many Republicans, who control both houses of Congress. Some feel education should be a state issue.
At Forest Park, the idea of free tuition has many students seeing stars.
“I don’t know a lot about economics and political impact, but I know that tuition costs are outrageous,” said general studies student Austin Rakey, 19. “Everyone needs education to succeed.”
Forest Park Financial Aid Counselor Ryan Martin also likes the concept of free higher education.
“It is an excellent thing to provide the opportunity for all students to have the college experience,” he said.
Obama’s proposal hasn’t been formally introduced as legislation, but the White House has released a few details.
It would benefit an estimated nine million students nationwide each year.
“Students who attend at least half time, maintain a 2.5 GPA while in college and make steady progress toward completing their program will have their tuition eliminated,” according to a fact sheet at whitehouse.gov.
A full-time student attending a public two-year college could save about $3,800 per year, based on national averages.
Obama’s proposal builds on the Tennessee Promise initiated by Republican Gov. Bill Haslam in Tennessee last year. The state covers tuition and other fees after students kick in any available financial aid.
Obama noted during the State of the Union address that Democrat-run Chicago has a similar program in place, hinting that it’s a bipartisan concept.
“Tennessee and Chicago are examples that this can have a positive outcome,” Nunn said.
America’s College Promise would also put in place reforms, such as providing more advising and student-support services on community college campuses and better aligning high school and college curriculums to reduce the number of students enrolled in remedial courses.
Obama described a college degree as “the surest ticket to the middle class.”
“It’s something that we can accomplish, and it’s something that will train our work force so that we can compete with anybody in the world,” he said in the State of the Union address.
Culinary arts major Brittainy Brown, 26, agrees that Obama’s proposal could make the United States more competitive with other nations.
“Maybe it can help us bring our jobs back to the states because we will then have more qualified workers,” she said.