Community colleges offer free tuition for first two years by GRACE SALUK, News Co-Editor
To aid students in attending college, on Oct. 4, California governor Gavin Newson signed a legislation providing free tuition for the first two years of community college for first-time students who attend full-time classes. Although tuition is free, students are still expected to pay for their books, around $1,200 a year, but they save about $1,200 a year on tuition, making college half the normal price. Newson signed this legislation to allow the California College Promise program to assist in covering 33,000 more students for a second year of tuitionfree college. Eric Barrietos, assistant principal, said, “By going to a tuition free community college for the first two years, they can at least get their mandatory general electives done, in preparation for their BA at a four year institution.” By further aiding students with the cost of college, it encourages them to go to community college to take their General Education classes rather than paying full price to take the same classes at a four year university. Robert Stelmar, guidance counselor, said, “No matter where the student attends...the general classes they take are the same at UCLA, as they are at Fullerton College, the only difference being that at Fullerton, general elective classes are free.” California’s community colleges, which serve about two million students, or approximately 25% of the nation’s community college students, is the largest system of higher education in the U.S. By letting students attend the first two years for free, more students are given the chance to reach a higher education. According to research done by the College Board, California is the state with the highest enrollment in a public two-year institution, by over 500 thousand undergraduates enrolled. Among all students who completed a degree at a four-year university, 49% had been previously enrolled at a two-year college before transferring to a four-year institution. In California, the community college system includes 115 colleges and 78 educational centers, which gave out more than 160,000 degrees and 96,000 certificates between 2017 and 2018. By making the first two years free, the enrollment numbers will begin to increase due to the ease of enrolling into a system of higher education where the sole payment students owe are their books for courses. Issuu.com: bohswildcat
photo by ISABELLA ABALOS
FOREVER EMPTY: The Tower Records building stands empty for over ten years due to cancellations
of projects affecting the Brea Downtown area. There are now future plans for a new hotel to take its place where the Tower Records Building stands.
Tower building still empty by CAROLINE DE MASI, Staff Writer
Brea Downtown is the main attraction of the city, but there is one building that stands out among the array of shops and restaurants: Tower Records. This sizable property on Brea Boulevard has been vacant for over 10 years, apart from the annual Halloween Club costume shop that operates out of it, and the public has been left in the dark regarding its status. The Tower Records building has been an anomaly since the chain filed for bankruptcy in 2006, but it has not been ignored. Tower Records was a chain of stores for fans of all types of media, but they dominated in the area of music. They flourished during the height of CD popularity, carrying the newest releases of the 90’s. Tower Records patrons used to rave about the positive, music-loving environment the store created. Tom Hanks’ son, Colin, was so fond of the chain that he spent seven years creating a documentary to celebrate it. Elton John has also expressed his admiration for this chain, reminiscing about visiting weekly to find new music. However, by the mid-2000s, physical media started to become obsolete, and the franchise was unable to keep its doors open. There have been several franchises interested in the property throughout the years. Walgreens was one of the first to make an offer on the location, according to the OC Register. It was set to lease one story of the building until the City Council
voted against it on the grounds of it being out of place in the exciting Downtown atmosphere. The City Council also considered moving the Brea Branch Library to the Tower Records site, but the plan was never followed through with. Bill Gallardo, Brea city manager, reports that the library proposal was dismissed by the owner of the property. “When that idea surfaced of converting the Tower Building to a library, the owner of that building was not interested in selling the property, and that idea never materialized.” The next major proposal did not surface until 2018, when plans for a hotel were presented to the city staff by Mark Caplow, owner of the Tower Records property. According to David Crabtree, Brea community developer, “The City has received a submittal for the review of a new hotel for the site from Mr. Caplow. The concept would involve demolition of the existing building and new construction of a sixstory Hampton Inn hotel. It’s an exciting idea, and city staff are awaiting the technical details and plan submittal to consider it further.” He adds that hearings of the plan by the City Planning Commission and City Council will likely take place near mid-2020. In the event that the plan goes smoothly, the Tower Records building will finally be open for business, and the Brea community’s decade-long wait for its occupation will be over. February 2020 NEWS 5
