Sparing student skaters and smokers

Imagine you are a senior in high school, opening up a letter from your university or college of choice to find you have been officially accepted.

Before you start jumping for joy, one question pops into your mind–how on earth am I going to pay for this?

This is a legitimate concern, as the cost for education can be a bit pricey.

For students living on-campus, the total costs for a California Community College education is $13,929.

A California State University education is $23,444.

A University of California education is $31,700, and a private university education runs up to a $50,470 price tag, according to californiacolleges.edu.

You could always go for loans, but seeing as 48 percent of 24 to 34 year-old Americans say they are unemployed or underemployed according to the American Student Assistance Organization, banking on being able to pay your monthly payments is not the best choice.

For everyone eligible, the clear best option may be to file for federal grants.

Smokers and skaters have something in common here at Pierce College.

Both groups are considered criminals, in violation of Pierce College’s policy.

It is wrong to paint these two groups so villainous. These policies should be repealed for the sake of the campus.

Skateboards and skates have been banned from campus for years, based on a 2007 decision by former President Robert Garber and former Vice President of Administrative Services Kenneth B. Takeda.

Smoking was completely eradicated from our campus in the very same way, by virtue of executive decision, in 2010.

These two seemingly unconnected policies have another commonality: they are both widely unacknowledged (or ignored) by the Pierce community.

Consider a walk down our Mall. It is not uncommon to see someone kicking and pushing along on their board.

Occasionally one may see a skateboarder try a trick, but for the most part they are riding directly to or from class in an attempt to make it on time.

But take a step back and see the bigger picture. Skateboards are a mode of transportation for many who cannot afford any other transportation. They’re portable, light, and cheap compared to bicycles.

In 2007, life was different. Since then, we’ve gone through an economic meltdown, the cost of living has increased, the job market has crashed, classes have dwindled and tuition has risen. It’s enough to make you start smoking.

Of course, since smoking is banned on campus everywhere but the parking lots, students and faculty have been going against policy in order to light up. And they will light up and skaters will ride their skateboards.

The idea of a smoke-free campus is nice, but as long as you have smokers, there is going to be smoking on campus. So why not give them a