Thumbs up: Veterans resource center

After years of promises, Fresno City College President Tony Cantu announced last Friday that the college is finally allocating funds and building space for a veteran’s resource center. The center could become available as soon as this fall.

The editors of the Rampage say “Thumbs up” to our administration for making this a priority following the passage of Proposition 30. The new resource center offers this campus a better opportunity to guide veterans and active-duty military personnel through their long term pursuit of a prosperous civilian life.

Until now, those returning from their deployments were left in the darkness without the academic and vocational support that they need in order to thrive.

The process of assimilating back to civilian life can be daunting or even overwhelming. Veterans returning home oftentimes suffer from severe depression, anxiety, PTSD or a combination thereof. Although the vast majority of veterans are profoundly disciplined and courageous, they require the guidance and support of college counselors, the veteran community, civilians and our government.

Among the thousands of veterans currently enrolled here, approximately 650 receive benefits designed for former and current members of the military. We have an obligation to provide them with essential services and community resources while they gradually re-adapt to living ordinary lives. We also have an obligation to demonstrate to veterans that their sacrifices are recognized and appreciated.

Hats off to President Cantu and Vice President of Student Services, Dr. Christopher Villa for approving this veterans resource center, even with the constraints of a tight budget and limited building space. We commend them for placing the needs of ex-military personnel above those of other demanding organizations.

Thumbs down: Restricted library access

Still, there are other resources that are drastically underfunded or overlooked and should be addressed immediately.

“Thumbs down” for the administration’s continued lack of sufficient funding of the college library.

Many students have no choice but to balance coursework with off-campus responsibilities, including child care and work. Single parents, the working poor and others with inflexible schedules are disproportionately affected by the narrow hours of operation offered by the library.

The library opens at 7:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. Those with morning classes are deprived the opportunity to study and prepare prior to their 7 a.m. coursework. Students with evening classes face the same discrimination. Not only is the library closed on weekends, the building shuts its doors to students at 2 p.m. on Fridays.

The same criticism applies to the computer lab and the reading and writing center, which are also underfunded. The computer lab closes at 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 3 p.m. on Thursday and 2 p.m. on Friday. The college restricts access to evening students who may have no other option but to do research for their assignments on campus.

The reading and writing center is so poorly funded that students in need can only receive assistance from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and until 3 p.m. on Thursdays. On Fridays, the center is open for a mere three hours and is consistently understaffed. This is an unacceptable barrier to academic progress.

Failing to provide for the needs of large segments of the student body deprives the it of an equal opportunity to succeed and is grossly unfair. The library staff, computer lab, and reading and writing center have little choice but to work within the constraints of their limited budgets. It is the responsibility of the administration to adequately provide for the students they claim they work for.

The editors of the Rampage assign all blame to our administrators for the inadequate funding of necessary resources for students. In order to equally succeed, students require these fundamental services.