Community College Still Matters

When students begin to prepare for life after high school, community college is usually the last option that crosses their minds. However, while the thought of attending a big school with bigger parties may be a tantalizing idea, community college should not be a last resort, but a priority.

Prior to transferring to Central Connecticut, I attended Tunxis Community College for three years. Before enrolling, I had many of the same thoughts as today’s graduating high schoolers, in that community college isn’t the same as a four-year school. But while I may have entered Tunxis with those thoughts, I left with a greater respect for community college and a much better education.

In my time there, I was able to finish all of my general education requirements. When I transferred to CCSU, I began my focus in journalism rather than waste time in tedious math and sciences courses. While I took those gen-eds, I was able to do it for little cost. With financial aid, I was able to attend all three years debt-free, something incredibly uncommon at a four-year school.

Tunxis also gave me my first taste of college life. The jump from high school into college could be jarring, but being at a two-year school gave me my first glimpse of what it meant to be a college student.

In three years. I obtained an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts and an opportunity to attend Central.

While community college was life-changing for me, many lawmakers are trying to take that dream away from others. In 2018, Connecticut’s Board of Regents voted to consolidate the state’s 12 community colleges into a single accredited university.

If that were to happen, each community college would no longer have every major available, but rather a focus on a select few. For example, Tunxis could be looked at as the “College of Liberal Arts,” whereas Middlesex could be looked at as the “School of Nursing.” All 12 would take on their own focus under one institution.

This would clearly be a cost-cutting move for the state, but could be a disaster for many potential students. If a mother from Farmington wants to be a nursing major, why should she have to go to the other side of the state to achieve that goal?

The whole point of community college is to give an alternate route to higher education. It’s supposed to be accessible to all, no matter the financial background. If the system were to consolidate its community colleges into one giant university, that accessibility would be severely hampered.

Without Tunxis, I likely wouldn’t have been able to attend college, let alone a four-year university like CCSU. But what about single mothers or veterans of war? Getting a strong education is key for their ability to sustain a successful and healthy lifestyle. Many of them cannot afford to attend a four-year school right away. Community college is a way for them to obtain that level of higher education.

If the state is dedicated to raising money, wouldn’t continuing to invest in community colleges be their best point of action? Giving low-income students an opportunity to get a degree will only increase the workforce. Taking away that opportunity will keep more people jobless and increase the number of those on welfare.

Community college is exactly that: community. You’re allowing students who may not have been able to attend a four-year university an opportunity to get a degree. By consolidating the schools, you’re taking that opportunity away.

For me and many others, community college gave us a second chance at ever having a successful career. It may be looked at as a last option for some, but for others, it’s the only option.