Do Your Homework on Community Colleges

Excuse me? “There’s no need to mention on your resume, in job interviews--or polite conversation--that you” attended a “junior” college? (“Matters of Degree,” Aug. 27)

Why would anyone want to hide the fact that he-she was intelligent enough to “save a fortune”?

If Kathy Kristof had done her homework, she’d know that (1) community college Scholars Programs are superior to the first two years at any university, (2) snobbery is passe, and (3) California hasn’t had junior colleges for 20 years.

MERRY SHELBURNE

Public Information Officer

Glendale Community College

*

This is the first article I recall in The Times in which two-year community colleges are given recognition for the role they play in higher education. Not only are community colleges less expensive at $13 per unit for California residents, but these institutions of higher education are also the best choice for many students who wish to work toward an educational objective of a baccalaureate or higher degree.

I do take exception, however, with the statement that “there’s no need to mention on your resume, in job interviews--or polite conversation--that you” attended a community college for your first two years of a four-year degree. Graduates of Pierce College are proud of their having attended such an outstanding institution. Students who transfer from Pierce College to the California State University system achieve a higher grade point average at the four-year institution than students who began their studies at the university. This attests to the excellent quality of instruction on the part of the Pierce College faculty.

Two more points should be mentioned: Four-year colleges and universities do not have a corner on financial aid. At Pierce College, financial aid is available for “room, board, books and incidentals” as well as the cost of enrollment fees. After the 1994 earthquake, Pierce College received a federal grant of over $1 million to benefit students who suffered financial loss as a result of the quake.

Advanced Placement classes and testing out of certain classes are not the only ways to get a head start on college for high school students. Pierce College offers classes on a “concurrent enrollment” basis for 11th- and 12th-graders regardless of their grade point averages. These students register for and complete college-level credit classes offered on the Pierce campus. This program provides college-level credit for the high school student who needs to be intellectually challenged as well as the opportunity to experience life on a college campus.

MARY E. LEE

Acting President

Los Angeles Pierce College

*

To finance a child’s four-year college education, The Times suggests that parents give up their vacation home, country club membership and Hawaiian vacations. You elitist jerks, who are you writing for? Ninety percent of our American families don’t have those things in the first place. And nobody but multimillionaires will be buying the outfits featured in your magazine section on fall fashions.

Could you please aim more of your articles and fashion news at ordinary people living on a budget? (We are in the majority, you know.) For example, I’m sure your models would look just as gorgeous in outfits your editors could put together from affordable department stores where readers could really shop. (That would generate a lot more actual retail sales for your advertisers too!) Take a look at who your real readers and advertisers are--and give us a break.

SUSAN RYONO

Torrance