As we make our way through the longest government shutdown we have yet experienced, we in the community college world occupy an unwelcome front row seat as direct witness to the impact on many of our students and employees. Roughly 85 percent of all community college students come from economically challenged areas; thus their lives are often financially challenged. While the clash of the titans is taking place above us, we are watching in real time the impact on students who have few resources to fight back. While most of us are just uncomfortable with the situation, a segment of our students and employees is absorbing a direct hit! Whatever has become of the old adage: “Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.”
Community colleges across the country are working mightily to lessen the impact of these blows. To borrow a headline from Sunday’s New York Times: “Some Wait for the Future. Others Shape It!” That’s how we feel at CCBC. Maybe the shutdown will end soon; maybe it won’t. Since Oct. 1, our college has made special provisions for employees and students impacted by the shutdown. We kept federally funded grant employees on the college payroll; ensured the distribution of student Financial Aid; offered loans or payment freezes to both employees and students; and provided counseling support for those affected by the shutdown—as well as to all members of our college community. We will continue this support through the month of November.
However, it is the decision to defund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a lifeline to 41.7 million Americans, that has thrust all of us into a vexing reality rising close to crisis level for many community college students. In response, some colleges have formed partnerships with local food pantries; others with campus Food Pantries have stocked up on basic needs like bread, soup and pasta. With 7,000 students who qualify for SNAP benefits, our college moved into overdrive, adding $50 to the OneCard of every eligible student to purchase food on campus or to turn it into gift cards for local grocery stores to buy food for their families.
Well-fed and well-paid legislators have made a decision to deprive families of supplemental food supplies, signaling a blind spot in their impact awareness level. I think most would agree with me that when political machinations impact food for the kitchen table, it is time for the government shutdown to be shut down! All this effort and good work are just natural to the community college. We are community colleges; “community” is our first name! This is what we do. In challenging times, we strive to support both our internal community—our faculty, students and staff—and our external communities—the regions we support. In times of challenge, we rally, offering a helping hand to those upon whom we rely to support our students.
As I was raising my family, when we faced challenges, I would often say to my children, “We can get through this! We’re tough.” That describes America’s community colleges. We are tough, we are driven, and we care about each other and our students. We continue to encourage our students and staff to stay connected and to seek solutions that transcend a difficult time, especially with a holiday season soon upon us. On any community college campus, the common touch, the genuine care for students and for each other—in spite of our occasional disagreements—is one of our best attributes. At CCBC, as we focus on our mission, first and foremost, we stay true to our two mantras that power everything that we do. We celebrate that “Every One of Us Counts” and pledge to continue to take “Actions That Matter!”