Due to the recent budget crunch, EC has raised tuition for students from $20 to $26 a unit.
It’s a big picture we’re looking at and the part that students have to pay is the school’s income increase,” said Director of Student Development, Harold Tyler.
The number of full time or equivalent students at EC is high, but the money to facilitate them is simply not there.
Community colleges statewide, as well as U.C.’s and CSU’s, are raising costs. Money for student service programs on campus ranging from disabled student assistance to Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE) programs have seen cuts as high as 50 percent.
School sentiment on the increase in tuition ranged from indifference frustration.
Darrius Morrow, a football player from Tennessee, who was already struggling before the tuition increase because of the high out of state fees, is having a much harder time now.
“It’s going to be really tough with tuition, the cost of living, as well as trying to keep up with classes,” Morrow said.
Nick Rocca, a construction engineering management major, is undergoing a “metamorphosis” while awaiting his appeal for his denied financial aid.
“I have to cut corners wherever I can, (whether it’s) strategically parking off campus or reusing water bottles,” Rocca said.
Some students, wary of paying higher tuition at universities, are grateful for the fees EC offers and have no complaints about the raise. The $26 per unit is seen as a blessing compared to the thousands of dollars needed for universities.
The $6 increase in tuition has not deterred people from registering for classes at EC, because enrollment is at its highest point since 2002.
“Too many people trying to add are taking away from the focus of the class because there are so many and it takes longer for the class to actually start,” said Daniel Nixon.
EC is fortunate enough to be able to handle the hit from budget cuts for the next four years while other schools are forced to shut down operations, Tyler said.
To help deal with the increase in tuition, Tyler, who is also on the planning and budgeting committee, suggests students choose classes more wisely and take fewer classes so the price isn’t so overwhelming.