Shut Out: Social Class and Education

By Sally Raskoff

Discussions on our campus lately have focused on the state budget cuts and how those affect us and our students. Each semester, as each round of cuts occurs, we have fewer and fewer spots for students to attend our classes at a time when demand is growing.

We’re a community college, so we are getting people from the universities and colleges who can’t get into classes there. We also have people who are trying to start college and those who are trying to retrain for new occupations. We have closely examined our costs, instituted hiring freezes and slashed supplies budgets, and we still have to cut out more classes to balance our budget.

In recent discussions, we debated not printing our schedule of classes and moving all of that information solely online. It’s already online, but we have still printed paper copies that are available on campus.

Many universities have made their catalogs and schedules online-only and we’d save a fair amount of money if we do so too. Many other community colleges are considering this and some have already stopped printing such information.

Sociologically, what are the pros and cons of making schedules and catalogs available only online?

Ecologically, it makes a lot of sense since these schedules are only useful to most people for a semester or so. A lot of paper and ink would be saved.

Because of our budget cuts, though, more students each semester have to run around campus to attend first classes to see if there is room to add. They do not often have much success, but they try anyway. The paper schedules come in handy for both faculty and students since we can leaf through it to see what other classes are available and where they are held.

More than once, I have been able to help a student find the class they needed by looking through the paper schedule. A few times, my computer wasn’t functioning and the paper version was all I had! Our IT department is understaffed due to the budget cuts and this affects the way we access technology. (The same situation exists with our maintenance staff but that’s another story!)

Students who have smart phones or other web devices can check the online listings or the online list of open classes. Students without such devices would be out of luck if no paper schedules were available, though. They would have to keep running back to the building that posts lists of open classes (if we keep printing those out and posting them).

Moving registration online is more efficient than previous enrollment strategies. However, the process of finding classes is facilitated by having easy access to a listing that doesn’t run out of battery power or is available only on a website that might crash or have access issues.

My bigger concerns about losing access to an officially printed paper schedule is that students who are not web savvy might lose access to entering and navigating college.

As a community college, not all of our students are “transfer ready” or even destined to go to a university where it’s necessary to have Internet access and a personal computer. We serve many different functions, but a big part of our mission is open access to those who want an education.

The budget cuts make it impossible to meet this objective since we have to turn students away. Because registration often prioritizes those who have more units for early enrollments, by the time new students can register, classes are all full.

It is those new students who have less knowledge about to how to navigate college processes. If these were all people from the upper income and social class level of society, they could easily use web pages to figure it all out. However, the population of community colleges includes people from all walks of life and all social class levels.

The “Digital Divide” refers to a gap in access to technology that is certainly structured by social class. The Pew Research Center did a recent study clearly showing that upper income people have more access to technology than those in lower income levels.

Clearly, there are people using technology at all income levels but the usage and access is much more at the higher levels. Based on this graph, it appears that of those who earn less than $30,000, 25% might not own a cell phone and 43% might not even use the internet.

This research, coupled with the idea that community colleges are moving towards putting all of their enrollment information online, suggests that our current educational model of open doors and access for all those who want an education is no longer valid.

With the economic issues plaguing states and the nation, our educational system is suffering with fewer and fewer people able to educate themselves. Using technology to save money adversely affects people in the lower income levels who may not have easy access to the Internet.

What does this mean for our society in coming years? What will it mean to any potential economic recovery when a large portion of the population is denied access to education?

Comments

[Katie]

This is a very hard topic to deal with because it is so important for people to get a college education and it just seems like everything is so expensive these days that decisions just keep getting harder and harder.

[Lauren]

It's obviously very difficult to deal with these budget cuts, but as I see it going online to save money is the best option for you. It would seem that some students that aren't web savvy get left behind, but we are becoming a very web based world. By forcing them to learn to use the internet now I think is better than later, because they'll get left behind either way. It's better for them to get the wake up call now while they can still learn it before falling excessively behind.

[Trent Bullock]

This subject can get very touchy and people often go on the offensive when it is brought up. However, the previous comment is correct. Our society-which is now making a move toward global-is becoming more web savvy. It will be easier for people to conform now than to try and catch up later. Think of it as taking an at-your-own-pace class. It would be simpler to get ahead right away rather than trying to catch up after falling behind. As I can see it, placing the class schedules exclusively online would be the best option. The saved funds from that could go towards improving the online experience of students and also towards helping the issue of understaffing in necessary fields.

[Mallorie]

I agree with these comments above but really if there isn't enough room for students in classrooms then online is the way to go. It's less expensive, and even though you don't have the hands on learning experience one on one with the teacher it could still be very beneficial now and in the future.

[Lily]

I also agree with the comments above. I've been taking a online class and I've found that they are much easier to do than regular classes. Many college students who i work with like online better because they can manage it their own way and not have to worry about missing something in class or notes n such. And it is true that regular college is becoming expensive, i might go wit online i'm not sure if its cheaper but it might be more beneficial towards me. But we are all differnt people we learn differnt ways some are hand on and others aren't.

[Debbie P]

I completely agree with all the comments above. Taking online classes require the student to learn at their own pace and absorb the information on their own and get tested on it, without a teacher looming over them for assignments or teaching them directly. It gives them management skills that they must learn later in life sooner because they have to manage their time outside their school work and extra curriculum. It's just a different way of learner that doesn't require definite deadlines, and for some students, that is more beneficial. I also think that transferring schedules and catalogs and many other things online is efficient because instead of shifting through millions of papers that the college receives like online admissions, they can look at it with the click of a button. This is one form of technology that I do approve of because it keeps everything clean, and saves enormous amounts of paper.

[Callie]

I think that the new budgets are hard on the schooling and the people who want to get on. I like online classes because I go at my own pace and that I can learn in my own way and it make things easier when you can learn by yourself then people around you talking to you. But I think that making all this budget cuts may not be good in the end. Our generation is already called the least bright so why would you cut costs when we need people to attend college and get a job to make this economy better?

[firephoenix456]

The move to put college info online would only make college worse for a guy like me because I have computer technology but it’s extremely old and outdated Mac version 10.3.9 if that means anything and I have moral objections to having a cell phone so where does that leave me?!

[Katie]

In my opinion girls spend more time surfing the web; I think guys know more about the technical stuff but as far as getting to and understanding the information to get on an online class for college it puts them at a disadvantage.

[Taylor Reilly]

I can see where converting to all online would save the school money, but I also feel that this would be very unfair to those who don't always have internet access. Education should be easily accessible for everyone, and if some people are being cut out just for not being able to see the schedules or whatever online, I don't think is fair, I think it should be equally accessible for everyone.

[Riley Augst]

Talking as a student in an online class without internet access at home I can say that the classes sometimes get very frustrating. Not only that but with a teacher and hands on learning, I find it harder to learn what I need to be successful. I don't really see where this saves money besides paper. You still need to pay the teacher and the classes cost the same per students. I think that in our techinolgical world, the web-nation is just going to be something that everyone has to get used to, wether they can afford it or not.

[Taylor]

Budget cuts can be very hard to deal with and finding a solution is not easy. I think the easiest and most cost saving would be to put things solely online. It may make it so some students cannot attend but with the way technology is advancing so quickly they will sooner or later learn how to access the internet.

[Adrienne Watts]

It's clear to see it is very difficult to deal with all of these budget cuts, and online schedualing to save money is a great way to save some money. It would seem that some students that aren't capable of doing thing and may get left behind. We are becoming a world based on the web though, so they need to catch up with the times. I would say its almost a good thing to be forced into becoming more comfortable in this area.

[Salina]

This is a huge issue because it is happening everywhere with everything. For most people, it seems that doing everything online is easier than having a paper form. However, I think that an easier solution would be to print out paper forms for people who need them (i.e., those that cannot readily access the Internet). However, their schedules could still be posted online. This saves quite a lot of paper and money because many people would opt out of having the paper version if they knew that they could access their classes online at any time. At the same time, it allows students who don't have the same sort of internet access to be able to see their schedule in front of them at all times.

The only thing this doesn't really solve is how to find someone's classes if the computer crashes, but then again, technology is bound to fail every once in a while.

[Ashley]

While budget cuts are definitely an area of concern I also think it is of concern the kind of people that are affected by these cuts. They are mostly low-income people that will suffer. It is not fair that in America today it is much more difficult for someone with less funds to be successful that someone who is rich. I bet huge school are not dealing with this bad of budget cuts and the rich who go there are then getting more benefits. It is not right that the poorer people have less to help them learn.
-Ashley Byykkonen

[katie]

I think that forcing kids to take online classes especially at the college level is horrible. I'm taking two online classes right now and it can get very frusterating. At first I thought that it would be nice to be able to work at home and get more done in a shorter amount of time but it's harder than I thought it would be. I can't imagine taking college classes online, because-from what I have heard anyway- college is hard enough as it is.

[Danielle]

This post brings up a valid argument. As technology continues to advance, the society's reliance upon technology increases as well. I can imagine that in the future (both near and far), people rely heavily upon technology for education, work, and communication. Because some people lack the money to gain access to technology, the gap between those who are tech-savvy and those are not may widen. On the other hand, as technology reduces paper-costs, schools may have more money to spend on "internet bars". I believe that an electronic catalog is a wise decision economically, but there should still be physical catalogs for those who don't have access to the internet. I also believe that as technology advances, more technological devices will be created, therefore increasing supplies, and decreasing cost, consequently making access to the internet more affordable.

[lauren]

In my online sociology class, we are learning about the digital divide. This is very interesting to me to still see the divide, also it surprises me how many people don't use the internet. I feel like I am constantly on the computer, whether it's social networking or doing research for personal use or a specific class. I think that forcing kids to take an online class is a smart idea. I am currently enrolled, and I was shocked with how much work I have to do. Although my class had taught me time management. This is a huge deal though because digital divide happens every where.

[Taylor]

Money is tight now-a-days and schools are always trying to find new ways to save money. Cutting out paper copies may save money but I don't think that is the solution at this time. Students need the paper copies to sort out their classes. Plus, the internet is never 100% going to work, so students would be in a jam without the paper copies. I think maybe in the near future paper copies could be cut out, but not now when not everyone has technology at their fingertips.

[Hannah]

I really enjoyed reading your blog, epically because as an upcoming senior in highschool my choices are beginning to narrow. I agree that the online schedules would be much more helpful for the people of my generation,seeing as we are using technology more and more. The fact that you are a continuity college also adds to the saving you might achieve, showing that you are embracing the new wave of technology use.

[Jacob]

As a high school student, I am very nervous about what is going to happen to me and my fellow classmates as we go out and go to college. I don't know what the prices of things will be and I am worried that everything is going to be too expensive for me to pay for. I am a mediocre student. I get A's and B's. I don't have a 4.0 in high school but I am doing well but I don't want to be up to high neck in student loans when I am older. I think the things that they are doing to help balance out the budget are good because it's saving money for other things, the things that matter. Not everyone is going to agree with what colleges spend their money and what colleges cut, as far as classes go. I agree with some of the people above me when they say that paper copies are very helpful. This is because a piece of paper is more reliable than a website because the internet is not going to work all of the time. Students who don't have a computer at home will also have trouble accessing important documents that their grades depend on.

[Gwen]

The effects of budget cuts have been evident on all levels of education. Although acquiring internet access may be more difficult for some students, it is inevitable that students are going to have to use it on a regular basis. As for online scheduling, I do believe that students should be able to opt to have it in paper form if they chose. It is my hope that lower-income students can find ways to work around their lack of technology so that they have equal opportunities. Thanks for the post!