Occasionally, the SSCCC issues press releases to announce topics and issues of importance, pending deadlines, or a call to action. Stay informed and visit this page often. Below are the past articles and announcements.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC), the official representative body for all 1.8 million California community college students, strongly condemns the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn student loan debt cancellation for millions of borrowers in Biden, President of the United States, et al. v. Nebraska, et al.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC), the official voice for all 1.8 million California community college students, strongly condemns the Supreme Court’s holding in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC) appreciates Governor Newsom’s dedication to California’s community college students in the 2023 - 24 May Revise. SSCCC supports the significant 8.22% cost-of-living-adjustment and prioritization of affordable student housing. We also continue to be strong proponents of college affordability and support the full on-time implementation of Cal Grant reform.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC), representing the over 1.8 million community college students in California, congratulates Dr. Sonya Christian on her appointment as Chancellor of the California Community Colleges.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC) appreciates Governor Newsom’s continued dedication to California’s community college students in the 2023 - 24 January budget proposal. SSCCC supports the significant 8.13% cost-of-living-adjustment, increased funding for the Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program, and full implementation of Cal Grant reform.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – On January 10, 2022, Governor Newsom submitted his 2022-23 State Budget proposal to the Legislature, totaling $286 billion - approximately 9% more than last year. This year’s budget is focused on access and affordability, equity, and innovation and includes a five-year commitment to all three higher education segments - University of California, California State University, and California Community Colleges - as well as a 5% increase each year. This multi-year framework invests sustained funding to ensure a commitment from each segment to expand access, equity, and affordability and provides a clear commitment to students by closing the equity gap and assisting students to complete their programs through to their target goals. This framework also creates a more coordinated effort to better align the three segments of higher education.
Sacramento, Calif. - On Saturday, August 14, 2021, the Student Senate for California Community Colleges Board of Directors took a position to support the requirement of COVID-19 vaccinations for colleges that are reopening with flexibility where vaccines are not possible due to medical conditions or sincerely held religious beliefs. The SSCCC urges administrators, staff, faculty, and students to follow local safety protocols in order to protect themselves and others and to prevent the spread of the virus.
SACRAMENTO -- The hiring of seasoned staff and revenue generated from AB 1504 (Medina, 2019) has created tremendous value for the 2.1 million students that the Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC’s) represents. Over the past year, these investments in the SSCCC’s capacity and capabilities have enabled us to advocate, lobby, and relentlessly represent community college students. We celebrate the following accomplishments:
“The decision to increase the cost of tuition, especially in times of economic hardship due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is incredibly insensitive to the struggles of students coming from first-generation, low-income, and underserved backgrounds. At a time when students are facing overwhelming financial burdens, more access not less should be available,” said SSCCC President, Gerardo Chavez.
SACRAMENTO -- The Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC) congratulates Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley on his appointment to serve as Special Advisor for higher education to the U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona.
Sacramento, CA – The Cal State Student Association (CSSA), the Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC), and the University of California Student Association (UCSA) have come together for the third year in a row to advocate as the Fix Financial Aid Coalition for financial aid reform on behalf of all California students.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. Today, May 14th, Governor Newsom released his revised budget. The SSCCC is pleased that the Governor has made significant investments in students as our system enrolls first-time students and recovers enrollment in the aftermath of a historic decline. The SSCCC has been fiercely advocating for more resources for California community college (CCC) students and we are elated to see that the budget proposal includes funding for emergency grants for students, basic needs centers and coordinators, student housing, Online Educational Resources, elimination of all deferrals, and DREAMer resources.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Tomorrow, May 1st, marks the beginning of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. This heritage month started back in 1979 as just a week to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to America and the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad. In 1992, it was changed from an annual proclamation to a monthly celebration when Congress recognized the need to celebrate the contributions of these individuals to society. Contributions like those from Anandi Gopal Joshi (first Hindu and first Indian female to receive a medical degree in the United States), Benazir Bhutto (Pakastani Prime Minister and politician), H.E.R (Filipino-American singer), Anna May Wong (Chinese-American actress), Maria Corazon "Cory" Aquino (Filipino President and politician), Dr. Min Chueh Chang (Chinese-American biologist), Dwayne "The Rock” Johnson (Samoan-American actor), and many more.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - April 12th marked the beginning of Ramadan, a holy month observed by millions of Muslims around the world who collectively take part in fasting, self-reflection, charitable giving, and holding space with the community. We send our best wishes to the California Community College students, staff, and faculty who are participating in Ramadan, and may you have softness and ease throughout this month.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Today, Wednesday, April 28th, President Biden announced the American Families Plan. The Biden Administration’s Plan proposes to boldly invest in community colleges and students recognizing that it is our institutions of higher education which will propel the recovery of our economy forward. The plan proposes $109 billion to fund 2-years of tuition-free community college, which includes DREAMers, $80 billion to increase the maximum Pell Grant by $1,400, and $62 billion for retention and completion programs at colleges serving low-income students – including $39 billion to subsidize tuition at historically black and other minority-serving colleges and universities.
In April, the State Department recognized Arab American Heritage month as a celebration of the Arab American culture and a tribute to the contributions of Arab Americans. As the state’s representative noted, “Arab American’s contributions are ‘as old as America itself’”. Arab Americans have been at the forefront of building America’s society through their history, contributions, and rich culture. These contributions include Jacques Nasser (Ford Motor Company), DJ Khaled (hip-hop producer), Salma Hayek (actress), Ralph Nader (famed consumer advocate), Gobran Khalil Gobran (poet), Ramy Youssef (actor), Hoda Zoghbi (scientist), Rosemary Barkett (Chief Justice Florida Supreme Court), and many more!
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Yesterday, April 20, 2021, justice prevailed. Last year, the unjust murder of George Floyd opened up dialogue about the inequities in our system and highlighted the injustice towards our marginalized populations. This provided the California community college system with an opportunity for introspection. What the SSCCC found was that policies needed to be changed, curriculum needed to be overhauled, and conversations needed to begin in order to ensure our disproportionately impacted communities were being justly treated.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – On February 17, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom, Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins, and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon announced that they have reached an agreement on a budget package of immediate actions.
This package includes $100 million in emergency financial aid for qualifying low-income students carrying six or more units, with award amounts to be determined locally and made available by early April. The agreement also provides $20 million to re-engage students who have either left their community college studies because of the pandemic or to engage students at risk of leaving.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - On June 2, 2020, Sean Monterrosa, a 22-year-old Latino American man, was fatally shot by a Vallejo police officer – Jarrett Tonn. Sean was a California community college student with a life-time of potential. The whole community including his classmates, faculty, and administrators have been affected by this tragic incident. But this is not the first time we have seen California community college young men of color murdered by police – including most recently Andres Guardado, 18-year old Latino LA Trade Tech student was also killed June 2020 and Stephon Clark, 22-year old Black Sacramento City College student was killed March 2019, and we are sure there are more.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – On January 8, 2020, Governor Newsom submitted his 2021-22 State Budget proposal to the Legislature, totaling $227.2 billion. This budget shows a clear and resounding commitment to students. We are thankful for the reduction of deferrals and investments in student supports and grants. Most notably, we are pleased that the budget includes $250 million one-time Prop 98 funds for emergency financial aid grants, $100 million one-time Prop 98 funds to address food and housing insecurity, and $30 million ongoing Prop 98 funds for technology access and mental health resources.
The Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC) represents students from the most diverse student population in the nation, California community colleges. After the unjust murder of George Floyd in May 2020, the SSCCC began to work actively within the higher education system to initiate change because we had seen too much of others talking about the issue without taking meaningful action.
The Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC) acknowledges the nearly 100-year movement that led up to the amendment’s ratification. While a big step forward, we recognize that history repeatedly tells us a single story that excludes the racism, sexism, and classism within the movement that discriminated against suffragists of color. Within the battle for the right to vote, countless Black, Native, Asian, and Latinx suffragists were ostracized by those they worked alongside in a movement themed around equality.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – On August 3, 2020, the California Community College Chancellor’s Office released memo FS-20-08 outlining guidance on the disbursement of the $120 million block grant, included in the 2020 Budget Act, provided to districts based on enrollment to support student learning and mitigate learning loss related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Budget Act also included language that districts prioritize services for underrepresented students and specified allowable uses for the expenditure of these funds including reengagement strategies for incompletes or fails in Spring 2020; grants to faculty to develop online, accelerated learning modules for incompletes and fails; professional development opportunities for faculty and student services professionals; investments to close the digital divide; support to address other barriers such as access to basic needs and mental health services; and cleaning supplies and PPE.
The recent social events have called many of the California community college administrators and faculty to act to improve student success for black and other students of color. While some recent webinars included the voice of students, they were few. The Student Senate for California Community College wants to hear from students of color about their experiences and learn from them in order to implement an action plan to improve the campus climate.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – SACRAMENTO, Calif. – On June 6, 2020, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced modifications to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) which would prohibit foreign students studying in the U.S. from taking a fully online course load. According to the announcement, “The U.S. Department of State will not issue visas to students enrolled in schools and/or programs that are fully online for the fall semester nor will U.S. Customs and Border Protection permit these students to enter the United States.” Our foreign community college students face a choice: either attend courses in person during a dangerous pandemic or face deportation. In light of the pandemic and enormous challenges our students face, it is egregious to force our students to subject themselves to life-threatening conditions to satisfy unnecessarily onerous requirements.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – On June 30, 2020, Governor Newsom signed the 2020 - 21 Budget Act. While this is not the budget students had hoped for, we are thankful of the Legislature and the Governor’s efforts to support community colleges. Most notably, we are pleased that the final budget provides $120 million to support students’ basic needs, specifically mental health, housing, food insecurities, and includes investments to create online tools to support our students. These funds will be crucial to reducing the devastating impact to our students caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Today, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. While this is only a temporary solution for our DACA students, the Student Senate for California Community Colleges is heartened to see the decision to protect the California Community College system nearly 70,000 undocumented students.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – On June 4, 2020, the California Assembly and Senate reached an agreement on the 2020 - 21 budget. The Student Senate for California Community Colleges is pleased that the Legislature provided $75 million to fund students' basic needs, specifically mental health, housing, food insecurities, and investments to reduce the damage the COVID-19 pandemic has caused to our system. While we are appreciative of this investment into the wellbeing and safety of the most diverse system of higher education in California, we hope that this is the first of many investments the Legislature provides to fund the economic engine of California--the California community colleges.
Dear student leaders and interested parties,
The Student Senate for California Community Colleges, who serves the most diverse student population in the nation, stands with all Black Americans to end the unjust and inequitable treatment of Black students and communities, but standing will never be enough! We will actively work within the higher education system to initiate change because we are “tired” of others “talking” about the issue. As students, we want change and it starts with education--it starts in our classrooms with our teachers and our administrators, and it starts right now with us!
On June 1, 2020, the SSCCC filed an Amicus Curiae Brief in support of California Community College Chancellor Oakley against Secretary of Education DeVos. Chancellor Oakley's legal action asks the court "to stop the U.S. Department of Education from placing arbitrary eligibility restrictions on relief funds Congress approved to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic."
Sacramento, CA - The SSCCC is proud to endorse Prop 13. Systemwide, students go to college campuses that are crumbling and long overdue for repairs. Prop 13 would be a strong first step towards remedying that problem. It closes commercial property tax loopholes exploited by corporations and wealthy investors at the expense of homeowners and renters. This proposition would bring in $15 billion every year to fund world-class schools and strengthen local economies to lift up all Californians.
The Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC), the Cal State Student Association (CSSA), and the University of California Student Association (UCSA) have come together for the second year in a row to advocate for financial aid reform on behalf of all California students.
The SSCCC is holding a march in March in Sacramento and in your local region. On March 19, 2020, we are inviting all California community college students to join us in Sacramento as we march on the State Capitol.
The Student Senate for California Community Colleges would like to share an opportunity for community college students to advocate for more financial aid by filling out this form to support an important bill, SB 291, that addresses the critical issue of increasing financial aid for California community college students to cover the true cost of college.
As we reach the end of the semester and the year, I would like to share with you what the SSCCC has accomplished to date and what is next. At the beginning of my term, I sought to ensure students knew who we are and what we do. Here are some of our accomplishments to date:
Sacramento, CA - Earlier this morning, the Governor signed the SSCCC-sponsored AB 1504 (Medina). The bill requires a California Community College (CCC) campus to collect a student representation fee of $2 per semester/quarter if the CCC has a student body association. By signing this legislation into law, Governor Newsom and the legislature have acknowledged the need for California community college students to have a strong organized voice advocating on their behalf. The SSCCC is appreciative of Assemblymember Jose Medina for carrying this legislation. His support for funding an organized student voice demonstrates his belief in empowering students to participate in policy decisions affecting their education.
Sacramento, CA - Tuesday, September 3, 2019, at 3:30 PM, AB 1504 (Medina) was presented to Governor Newsom and awaits his signature. The bill would require a California Community College (CCC) campus to collect at the time of registration a student representation fee (SRF) of $2 per semester/quarter if the CCC has a student body association. It requires $1 of the fee be used to establish and support the operation of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC), a statewide community college student organization.
Ohlone College President Dr. Gari Browning recently threatened to invoke Article 6 of their constitution to dissolve the student government and to disenfranchise the voice of the students. Such an action runs contrary to the stated goals of benefitting students and represents a clear overreach on the part of the college administration.
Recently an article about AB 302 was published by Action News Now a shared news brand covering the Chico-Redding area. This article unfortunately has some factual errors. The first error is in the article’s title, with Chico-Redding based bureau reporting “More than 200 colleges opposing bill to allow homeless students to sleep in cars on campus…” despite the fact that California only has 115 community colleges.
SACRAMENTO, CA – The Student Senate for California Community Colleges would like to thank Governor Newsom for his commitment to California Community College students and the goals of the Vision for Success.
Board members of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges testified before the State Assembly's Committee on Higher Education on Tuesday, April 2nd. Members testified on AB 1504 (Medina), AB 1090 (Fong), AB 943 (Chiu). Read more...
The Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC) is proud to be a co-sponsor for AB1504, as amended to remove the election requirements for the Student Representation Fee. The SSCCC sees AB1504 as the only option of creating a sustainable organization that can effectively represent all of California’s 2.1 million community college students.
The Student Senate for California Community Colleges is proud to announce our co-sponsorship of AB 302 (Berman) which would allow homeless students currently enrolled in course work at a local community college to park overnight at their institution.
The Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC) is proud to co-sponsor AB 381 (Reyes) which expands outreach and orientation program standards for college campuses to include intimate partner violence prevention training and resources.
The Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC) is pleased to support Senate Bill 150, which would increase the rate of college success among California’s foster youth by improving access to the Chafee grant program which provides students with experience in foster care up to a maximum of $5,000 in state financial aid each year.
