In March, League staff attended and sponsored the 15th Annual A2MEND Summit. Since its inception, the A2MEND Annual Summit has been focused on making a difference in the lives of African American male students by supporting community college education. This year’s theme, A Radical Reimagination of Black Male Student Success, was a call to action for colleges, educators, and advocates to fundamentally change how we think of Black male student success. As California’s community colleges move beyond the pandemic, many recognize we need to do things differently. To create better outcomes, we must elevate our thinking to reimagine Black male student success.

According to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), a student is considered homeless if he or she does not have regular, fixed, or even adequate housing. This is inclusive of students who live in parks, motels, cars, shelters, and others who live with other people on a temporary basis since they do not have anywhere else to go. Almost every part of the world contains students who are homeless, but many studies find that California is one of the leading states in the world where homelessness has become a major concern. In an effort to minimize the level of educational and financial unattainability, the Community College League of California has released a new report offering California Community Colleges recommendations for reducing institutional and procedural barriers that prevent students from receiving their maximum financial aid, while also improving the disbursement of financial aid awards in a timely manner.

We don’t have to look far to see the impact of food insecurity on college campuses. Recent reports show that 48 percent of community college students are food insecure. At Cerritos College, 25 percent of students qualify for the state’s EBT/CalFresh program. The CalFresh Program, federally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), issues monthly electronic benefits that can be used to purchase most foods at many markets and restaurants. As such, students are facing an unspeakable dilemma – having to choose between paying for living expenses or purchasing a meal.