Posted on

Why We Quit

The year was 2011 and I had just graduated from high school. I wanted to be prepared for my fall semester of freshman year, so I signed up for summer school. One day a woman by the name of Rebeca Mason walked into one of my classes last summer and introduced the class to the First Year Experience program (FYE). The FYE program is designed to help students be successful in their first year of college by providing a supportive, caring environment of educational and career services.

The 2011 program began with 100 students, but as the year went on, the program participation dwindled, leaving only 35 students to finish the program. All 100 of us had the chance to successfully complete the FYE program; yet only 35% did. Only 25 of the FYE students were African Americans to begin with! Attending the culmination ceremony for FYE, I only saw about four African Americans out of the 35 that completed the program, which is about 11%.

At the program culmination ceremony, all I could do was stare at the empty seats around me and wonder where those students were who once filled them. How do people start off strong and then just stop?  Circumstances? Lack of motivation? Peers? At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter why. They just quit.

It is disappointing, how African Americans have the highest drop out rate, which is the result in not earning a college degree. According to the website, blackdemographics.com, the average number of African Americans that have at least a bachelor’s degree increased one percent in a decade. This however is still ten percentage points lower than the national average.  As a college student, I am adamant about finishing school and encouraging others to do the same. In these hard economic times, we should take advantage of opportunities such as the community colleges that give us a chance to be competitive and competent in the work-place and save money as college students. While one part of me is still confused about why African Americans quit school, the other part of me already has a clue.

When the FYE program offered priority tutoring and assigned cohort tutors for each community, there were no African Americans who showed up to receive any assistance throughout the entire school year. Academic help aside, I also witnessed different students of color who made facetious comments about joining the FYE club, designed for FYE students to be more involved in the school and the events the club held as a commitment to the bonding of all FYE cohorts. Even with all the assistance the FYE program gave to us, why do we quit school? Pride. We don’t know how to ask for help. We always want to be seem cool and knowledgeable.

But that’s what college is for! College is about learning about the world and discovering your purpose within it. The uncertainties we have during our college journey are not to be answered alone. But until African Americans understand this, we will continue to miss out on the great opportunities and support within our reach to help us succeed and instead, just quit.

Shelby White is a new intern for Black Is and is on her way to becoming a successful journalist. Check back in for more articles penned by her!

Posted on

Low Income, High Debt, And No Degree

This report was shared with us by a friend who works for Ed Trust-West. The data presented here is staggering. Read on.

In California, for-profit institutions are growing at a rapid rate in a time when state support for higher education is declining.  In opening their doors to—and often directly targeting—disadvantaged students, these schools offer the promise of college and career opportunities. But how effectively are they fulfilling students’ dreams of a great career, and at what cost?

In The Education Trust’s newly released report entitled, ‘SubprimeOpportunity: The Unfulfilled Promise of For-Profit Colleges and Universities,’ the sharp increase in enrollment at for-profit universities is clearly presented.  The number of students enrolled nationwide in for-profit colleges has increased 236 percent over the past 10 years.

For-profits serve a large proportion of students from California’s underserved communities and communities of color.  In 2008, 29 percent of students in California for-profits were from low-income backgrounds, and 31 percent were African-American, Latino, or Native American.  While for-profit institutions have the potential to provide more access to higher education, the report illustrates a crisis in lost opportunities.  For-profit graduation rates are appallingly low.  Only 27 percent of first-time bachelor’s degree-seeking students in California, who enroll full-time in for-profit institutions actually graduated after six years.

Students at for-profits often incur debts that can burden them and their families for decades, regardless of whether they graduate. While for-profit institutions insist that their low graduation rates are a function of the populations they serve, this report highlights the fact that some non-profit institutions with similar admissions policies and comparable percentages of low-income students are able to graduate their students at higher rates.

In addition, not only can tuition be higher at for-profit institutions, but the out-of-pocket cost for students after receiving grant aid can be higher than private, non-profit colleges and universities.  As a result, students can incur huge, often lifelong debts that they are unable to repay.

“Given the expanding role of for-profits and their poor results, it is clear that they need greater oversight,” stated Arun Ramanathan, Executive Director of The Education Trust—West, a statewide education advocacy organization that works to close the gaps in opportunity and achievement for students of color and students in poverty. “The harsh reality behind many of the television commercials touting the benefits of for-profits is the individual broken dreams of thousands of California students. We owe our students a real chance at higher education and the great careers that will fulfill their dreams and re-invigorate California’s economy.”

Source: Ed Trust-West