VOA慢速英语--在疫情期间 美国社区大学的入学率急剧下降

College student Peniella Irakoze recently called more than 1,000 other students who did not return to her school, Phoenix¹ College, this term.

The 20-year-old works part-time for the community college in the southwestern U.S. state of Arizona. These days, it has become a usual part of her job to check on how those students are doing during the ongoing² coronavirus pandemic.

"I didn't know that so many people were struggling," said Irakoze, who studies medical laboratory science. "So many students aren't coming back," she added.

Community colleges offer two-year degrees and job training. They often appeal to older students looking to learn new skills.

Phoenix College is one of many community colleges in America to have seen major drops in enrollment³ over the last year, as students face difficulties with money, family life and online learning.

Across the country, community colleges have seen a 10 percent drop from the autumn of 2019 to autumn 2020. Those numbers come from the National Student Clearinghouse.

Community colleges have been hit harder than four-year colleges and universities.

The pandemic has had a severe effect on older adult students who choose the community college path. Many have lost jobs or have no time for their own schooling⁴ as they supervise their children's online classes.

Martha Parham is senior vice⁵ president for the American Association of Community Colleges. She noted⁶ that the majority of older adult community college students have or had jobs in industries that have been badly hurt by the pandemic.

Often during times of nationwide economic difficulties, more Americans turn to community college education. They do so to learn new job skills or change their careers.

But that has not happened during the pandemic, education experts say.

That raises concerns for policy makers⁷ and others who consider community colleges to be an important path for low-earning Americans. At a Senate hearing last month, Miguel Cardona, President Joe Biden's pick for education secretary, called for federal financial support to help hurting community colleges.

Even in good economic times, many community college students struggle to stay in school as they deal with the demands of supporting families, paying for housing and covering the costs of school.

The added difficulties of the pandemic have been too much for many students, said Ralph Thompson. He is the temporary dean of students at Phoenix College. Thompson gave Irakoze the task of calling other students to see how they are dealing⁸ with the crisis.

"The students need to hear that someone understands what they are going through," Thompson said.

Across the U.S., community colleges have reported rising demand from students who need help getting food.

At MassBay Community College near Boston, applications for meal assistance have increased 80 percent since last year. Dinora Torres — a single mother with four young daughters — said the assistance helped her continue taking classes.

"If I didn't have that, I don't know if I could have been able to make it," said Torres, who is 29. "It has been really hard. A lot of nights I'm not sleeping. Some days I would have to send my kids to my parents so I could work all day on catching⁹ up."

MassBay suffered a 10 percent drop in enrollment. School officials there have been giving increasing financial aid for students. Torres said donors¹⁰ set up by the college brought her family a Thanksgiving meal and Christmas presents for her daughters.

"They got my daughters each a gift," Torres said. "I wasn't even going to celebrate the holidays this year because I didn't have the money."

Community college supporters hope the enrollment drop is temporary. Some experts predict many students will return to classes when schools reopen and jobs return.

But at least some students are expected to decide against higher education. Experts say that choice could lead to a lifetime of lower earnings¹¹ and financial struggles.

"We are worried about losing some of them permanently," said David Podell, president of MassBay. "They may follow up later, but each year that they defer¹² their education, the less they're going to make in a lifetime and the later the stability will come."

The drop in enrollment also represents how the pandemic has widened educational racial inequalities.

The National Student Clearinghouse reports that enrollment drops at community colleges were largest among Black students and Native Americans.

About 60 percent of Phoenix College's students are racial minorities, but officials said it is too early to know whether minorities experienced greater decreases.

Angelica Larraga is a student at Phoenix College. She said the pandemic forced her to give up working as a traveling hair stylist because she could not visit people's homes.

Larraga is 35 years old. She has two young sons. She said the last year has been extremely difficult, and her children have struggled with online learning.

Financial assistance from the school has helped Larraga pay for her schooling and books. But the family's economic difficulties meant they needed additional help from local food donation programs.

Larraga said, "I'm just trying to make everything work."

Words in This Story

degree - n. an official document and title that is given to someone who has successfully completed a series of classes at a college or university

enrollment - n. the act of entering someone as a member of or participant in something

application - n. a formal and usually written request for something (such as a job, admission to a school, a loan, etc.)

defer - v. to choose to do (something) at a later time

stability - n. the quality or state of something that is not easily changed or likely to change

1 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

2 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

3 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

4 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
• Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。

5 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

9 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

10 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

12 defer   

vt.推迟，拖延；vi.(to)遵从，听从，服从

参考例句：

• We wish to defer our decision until next week.我们希望推迟到下星期再作出决定。
• We will defer to whatever the committee decides.我们遵从委员会作出的任何决定。