The High Cost of Community College Dropouts

Social media sites like Facebook have been amid more than one free speech controversy in recent years. A community college student is at the center of this latest clash after posting scathing remarks about a certain school policy directly on the school’s Facebook page. So where does free speech end and the rules of proper conduct begin? If one examines this particular case, he or she will quickly discover that the lines are still fairly muddy in this relatively new area of First Amendment rights.

About the Facebook Poster

Marc Bechtol is a 37-year-old marketing student at Catawba Valley Community College in North Carolina. According to NBC-2, Bechtol’s disgruntled attitude arose after he learned that his college would offer a debit card that doubled as a student identification card on campus. Bechtol alerted the school that he did not want the card and didn’t want his personal information, such as his social security number, shared with financial entities outside the college. Bechtol said Catawba Valley agreed to his request.

And the Controversy Begins

However, it wasn’t long before Bechtol received the school debit card in the mail and discovered that the financial company issuing the cards, Higher One Financial Services, had access to his personal information, including his social security number. After the initial debit card was issued, Bechtol also began receiving email offers for credit cards from other banks. In addition, Bechtol began receiving additional email marketing from Higher One, offering additional benefits

Aerospace is big business in the state of Washington, with more than 600 aerospace-related businesses currently residing there. To ensure a sufficient influx of quality, trained workers, new grants are coming to community and technical colleges in order to provide necessary training as quickly as possible. Funding will come from both state and federal sources, with millions of dollars coming to colleges across the state. The additional money will be a boon to the aerospace industry in Washington, as well as institutes of higher education supplying the training.

Federal Funding Distributed to Washington Technical College

The Obama Administration offers the first grant for aerospace training to Renton Technical College in Renton, Washington. According to a report in the Renton Reporter, the $2.1 million grant was a portion of the funds awarded to the Spokane Community College system through the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grants program, or TAACCCT grants. These grants are part of the workforce development plan created by the White House to help displaced workers get the training they need to find new lines of work. Community Colleges of Spokane were given $20 million for this purpose, according to the U.S. Department of Education website.

This video offers a look at the aerospace program in the District of Columbia Community College.

The Air Washington Consortium

A portion of the Spokane funds was given to

Community college students can face many challenges on the road to a degree, including financial strains and the delicate balance between school, jobs and family responsibilities. Many community college students feel the stress of college life in negative ways, which can directly impact their ability to succeed in school and beyond. A large number also report mental health issues during their community college years, which include stress, depression, and anxiety. In response to some of these complaints, the California community college system recently announced the distribution of nearly $7 million in grant money to help students cope with the pressures of life and survive their college experience.

This video explains Proposition 63 or the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA).

Funding to be Split Among California Schools

According to a report at Los Angeles Business, the grants will be funded by the California Mental Health Services Authority. The $6.9 million allotted for the mental health needs of community college students will be split among 12 community colleges located throughout the state. The Signal reports that the funding will be used for training of staff and faculty, suicide prevention and peer-to-peer services. At least some of the money will be directed at students who are veterans and suffering from related mental health disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

“Our most recent data shows that stress, anxiety, and depression are among

With a current administration pushing community college graduations and mostly bleak data regarding completion rates at both two and four-year institutions nationwide, there is a bright spot to celebrate. A recent report released by the American Association of Community Colleges shows that completion rates at community colleges are increasing across the country, particularly with students of color. This particular study shows that many schools across the country may be on the right track after all, although community college officials stress that there is still plenty of work to be done in regards to college completion.

The Road Ahead: Completion and Transfer Rates

The report, titled, “The Road Ahead: A Look at Trends in the Educational Attainment of Community College Students,” takes a look at the attainment of different types of college credentials over the past 20 years, according to a press release at PR Newswire. The report also looked at the degrees earned vs. the increasing rates of enrollment to determine if the higher demand for a community college in recent years is actually translating to a workforce that is better prepared to meet the demands of a global market.

The report found that over the past two decades, the increase in completion rates has been double the percentage rate of enrollment at community colleges across the country. Between 1989 and 2010, the number of students earning credentials increased by 127%, while enrollment during the same time frame increased by 65%. The numbers are