College students have flooded to Santa Barbara to study at UCSB and City College, causing rising tension among local residents as the cost of living soars.
Community backlash due to low vacancy rates and the soaring population is nothing new. Isla Vista has attracted many to its well-known party scene and City College has taken many steps towards reducing the amount of non-local students attending the school.
By decreasing advertising out of the area and lowering the cap of international students that can attend, the college has decreased enrollment numbers since last fall.
Administration is now working on the proposition called College Promise, to encourage more students from the district to attend City College. Those of us on The Channels Editorial Board strongly support the program, as it would provide local high school graduates the opportunity to attend tuition-free, with free books, for two years.
Many graduates are unable to attend college if they cannot afford it and instead go directly into the workforce.
If College Promise is implemented, it could enable more students from the area to further their education when they may not be able to otherwise.
By enacting certain financial requirements to apply for the College Promise, similar to the Board of Governor’s Fee Waiver and FAFSA, the program will directly benefit students in genuine need of assistance and have a larger impact.
Positive feedback from students that benefitted from similar, shorter-term programs at Ventura College and Cuesta College show this program’s immense ability to change lives.
The program’s proposal states that private donors and foundations will raise the supporting funds, with some money ideally coming from the Santa Barbara community. College Promise is projected to be available to local students in fall 2016.
