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With the federal government’s emphasis on workforce development, U.S. community colleges have become important entities in the national policy agenda and have taken on renewed importance to states. This book provides a critical analysis of various federal, state, and institutional policies affecting community colleges at the start of the 21st century. Addressed to anyone interested in the future of the community college, the book examines the national historical and… More >>

Community Colleges: Policy in the Future Context

Out of State Players Flock to California Community College Football Programs

By

Hazel Dixon

      Why would anyone pay nearly $200 a dollars a unit to enroll in a California community college if the student lives out of state?   In state students pay roughly $26 a unit.  If you happen to be an athlete, a football player, you might be willing to flock to the Golden State and continue your athletic career. 

Amazingly, the National Junior College Community Athletic Association which represents junior college football for the rest of the country has only 68 teams.

   Reluctantly, many people question the thought and intentions of why players who may perhaps live in the south travel to West Coast to play football, especially at a rural community college.  In the past and still today, coaches have been attacked for recruiting these players.  What many people may not realize is that 60% of Junior College football programs are in California.

 Athletes who play in California are provided with many benefits, such living in an new environment, getting a fresh start, and provided with the opportunity to receive their Associate degree. However, playing out -of -state can also be an eye opening experience for both players and community members as well.  Approximately 97% of the athletes believed that they are stereotyped about in the classroom and in the community.  The student-athletes felt that instructors believed that they were only capable of performing on the field and not in the classroom, and that the community wasn’t accepting of them because they were different.  The survey concluded that 73% of football players would welcome the idea of having more instructors that reflected their own ethnicity.  Many of these football players want to be accepted, and 85% agreed that they would welcome more support from instructors, staff, and the community members to attend more football games.  Players also would prefer to be seen in a positive rather than in a negative way.

  Oftentimes, football players come to California because junior college football programs may not be available in their hometown, and for many coming to a play at a junior college, may be one of the only options players may have left. 

    The fact is that many players that arrive in California are average to outstanding athletes. Some were MVP’s in high school, had great stats and were highly recruited by Division 1 schools. However, along the way, a series of unfortunate events occurred.  For many athletes their grades were substandard and they performed poorly on the SAT and/ or ACT tests; were over looked by recruiters; a family emergency, and the list goes on.  Somehow these athletes’ dreams were derailed and they had to make some hard choices.  These football players had to find other options. 

    Luckily, for many football players playing at a junior college can mean redemption and a second chance for success.  While for many this may be their last chance, there are those players that perform well on the field and in the classroom and sometimes end playing at the Division 1 or Division 2 level.  There are even a select few which have started out playing on the JUCO level and may have or had a career playing football professionally in the NFL and CFL.

It’s not news to anyone that college costs are skyrocketing. The average cost of one year at a private college or university has risen to a shocking $31,465. It’s no wonder that parents and students look at that number and wonder whether a college degree is in their reach at all. However, many families overlook the tremendous costs savings that could be achieved by attending a community college for two years. Tuition at community college is typically half that of a public institution and just one-tenth that of a private institution.

For many years, community colleges fought the image that they were the last resort for students who couldn’t get in anywhere else and that their programs were not as challenging or comprehensive and those at larger colleges universities. Today, however, community colleges are thriving centers that not only provide state-of-the-art career education, but also provide a high-quality educational foundation for students who wish to transfer to a college or university after two years.

Because most colleges and universities, regardless of size, require students to take core courses in their first two years before choosing a major, taking these courses at the community college level will save money. Additionally, core courses at the university level are often held in large lecture halls with hundreds of students. At community colleges, class sizes rarely exceed 30 students. So, paradoxically, community college students receive more individualized attention yet pay much less for that privilege.

Instructors at the community college level are required to hold a Master’s degree in their instructional area. Some have pointed to this as evidence that community colleges cannot provide the same quality of instruction as colleges and universities that employ professors with Doctoral degrees. However, very few of those professors actually teach the core courses that students take during their first two years of college. Additionally, community college instructors often have real-world employment experience that gives them a more practical perspective than university professors, who are immersed in the world of academia.

Transferring to a larger institution at the end of two years at community college is often easier than being admitted as a Freshman. Also, many states guarantee admission to their state colleges and universities to community college graduates who maintain a certain grade point average. Even prestigious Ivy League colleges like Harvard, Yale and Brown have accepted transfer students from community colleges.

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Praise for The American Community College “Since 1982, The American Community College by Cohen and Brawer has been the authoritative book on community colleges. Anyone who wants to understand these complex and dynamic institutions–how they are evolving, the contributions they make, the challenges they face, the students they serve, and the faculty and leaders who deliver the services and the curricula–will find The American Community College both ess… More >>

The American Community College