California Assemblyman Das Williams spoke with The Channels to discuss two bills he hopes will improve the financial standing of working-class students by covering expenses and offering intersession courses.
Williams began attending City College as a homeless 17-year-old. Within two years, he was able to transfer to University of California, Berkeley.
“When I went to SBCC I was a high school dropout living in my vehicle in the neighborhoods around campus. I know the difficulties of having to work a couple jobs to get through education,” Williams said. “Within two years and one summer I had enough units and good enough grades to transfer to UC Berkeley. I don’t care how capable your colleagues are, that would be almost impossible right now.”
According to the Office of the Chancellor’s statistics, only 53.7 percent of degree-seeking students either transfer or get a vocational degree after six years. Williams believes lack of financial aid and access to courses are to blame. His two bills seek to resolve both matters.
“Occasionally you come across an issue that keeps you up all night that makes you so angry,” Williams said. “I think we have a real crisis of access.”
The first bill, Assembly Bill 606, would encourage students to complete Free Application For Federal Student Aid forms and establish a voluntary pilot program to increase student participation in state and federal financial aid programs.
About 50 percent of City College students are Board of Governors waiver students, meaning they don’t pay an enrollment fee. According to Williams, under bill AB-606, students would qualify for Pell grants, averaging about $5000 a year. This would help City College cease losing half of its enrollment revenue to Board of Governors waiver students.
His other bill, Assembly Bill 955, would legalize community colleges to offer extension courses during intersession that are not state-funded. Popular courses would be offered over a period of three weeks in winter and summer for $200 per unit. These courses would be especially beneficial to veterans who must be continually enrolled to receive financial aid.
“The longer it takes to transfer or graduate because of inaccessibility, the more you exclude working-class students because they have to work to support themselves,” said Williams.
Williams said the bills would not only affect student life, but also the future economic competitiveness of California. By increasing access to education, City College would produce more Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) graduates needed to begin high-wage businesses like Google or Raytheon.
Opponents of the bills claim that they will create a two-tiered, class-distinctive system of public education between those who can pay and those who cannot. English as a Second Language assistant professor Gail Reynolds is one of many teachers opposed to both bills.
“I do not think either of these bills would improve student life. [Assembly Bill 955] would favor economically advantaged students,” said Reynolds. “This idea of a two-tiered system was rejected last year when it was proposed.”
The Faculty Association of California Community Colleges has also officially opposed Assembly Bill 955. Williams argues that the educational system as it stands is two-tiered, since poorer students spend longer at City College to coordinate with long working hours.
