Civil service for financial aid?

An article.

New legislation aims to cut the cost of attending college through civil service. 

Volunteering at a nonprofit organization or working as a peace officer could do more than good for the community. It could help pay for your college tuition.  

A new bill proposed by Assemblyman Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) may ease the costs of attending a public university by providing financial aid for college students in exchange for post-graduation civil service.  

If passed, Assembly Bill 1267 would help students by paying for tuition and fees upon the completion of two years of civic service in areas of the state that most need help. The so-called Civic Service Act would help alleviate student debt while providing service to the community. 

As written in the bill’s literature, “Students in our higher educational institutions frequently graduate from college with overwhelming debt loads that all but render civic service an impractical path.” 

Though the costs of attending a university vary depending on factors such as housing and transportation, the Project on Student Debt lists the overall average debt in 2005 for students from California to be $15,203. On average, students attending public institutions in California were $12,542 in debt. Both figures are among the five-lowest in the nation, but many students still feel getting an education is becoming more expensive.  

“Education should not cost you an arm and a leg,” said Jodie Bernardino, a 2006 U.C. Davis graduate. 

Eligible students for the Civic Service Loan Assumption Program would have to be enrolled at a University of California or California State University campus, and be qualified to receive loans. 

Following graduation, students would work at least 600 hours a year for two consecutive years as employees in the civil service field as peace officers, firemen, paramedics, or emergency medical technicians. They could also work at nonprofit organizations, providing services in areas such as gang prevention, tutoring, or disaster preparation. 

Though details of the bill still need to be ironed out, many students expressed interest in the program. 

“I think this is really interesting,” said Glenda Garcia, a sophomore at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. “I have been thinking that education is supposed to inspire social movements, but the people who have access to higher education are those who benefit from the structure of the current social system. Most minorities and low-income people that do make it through college are silenced through debt.” 

Born and raised in California, Garcia hopes the bill will assist young people who are pursuing higher education and inspire them to volunteer. 

“It will be a good initiative to try to relieve people from debt by allowing them to help better their communities through civic service,” she said.  

Bernardino said she wishes the program had been implemented while she was in college. 

“It would have been nice to have a program like this because attending college is expensive,” said Bernardino. “I would have definitely participated in something like this.” 

Others expressed concern that taxpayers would be forced to foot the bill for someone else’s education. 

“It sounds great, but then again taxpayer dollars are going into this,” said David Gonzalez, a junior at Benjamin Franklin High School. “I’m completely for it, but the public may have mixed opinions.” 

Dale Mendoza, a U.C. Davis senior, said he is interested in the program, but that many of the details need to be clarified. 

“In theory it sounds good,” said Mendoza. “It needs to be hashed out though. I need to know how this is going to happen, where the money is going to come from, and short-and-long term effects.” 

Stephanie Alcid, a 2005 U.C. Davis graduate, said she would support the program, but can envision people having problems with it. 

“Anytime there’s something made for a specific group of people, some people say it’s not right,” said Alcid. “Graduate programs might also get upset because a lot of people fresh out of college go to graduate school, and that might not necessarily happen if they participate in something like this.”  

Despite lingering questions, many students hope the bill moves forward. 

“I don’t want to be in debt for the rest of my life because I pursued higher education,” said Bernardino. “This bill would help a lot of people.”  

Though she is concerned that people might use the program to pay for an education rather than wanting to truly help the community, Bernardino said its potential benefits outweigh its costs. 

“A bill like this would be beneficial. It would help support need-based communities and finance the education for young people who need the aid,” she said.