College Policies

Community college polices are frequently being updated. Keep current on the latest bans, free speech initiatives and safety protocols. Learn what schools are doing to increase funding in the midst of widespread budget cuts, determine the best practices to ensure safety on campus and get the latest on school controversies and student rights.

View the most popular articles in College Policies:

Community Colleges Contemplate Armed Security Guards on Campus

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Community Colleges Contemplate Armed Security Guards on Campus
Can armed officers make a community college campus safer? Many community colleges think so. Learn about the growing trend of armed guards on community college campuses.

Most students heading to college are consumed with the adjustment to dorm life, the sometimes complex maze of the registration process and the cheapest place to purchase textbooks and supplies. However, recent events on campuses across the country, particularly the tragic massacre that occurred at Virginia Technical College just a few short years ago, have them considering the safety of their schools as well. In response to those concerns, some colleges are thinking about arming the security guards that currently patrol the campus. Others may allow students and faculty to carry their own firearms as a means of self-defense in the event of an attack. We will take a look at both issues, and why community colleges are taking such measures to protect their students and staff.

Armed Officers may be Coming to Illinois College

Illinois Valley Community College is just one of the community colleges across the country considering the option of arming security guards on campus. IVCC president Jerry Corcoran told the News Tribune that the upcoming retirement of current Safety Services Director Ken Sangston prompted the idea. Corcoran said, "We're seeing a trend among community colleges across the state where they have armed security. IVCC is like a small city…so if there's an opportunity to raise the bar for security we should explore it."

IVCC currently employs four full-time and six part-time security guards. At this time, all of them are unarmed. If they decide to arm some of their staff, the

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Community College Spending Exposed: $5.7 Billion Lost in Los Angeles

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Community College Spending Exposed: $5.7 Billion Lost in Los Angeles
An investigation revealed major construction errors, immediate demolition of newly renovated buildings, and millions lost in administrative blunders in the Los Angeles Community College District. Learn about how billions lost due to poor planning and terrible mistakes in Los Angeles.

Few would argue that the budgets of most community colleges across the country are pinched to the limit today. The answer to overcrowded classrooms, long waitlists, and decrepit buildings seems obvious: pump more money into the system and then stand back to watch the benefits unfold. However, in a recent expose, the Los Angeles Community College simply wasted millions of taxpayer dollars that were meant to improve the campuses through poor planning, questionable contract awards, and construction blunders.

How it Happened in L.A.

With billions raised through a series of bond measures that would total around $11 billion when all was said and done, the district was clearly poised to bring the community colleges of Los Angeles into the 21st century. According to the Los Angeles Times, the money was supposed to be spent to ease overcrowding in classrooms, beef up seismic protections, and add new technology to the learning experience.

It sounded great to Los Angeles voters, which is why they agreed to the proposed bond issues, which raised property taxes for the next 50 years. It sounded great to the many students that were ready to further their education and professional careers through coursework at community colleges throughout the district. It sounded really great to the construction companies and contractors hired to do the work, pumping money into California's economy and bringing jobs to many who needed them.

Alas, the reality did not work out so well

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California Community College Students Protest Fee Hikes with Ramen Symbolism

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California Community College Students Protest Fee Hikes with Ramen Symbolism
Amidst proposed fee hikes, community college students march to state buildings, toting not only signs, but pallets of Ramen too.

It is not unusual in the least for college students to paint signs and march for a cause. Peaceful protests have long been a tradition in the world of higher education. However, recent protests in California over tuition hikes and other changes to campuses across the state have brought something new to the protest scene – Ramen noodles. As students demonstrate their concern over higher tuition rates and fewer available classes, Ramen has become the symbol of struggling college students trying to make ends meet.

Governor Brown's Tuition Hike

Governor Brown just took the California Governor's office a few short months ago, but already he is the target of ire from community college students across his state. The reason? In an effort to balance the budget without cutting additional community college courses and services, Governor Brown has proposed a tuition hike at community colleges throughout California. While the rate increase may not seem insurmountable, at just $10 a credit hour, the total amount of the increase over a year's time is $300. That is a considerable increase for many community college students that are barely making ends meet now.

In addition to the tuition increase, community college students are already grappling with larger class sizes, fewer classroom openings and cuts to services across campus. Some classrooms no longer have enough desks or chairs for all of the students that come in, forcing some to stand or sit on the floor during class. Others can't get

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Innovation Fund America: Community Colleges Dole Venture Capital Funding

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Innovation Fund America: Community Colleges Dole Venture Capital Funding
Community colleges may just become the next venture capitalists. Learn about the Innovation Fund American program and how community colleges are helping to inject investment dollars into local start-ups.

Small businesses and entrepreneurships have long been touted as the top growth factor in this nation's economy. In the interest of jumpstarting and sustaining economic growth at a time when the financial climate of the country has been sluggish at best, new programs are matching up entrepreneurs with community colleges to provide the infrastructure necessary to get these new business start-ups off the ground. The idea began as a local movement, but quickly went national as federal legislators and President Obama hopped onboard the entrepreneurship bandwagon. This article will explore the innovative new approach to economic stimulus that pairs business and community college in a synergistic relationship.

Humble Beginnings in Ohio

Lorain County Community College is teaming up with some new businesses in Ohio to provide innovation and jobs to a community in need. The Innovation Fund, started by this institution, offers grants to high-tech start-ups so they have the opportunity to test out their new technology and attract investors to their business.

According to a report on WhiteHouse.gov, one of the first companies to reap the benefits of this fund is ABS Materials. The company has produced an absorbent material dubbed "Osorb," which soaks up organic contaminants like a sponge to help clean up oil spills and polluted waterways. The company has begun generating revenue from their idea in just two short years, providing economic stimulus and jobs to this Ohio community along the way.

President Obama was so intrigued

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Lessons Community Colleges Can Learn from the Arizona Shooting Tragedy

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Lessons Community Colleges Can Learn from the Arizona Shooting Tragedy
The Arizona shooter was a community college student who had shown clear signs of trouble while on campus. What can community colleges learn from the tragedy in moving forward?

Ever since tragedy hit Virginia Tech in 2007, college campuses have been examining ways to make their schools safer for students and faculty. The more recent shootings in Arizona have further illustrated the need for intervention with disturbed students who could pose a potential danger to themselves or others. However, identifying the problem and finding a reasonable solution are two very different things. We will take a look at how some colleges are learning lessons from the Arizona tragedy and using what they learned to enhance safety on their campuses.

About Jared Loughner

Jared Loughner was a student at Pima Community College in Tucson. The college became concerned about some of Loughner's erratic behavior and eventually suspended him from the school. A few months after Loughner's suspension, he opened fire on a shopping mall in Arizona, wounding 13 and killing six people, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

According to a report at Google News, officials at Pima Community College released 51 pages of police documents on Loughner, depicting him as "creepy," "very hostile," and "having difficulty understanding what he did wrong in the classroom."

When Loughner released a YouTube video that called the college a "scam" and associated it with genocide, school officials told Loughner and his parents that he was no longer able to return to his classes. He would also need to obtain a report from a psychiatrist attesting to his mental health before coming back to the school campus again.

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College Policies

COLLEGE FUNDING
Community colleges are coping with major budget deficits, and this section covers how students are being impacted. From local fundraising efforts to federal grants, we’ll explore how community colleges are staying afloat despite funding cuts and cost increases.
How Community Colleges Fundraise to Improve Campuses
How Community Colleges Fundraise to Improve Campuses
As Community Colleges Set Budgets, Tough Decisions Must be Made
As Community Colleges Set Budgets, Tough Decisions Must be Made
Community College Curriculum: Drastically Changed by Today's Economy
Community College Curriculum: Drastically Changed by Today's Economy
CAMPUS SAFETY
Community college campuses should be a safe place, and these policies, controversial or not, aim to achieve that goal. Schools have banned sex offenders from campus, allowed security to carry guns and installed surveillance cameras in an effort to keep students safe. Here we’ll cover the latest crime and safety policies in place on campuses across the country.
Sex Offenders: Banned on Community College Campuses
Sex Offenders: Banned on Community College Campuses
Campus Safety on Community Colleges
Campus Safety on Community Colleges
Are Guns Coming to Community College Campuses?
Are Guns Coming to Community College Campuses?
SCHOOL CONTROVERSIES
From controversial reform to cursing in the classroom, our articles provide the latest news on school controversies. Here you’ll find information on some of the hot button topics related to community colleges.
California to Reform Community College System
California to Reform Community College System
Changes Coming to Nevada Community Colleges
Changes Coming to Nevada Community Colleges
STUDENT RIGHTS
From free speech to free dress, what rights do students have or relinquish on campus? Smoking bans, faith based initiatives and rights violations are just a few of the topics covered here. Don’t miss out on the latest information on student rights on community college campuses.
Are Maricopa Community Colleges Violating Minority Students Civil Rights?
Are Maricopa Community Colleges Violating Minority Students Civil Rights?
Faith Based Initiatives at Community Colleges: Faux Pas or Politically Correct?
Faith Based Initiatives at Community Colleges: Faux Pas or Politically Correct?
More Smoking Bans at Community Colleges Billow, But Not All is Sunny
More Smoking Bans at Community Colleges Billow, But Not All is Sunny