COD Student Newspaper Joins Statewide Protest

The 's student newspaper The Chaparral has joined with 20 community college newspapers statewide to protest the recommendations of a task force that could help some students and hurt others.

The California Community College Student Success Task Force's recommendations leave too many students "out in the cold," according to a statement released by students at The Chaparral.

After a year-long look at community colleges, a 20-member task force recommended to boost the effectiveness of the schools by rewarding students who make progress toward educational goals with enrollment priority and access to financial aid, according to California Watch.

But the recommendations seem to benefit higher-income students, while hurting students who work while attending school, according to students on The Chaparral.

"The task force produced a document that outlines who they feel should be entitled to California’s education system, and who should be left out. Who they left out though, is any student who is not attending school full time, planning to transfer in two years," the students said in a statement.

"Everyone else is left out in the cold."

As part of the protest, each newspaper is printing or posting to the web an editorial denouncing the task force and its recommendations.

The protest was started by the Guardsman of the City College of San Francisco. Others on board include newspapers from Chabot College, College of the Sequoias, De Anza College, Riverside College and the Southwestern College.