America’s narrative is rich with inspiring stories of people who moved themselves and their families out of poverty by working their way through college. From Alexander Hamilton to Oprah, generations of humble Americans have made education the great equalizer by working for it.
In the South County higher education is a pathway to careers and a shot at middle-class life for legions of poverty-stricken students who aspire to be more than what they are. Their first stepping stone is likely to be community college.
Students at Southwestern College in Chula Vista have invisible partners that make higher education possible. They are the thousands of small and medium-sized businesses that employ college students.
Southwestern College students are workers. So are students at San Diego City College, Grossmont, Mesa and Cuyamaca. They have no choice. They need jobs to get through school, pay rent and put food on the table. They race between campus and jobs daily, often beating the bell wearing their uniforms from hospitals, fast food restaurants and retail outlets.
More than 70 percent of Southwestern students qualify for the Promise Grant, which means they live at or below the federal poverty line. Last semester 85 percent reported food insecurity and about 65 percent suffered housing insecurity. More than 90 percent have part-time or full-time jobs. Many have two or more jobs.
Like most Americans, our students primarily work for small or mid-sized businesses. These companies are the engines of the U. S. economy and play an essential role providing jobs for college students and young adults.
For our students, though, work is a double-edged sword. Due to heavy work schedules, Southwestern College students attempt an average of just 8.4 units per semester and complete only 6.2. Wealthier students average 12-17 units and complete almost 15 units per semester – the target number for completing 60 units and transferring to a university in two years.
Our students and others in similar circumstances across America are taking much longer to transfer – typically 4.5 years.
Employers are generally supportive of our students, but not always. Some, unfortunately, disregard students’ class and lab schedules and call them into work at the spur of the moment. Afraid of alienating their employer or losing their jobs, students too often cave to the demands and choose work over class.
Missing classes leads to lower grades, dropped classes, holes in learning, missed opportunities and grade point averages too low for SDSU, UCSD and other excellent universities. Standing up professors, classmates and lab partners also undermines essential skills higher education works to develop in its students – the capacity to work collaboratively and to reflect on learning with peers. More affluent university students who live on or near campus have an enormous advantage and head start over our students as it is. They generally have more time to collaborate, reflect and network.
Though no one is pulling harder for our students, I do not excuse them for missing class for work. Neither do most of my colleagues. We can’t. We have limited time with our students in a schedule set months or years in advance. Our time with students is precious. Some classes, like my Mass Communication sections, are the same classes with the same value as Mass Communication classes at UCLA, SDSU, UCSD, Stanford and other American universities. They are foundational classes students need in order to be successful later at their universities.
It is the responsibility of our adult students to negotiate work hours with their employers that do not interfere with classes or labs. Employers should expect three things from our students:
• That they share their academic schedules as soon as possible
• That they are clear about hours they are available to work
• Their best efforts as employees
My colleagues and I would like to ask our community’s employers to help our hard-working students the following ways:
• Honor their academic schedules
• Encourage their educations
• Promote them as they learn and allow them to apply their knowledge to help your company thrive
Thank you to all businesses and employers that hire college students. You are cornerstones of the American Dream. Our students are a great investment – after all, they are an investment in our community and the future of our nation.
Dr. Branscomb is Professor of Journalism at Southwestern College.
