The Role Of Low Income Students
Some of the stakeholders impacted by issues of cost and access include students, faculty and staff, local communities, and institutional administrators. Low-income students have a more difficult time in college (Berg, 2010). Berg writes, “the intense personal development that all colleges students go through in their lives is made especially hard for students from low-income backgrounds because they have been judged by society as coming from a community of underachievement and even immorality” (pg. 67). Knowing that the development period of their collegiate experience will be more challenging, these students have high stakes in how institutions are prepared, or not, to support them. If institutions do not have adequate support available for
low-income students, the students will struggle to succeed in that setting. Faculty and staff members are also stakeholders. As advocates for student success, it is important that faculty and staff are aware of what is getting in the way of cost and access both before students are at the institution and once they are there. This involves reflecting on practices and policies within one’s own office while also looking for intersections of how policies throughout the institution are impacting affordability and access. While some offices may have little to do with the initial affordability issue, how they support students once on campus is important. The local community has the opportunity to build a connection with the institution by offering support services in place for their community members to students. Hiring students from the institution to work at local establishments throughout the community allows students to gain additional assistance in offsetting the cost of college. Additionally, the community can partner with the institution to combine knowledge, resources, and ideas on how to support students struggling with cost issues while at the institution. Lastly, institutional administrators set the tone for how the institution approaches care and support for students of all income levels. If administrators commit to having dialogues about how to best support low-income students and dedicating institutional resources and supplies to their development, the support of low-income students has the potential to be a priority.
low-income students, the students will struggle to succeed in that setting. Faculty and staff members are also stakeholders. As advocates for student success, it is important that faculty and staff are aware of what is getting in the way of cost and access both before students are at the institution and once they are there. This involves reflecting on practices and policies within one’s own office while also looking for intersections of how policies throughout the institution are impacting affordability and access. While some offices may have little to do with the initial affordability issue, how they support students once on campus is important. The local community has the opportunity to build a connection with the institution by offering support services in place for their community members to students. Hiring students from the institution to work at local establishments throughout the community allows students to gain additional assistance in offsetting the cost of college. Additionally, the community can partner with the institution to combine knowledge, resources, and ideas on how to support students struggling with cost issues while at the institution. Lastly, institutional administrators set the tone for how the institution approaches care and support for students of all income levels. If administrators commit to having dialogues about how to best support low-income students and dedicating institutional resources and supplies to their development, the support of low-income students has the potential to be a priority.