Students protest Governor Brown’s proposed Cal Grant cuts | 89.3 KPCC

Students protest Governor Brown’s proposed Cal Grant cuts | 89.3 KPCC:

Students protest Governor Brown’s proposed Cal Grant cuts

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Students and staff from private universities are protesting Governor Jerry Brown’s proposed cuts to the Cal Grant program. Some appeared Thursday at a Senate budget sub-committee hearing that addressed the plan. Currently, students at private schools can receive up to $9,700 a year, but Brown proposes cutting that by more than half for students at for-profit schools. Those attending private nonprofits would be able to receive up to $5,400. "I don’t know how I would come up with that money if that would happen," says Ruben Gonzalez, a junior at the University of Redlands. "That wou... more »

Cuts to community college system a 'travesty,' says trustee

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Ray Gen knows what it's like from both sides of the aisle, so to speak. He's on the governing board of the El Camino Community College District, but he's also a full-time English teacher at El Segundo High School. "I talked to a former student who graduated just last year, and he said in the fall he could only get two classes" at a community college," Gen said. "I mean, it's going to take him four or five years just to get out of a two-year program. It's just a travesty what's going on." Gen has sat as a trustee on the board while they have had to make $10 million in cuts this pas... more »

Armed robbery and double homicide raise concerns over USC safety

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An armed robbery and two murders of USC students have students, neighborhoods, and staff talking about safety around the university. It’s unclear whether the armed robbery suspect shot Wednesday by a University of Southern California police officer is tied to the recent murders of two international graduate students, but the latest incident has re-ignited concerns about safety from students, neighbors and people who work at USC. Gunshots aren’t a familiar sound around the campus, says Frances Wang. The sophomore lives in the “safety zone” patrolled by USC police — but even so, sh... more »

From 'boom town' to bust at the community colleges

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When Sean Donnell began teaching at El Camino College in 1998, it was "boom town." The community college system was growing, teachers were receiving a cost-of-living allowance (now frozen), and students were flocking to enroll. "We all know what happened," Donnell said. The recession. "And community colleges in particular get hit very hard because its kind of hard to justify taking money away from a kid going through compulsory K-12 education and its funded through the same money. But out of all the higher education systems in the state, we serve the most, we serve more than UC an... more »

El Camino College 'Occupy' student group wants administrators to take pay cuts

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A couple dozen students who make up "Occupy El Camino" are working to cut administrator salaries at their community college. At a Monday night meeting of the El Camino Community College District Board of Trustees, fourth-year student Robert Dewitz presented the following handout to the trustees and requested they consider a "reasonable" 20 percent cut that would match the type of cuts made to course sections and other school services. In a brief presentation to the trustees Dewitz outlined the group's stance. "It's only reasonable to consider an equal cut in administrative salar... more »

Students 'hope and pray' they get their classes as community colleges cut

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Robert Dewitz, 22, is a fourth year student at El Camino College, a two-year public community college in Torrance. He planned to transfer into a Cal State University school for fall 2011, but couldn't get into a physics course that would have given him his final credit. Then, after an application error and a missed deadline, he lost his chance to transfer out this fall. In March, CSU officials announced plans to freeze the majority of spring 2013 enrollment. And so it goes. "This is supposed to be a two-year college, Dewitz said, "and unfortunately it’s difficult for students to ... more »

5 tips to avoid teacher burnout

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These days it is tough to be a teacher — budget cuts, preliminary pink slips, and at L.A. Unified earlier this year, a sex-abuse scandal. So here's a quick list put out today by Best Colleges Online on how to avoid teacher burnout. In case you're too busy to read the entire story (though, their tips say you should take a break), here's a brief rundown: 1. Take care of yourself: Go for a walk, exercise, eat well, and schedule some quiet time. 2. Take time off: Use the sick day if you need it, or the personal day if you need a break. Dedicate a portion of the weeken... more »