Universities

I've been letting my plants die. I could handle their upkeep with just school but now with classes and a job, all my work on the garden so far is slipping away. I suppose there is always next season... or the next, or the next. Right now I just want to save enough money to finance a move to somewhere quiet and alone, where I will have my plot of land and peace of mind. That's all I really want.

My cousins have been trying to impress upon me the benefits of higher education. Joe's vote is for UCLA. Holly thinks Davis is best. Danielle says UCSC could be great. I might be excited about college if it wasn't so expensive. As it is, education is a lifetime commitment, at least financially. More expensive than my plot of land and a house... and what is wrong with community college anyways? I don't feel any rush to get a degree.

I come from a middle class family. I never had any needs that were not fulfilled. I had many opportunities that those with less income would never have access to. Going to a university used to be attainable for someone with good to average grades, with an average amount of money. Now it is all but impossible to get in and afford a college education. My father went to UCSB in the seventies with a B average, and his education was paid off in five years after graduating, financed by dishwashing jobs. Such a thing could never happen now.

As education gets less and less accessible and the gap between the rich and the poor grows wider, our society will start to crumble. In my short time at this community college, I have met many others who know that going to a university is only a dream- a "maybe if I hit the jackpot..." type dream. These students are most often working full time to pay for their classes as it is. Many of them are responsible for providing for their family too.

It's time to either reform higher education or time to break away from it. We need new voices asking those in power to change. We need new ideas in the minds of the people who create the rules. And if that does not lead to any result- we need to fight back and forge our own path.

There is a lot of work that need to be done in the next decade, and a lot of change that needs to be made so the human race can survive. Let's start our fight with education so that we have a true and informed path to follow in the time ahead of us.