After three years of holding tuition rates flat, the college will increase the schooling fees the next academic year. Barbara Larson, JCCC Executive Vice President, states it would be a modest raise.
“We don’t believe these modest increases will influence enrollment decisions, and that’s why we want to make sure we don’t have large spikes in tuition, but really consider very moderate planned increases,” Larson said.
On the other hand, some people, like Alvaro Rosas, chef, indicate this change could decrease the school population.
“We’re electing for the low income families,” Rosas said. “There should be like a grant or something that we can help student with because, if there are no funds, and if the student has to pay more, then they will stop coming over and keep having education.”
Students like Cade Lambson, Mary Wroten, Dean Fry, had concerns about the tuition raise.
“People should be able to come to a college that is cheaper that they can reach their potential and reach their goals, and raising the prices of things causes people to go somewhere else,” Lambson said.
“I wouldn’t be super worried about it, because I guess financial aid would still be available, and that might be able to help, but again it’s not the same case for everybody,” Wroten said.
“I’m not all that concerned about it, Fry said. “I mean it doesn’t sound like too much of a big raise, and I know that there are like some lower income students who might be worried about it, but I think the college does have a lot of good financial aid programs.”
Christal D. Williams, Finacial Aid Director, explained other ways for students to save money on tuition.
“The increase will not affect students financial aid at all,” Williams said. “What I would encourage students to do is apply for our scholarship programs apply for our financial aid. Many students don’t even apply. We give away millions of dollars in scholarships each year, and you can’t receive them if you don’t apply.”
However, Tiger Harris-Webster, Student Senate President, shared that Students Senate voted to not oppose the increase.
“As student senate, we voted to not be apposed of the tuition raise is how we worded it just because it’s kind of its already in action and its basically its already in their planning even though its only gonna get confirmed in May,” Harris-Webster said.
For The Campus Ledger, Paloma Martinez.