Investment in college students is investment in community

California State University released an unprecedented study recently and found up to 24 percent of the system’s 460,000 students are “food insecure” and 12 percent of students suffer from “housing displacement” or homelessness. College is difficult and even more challenging and stressful when you are hungry and living in your car. Because of financial stress and lack of support from family, these students often drop out of school. Some CSUs like Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo are taking steps to address these issues.

Many of us living in San Luis Obispo County have an annual income of $110,000, which puts us in the top 10 percent of wage earners in the United States. We can help provide these students with a bright economic future because as we all know, an educated community benefits everyone in the community.

Retired CSU Chancellor Charlie Reed once said, “If you’re poor and smart, you have a 15 percent chance of going to college in this country. If you’re rich and stupid, you have an 85 percent chance of going to college in this country, and that needs to change. We’re not doing enough to change that.” Under Charlie’s reign, the CSU tuition increased by 200 percent, and his pay/compensation package was $450,000. Don’t be like Charlie; invest in all students.

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Investment in college students is investment in community."