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D ecem ber 30. 2 0 0 9
_______________ O pinion
Barriers to College Completion
Struggling students
need our support
by
J udge G reg M athis
In recent years, much attention
has been paid to K.-12 student
performance, and rightly so. The
educational foundation our chil­
dren receive in schools prepares
them for life.
We must devote significant re­
sources to ensuring that educa­
tion is strong and comprehensive.
But we must not forget about our
students after they leave high
school. College graduates are criti­
cal to maintaining a successful
American economy.
According a report recently released
by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan think
tank, 2.8 million students enroll in a
college or university every year; most of
them do not graduate in four years.
In fact, many drop out early in their
college careers. These students say that
it is often too hard to work
and support themselves -
and often their families -
and go to school at the
same time.
Over a third o f the stu­
dents say that even if they
receiv ed a g rant that
helped pay for books and
dents-they have families to support and
must work while in school.
O f those who eventually finish
school, they are taking longer to gradu­
ate. The report notes that only one out
of five students who enroll in two-year
colleges receive their associate de­
gree, a program that typically takes
two years, in three and that only two
out o f five who enroll in four-year
colleges receive their degree within
six years.
C ollege graduates
provide much needed
innovation, analytical
reasoning and specialty
skills that move our
economy forward. Ad­
d itio n a lly , co lleg e
graduates earn significantly more money
over the course of their lifetime than a
high school graduate will, money that
will be poured back into the American
economy.
We must not forget about
our students after they leave
high school.
tuition, returning to andfmishingcollege
would tax their already full schedules.
This is alarming news, considering that
more and more of today’s college stu­
dents are considered ‘untraditional’ stu­
The Census
and Democracy
Accurate count vital for fair share
M arc H. M orial
As we enter the New Year, we are
reminded that on April 1, many of the
essential "gifts" of democracy will be
determined by our participation in the
2010 Census.
A complete and accurate census count
will ensure that your state and commu­
nity get their fair share o f Congressional
seats, community services and the distri­
bution of more than $400 billion in fed­
eral funding.
But the undercounting o f African
Americans in recent years has short­
changed hard-pressed communities of
color. That is why it is so important for
every citizen to participate in the census
and for the government to take specific
actions to remedy the under-counting of
African Americans.
As chair of the 2 0 10 Census Advisory
Committee, I recently convened a meet­
ing with Commerce Secretary Gary
Locke and a broad coal it ion of civil rights
by
Advertise in
leaders in Washington,
DC.
I called the meeting to
hear the Department's
plans for tackling the is­
sue of African Ameri­
can undercounting and
to share our ideas for
partnering with the Census Bureau in a
coordinated outreach and mobilization
campaign to ensure a full count.
Other meeting participants included
Benjamin JealousoftheN A A C P , Rev.
A1 Sharpton o f the National Action
Network, Rev. Jesse Jackson o f the
Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, U.S. Rep.
B arbara Lee, D -C alif., U.S. Rep.
L acy C la y J r., D -M o ., M e la n ie
Campbell o f the National Coalition on
Black C ivic P articipation, Danny
Bakcwell o f the National New spa­
pers Publishers A ssociation, John
Payton o f the NAACP Legal Defense
Fund and others.
Portland O
Knowing this, the American govern­
ment has to work to support these al­
ready overwhelmed students by bui lding
supports into the nation's grant pro­
grams for students.
A housing stipend for students who
have to pay rent and subsidized day care
for those with children are among the
benefits would go a long way in making
sure fewer students drop out o f college
because o f such conflicts.
Obviously, much can - and needs - to
be done. Our lawmakers should view
the Public Agenda report as a call to
action, taking the disturbing information
presented and using it as an impetus to sit
down and really think of ways to support
our college students.
If a student is motivated, we must do
all we can to remove the barriers that
stand in their way.
Greg Mathis is a retired District
Court Judge and syndicated televi­
sion show judge.
An accurate census count is an
essential tool o f public policy and
citizen empowerment.
As the Black community contin­
ues to suffer disproportionately
from job losses, foreclosures and
the other ravages o f the great re­
cession, it is vitally important that
we not have a repeat o f the 2000
census when about 1.3 m illion
people were over-counted, mostly
because o f duplicate counts o f
Whites with multiple homes, while
more than 4 million Blacks and His­
panics were never counted.
An accurate census count is an es­
sential tool of public policy and citizen
empowerment. It helps determine how
many federal dollars are allocated for
local schools, hospitals, health care, pub­
lic transportation, seniorccnters, job train­
ing and a host of other vital community
services. It also determines the number
of Congressional representatives each
state is allowed.
Our coalition recommends a greater
emphasis on advertising in the Black
community and a stronger partnership
with community-based organizations to
get more citizens to fill out their census
forms. It should be noted that federal
law protects the personal information
you share.
The more than 1.2 million African
Americans in prisons across the country
also represent a built-in undercount. To
remedy that problem, we arc recom­
mending a change in Census Bureau
policy to allow prison inmates to be
included in the counts of their home­
towns. not where they are being incar­
cerated.
In our meeting. Secretary Locke ac­
knowledged that "African Americans
and other minority communities have
been consistently undercounted in past
censuses."
I am encouraged by Locke's willing­
ness to work with us to fix the problem
and also by the strength of the coalition
that will stay focused on this issue right
up until Census Day.
Marc H. Morial is president and
chief executive officer o f the National
Urban League
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