Educational barriers students face are many
It seems like it’s been almost a century (it was during the last century) since my college days, but I remember them vividly. Those days were fraught with numerous challenges, mostly financial. Today, in my privileged position, I see the many barriers and insecurities that my own students face and I can identify with some, but not all.
The pandemic has exacerbated the substantial barriers that today’s students encounter. But let us not think for a moment that these barriers or insecurities did not exist before the pandemic; they were present even then and wreaked havoc on many students, even before COVID.
So just what barriers am I referring to? While there are the general financial challenges associated with paying tuition and fees, there are also housing, transportation, health, child care, food, access to technology, mental health and much more. Today’s students, especially in a fairly rural community like Monroe, are compelled to confront many of these barriers while still trying to deal with the academic challenges of being enrolled in college.
In my college days, I encountered housing, transportation, food and some of the other challenges. Needless to say, those were very difficult days for me, but for the grace of God. Transportation was a challenge, but in a big city (Baltimore), there were buses that ran almost 24 hours a day, unlike here in more rural Monroe. I was fortunate to have had no health challenges and no other obligations. It was all about me then; now it’s more about others.
At Morgan State University, I was blessed to have caring and nurturing mentors who helped me sort through the maze as a first-generation college student. The college allowed us to carry debt until the end of the semester and permitted us to make good on our tuition and fees just before the start of the next semester. Besides, the cost was not based on credit hours but was a lump sum cost for any number of credits between 12 and 18 credit hours. So, of course, I always carried 18 or more credit hours to maximize my dollars.
As a college administrator, because of my personal experiences, I have done my very best throughout my career to provide the same opportunities for my underprivileged students. I see that as an obligation, not a choice.
Monroe County Community College is removing barriers by providing tuition assistance, free college, loans to assist with transportation, scholarships/aid to assist with housing, a food pantry on campus, and now mental health services. If our students and community have ever needed us, it is now. Many of us, like me, were lifted up by others, and we hope we can do the same for our students and community. Education is the key to success, and our local option provides so much more by removing barriers to enrich and transform lives. Please join us in the efforts to remove some of these barriers through the MCCC Foundation.
Kojo Quartey is president of Monroe County Community College and an economist. He may be reached at kquartey@monroeccc.edu.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Kojo Quartey: Educational barriers students face are many
