Beginning the fall of 2009, students will have to take an extra English and math class to option an Associate of Arts degree at a California community college and that can only mean one thing- more money out of your pocket.

As a student, I don’t like this at all.

Don’t the community colleges get enough money already?

It’s bad enough to paying $26 per unit, and depending on the total units, paying what seems like $300 for classes, and now colleges will be raising the graduation requirement for an AA degree.

What’s next, a charge for using computers?

The recommendations to change of regulation are:

? Students will be required to obtain a satisfactory grade in an English course at a level of English 1A or another English course at the same level.

? Students will be required to obtain a satisfactory grade in a math course at a level of Intermediate Algebra instead of Elementary Algebra.

The reason behind this is President Bush’s statements that high schools are not performing well in math and English.

Now, it seems that he is concerned with college students who are not performing well too.

That’s funny considering that our esteemed president doesn’t have one ounce of concern about poverty, the economy or global warming, all issues that directly affect the future of this country and its students.

Memo to Bush: Talk all you want about the concern you have for education, but what have you done for us lately?

Students should be more concerned about how light their pockets will be as those who will attend college in 2009 will be.

I know I am.

It’s all about the money to pay for those classes. Did the Board of Governors think about that? No!

Those who are on the Board of Governors probably thought, “Well, for those students who want a degree, let’s just make it harder and pocket the money.”

Math and English are hard.

Math, for most students, is a subject they dread and I admit I am one of them but no matter how hard you try, it is difficult to understand and actually ‘get it.’

Likewise, with English, writing a research paper isn’t for everyone and it can be overwhelming.

But again, it all leads back to the money that is hard earned, the colleges are making themselves rich and the students are the ones who are poor.