ESLW 310 At Home ESSAY TWO Spring 2011 Prof. Thomas

For Essay Two, you will write a full essay with an introduction, body, and conclusion. The type of essay is cause/effect, so you will need to organize your analysis to show the cause and effect connections carefully. Write a well-developed essay, with at least three good body paragraphs. These essays must be typed. Be sure to answer the question completely and stay on topic. Check carefully for grammar errors before you turn it in for a grade. *NOTE: Do not plagiarize (use the words and ideas of others) and do not get help to "make it perfect".

PROMPT: California’s economy is in very bad condition, with an imbalance of over $25 billion dollars. The government will have to consider both cutting spending and raising income by taxes. One of the many cuts is the community college budget, and our own district & college are going to lose millions of dollars no matter what. One of the many ways to increase income is to raise tuition fees (currently they are $26/unit for residents and $234/unit for non-residents & international students. Proposals range from $36/unit to (in the worst case) $66/unit.

TOPIC: What are the most important effects of a tuition fee increase? In other words, if Los Rios college tuition increases, what effects will this have? Explain the cause-effect connections to show HOW these effects will happen.

In this essay, first consider the many different types of effects before you choose which ones to write about. Effects can be positive or negative; it is up to you to decide which kind of effects you want to discuss, and show how these effects could happen, to whom, and why they are important enough to write about.

You will do this essay in several steps (ALL of them after the first one MUST BE TYPED):

Thursday 3/3 The Outline Use the outline on the back side of this page to get you started. You must complete all parts to get full credit. You'll have a chance to get help from and give advice to your classmates. The teacher will also check it quickly and give you points for completing it.

Thursday 3/10 The Full Draft 500+ words typed This should NOT be a "first draft" – you should give it a lot of thought and planning. It should be the best answer you can write, and it must be complete. You might want to write about the topic at home, for just two hours, like it was an exam. It should have all five paragraphs, with good development. You'll have time during class to get input and suggestions from the teacher and from classmates.

Friday 3/11 @ 2 pm The First Essay (graded) 600+ words, typed Due Friday by 2 pm – it can be emailed or can be turned in Friday to my office or mailbox. You will receive a grade for this version as well as comments on how to improve it, and notes about grammar and language.

Thursday 3/24 The Revision Draft typed This version will be an improvement based on the instructor's marks and comments, and comments you may have from the Writing Center or the ESL Lab. Correct language and grammar problems as well as you can, then bring the paper to class and present your revisions and improvements and get some further peer review from your classmates.

Friday 4/1 @ 2 pm The Revised Essay (graded) 600+ words, typed On the other days we'll discuss grammar improvement for these essays and work on skills in thesis statements, introductions, topic sentences, conclusions, paragraph transitions, organization, development and examples.
Muted response to proposed community college fee hikes January 28, 2011 | Louis Freedberg Unlike the often angry responses in recent years to fee increases at UC and CSU, the community college fee hike proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown is being met with little resistance. In his budget proposal, Brown wants to raise community college fees from $26 to $36 per credit, which for students taking a full load would mean that fees would jump nearly 40 percent from $780 to $1,080 per year [PDF]. "We can live with that," Chancellor Jack Scott told California Watch. "I understand we are in a bind here," he said, referring to the state's deepening budget crisis. While he would have liked to see a jump that was "not quite as sharp," Scott said his biggest concern is that with less revenue, community colleges will be forced to accept fewer students, cut classes, and other drastic budget cutting measures. The fees are expected to generate about $110 million in revenue. But Brown is proposing cutting state support for the community colleges by $400 million, which will result in a net reduction of $290 million in state support. Scott Lay, president of the Community College League of California, said levying higher fees in return for $110 million is "unfortunately a reasonable tradeoff." Like Chancellor Scott, he said he would have preferred a lower amount, and would like to see any fee increase phased in over time in a predictable fashion, and tied to inflation. "There's no magic number for what the community college student fee should be, but predictability for California's families would be nice." Michele Siqueiros, executive director of the Campaign for College Opportunity, an advocacy organization promoting greater student access and success at community colleges, said at least the revenue generated by the fees would be going directly back to the colleges, and that Brown's proposal preserves financial aid to students. Alex Pader, president of the Student Senate for the 112-college system, said the senate's position has been to oppose all fee increases – and that the state should enforce the 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education, which calls for a completely tuition-free education. But the Student Senate only meets twice a year, in the fall and the spring. The next meeting will be held on April 1, after the date Brown has indicated he wants the Legislature to have approved the budget. Pader, a student at American River College in Sacramento, said the Student Senate has not yet reacted to Brown's specific proposal, nor does it plan to call an emergency meeting to respond to it before then because of the difficulties of gathering representatives from 112 colleges, he said. But Reid Milburn, last year's Student Senate president, said students are likely to resent the proposed fee increases, especially because the funds they generate won't restore classes that have been cut, or provide support services that students need to help them complete their classes. "We'll be paying more for less," she said. She said community college students will make their feelings felt at budget hearings in the State Capitol next week. Mitigating student resistance is likely to be the fact that needy students qualify for fee waivers (although as Milburn points out those don't cover the substantial costs of room and board, books and other living expenses). Last year, the California Community Colleges gave out 1,018,753 fee waivers that totaled $368,243,492. Students qualify for waivers if they or their families are receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or other welfare payments, or if they have incomes of less than 150 percent of federal poverty levels. In a reported issued yesterday, the Legislative Analyst's Office estimates that in some cases, students with family incomes of up to $80,000 could qualify for some form of fee assistance. The LAO said that two-thirds of community college students could qualify for a full fee waiver, and 90 percent for some reduction in fees through fee waivers or federal tax credits. (Last year, the system enrolled 2.9 million part-time and full-time students, or 1.3 million full-time equivalent students.) Mobilizing community college students has always been a challenge, because only one quarter of students attend full time. Most must balance school, work, and in the case of large numbers of older students who are parents, raising children as well. Another reason may be that even with the proposed increase, California community college fees would still be the lowest in the country, several times below the national average of $3,075 per year. Also, the fee increase could have been even more drastic. The Legislative Analyst's Office continues to recommend increasing fees to $40 per credit. Brown so far has chosen to boost them to $36. Of course, he could propose higher fees next year – or even this year if voters don't go along with his high risk $12.5 billion tax extension plan at a special election this summer.

PLANNING STEPS
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS? List all you can think of! Can you group similar ones? Which are most important?

WHO/WHAT WILL BE AFFECTED? (AND HOW?)

WHICH EFFECTS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ONES? (AND WHY?)

HOW WILL THE TUITION INCREASE ACTUALLY CAUSE THE EFFECTS YOU DESCRIBE?

ESSAY FOCUS: POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE EFFECTS? IMMEDIATE or LONG-TERM EFFECTS?

WHAT WILL YOUR THESIS BE?

WRITE A SHORT RESPONSE TO “Muted response to proposed community college fee hikes?”

ESLW 310 ESSAY TWO DRAFT OUTLINE Due: THURSDAY 3/3

This is only an outline, so just get your plans and ideas started before the next class. Try to develop a good answer to the question and write a good thesis. Write something, even just a short phrase, in every section. The more you do now, the easier it will be to write the essay. Write small! (

Prompt: What are the most important effects of a tuition fee increase?

Introduction: “Hook” ideas (
General info and background ideas (
Possible Thesis Statement (

Thesis main point A:
Thesis main point B:
Thesis main point C:
Body Paragraph One *Thesis idea A* Topic Sentence (1) (

Major Points (2's)
(
(
Examples/Details/Support (3's)

Body Paragraph Two *Thesis idea B* Topic Sentence (1) (

Major Points (2's)
(
Examples/Details/Support (3's)
(
Body Paragraph Three *Thesis idea C* Topic Sentence (1) (

Major Points (2's)
(
Examples/Details/Support (3's)
(
Conclusion: Summary (ABC) / Restated Thesis
Conclusion: Final Thoughts →
QUESTIONS YOU WANT TO ASK IN CLASS DISCUSSION:

At the top right, put your name, the name of this class (ESLW 310), the name of this assignment (AHE#2 or AHE#2 REVISION), and the date. You must have:

Your Name
ESLW 310
At-Home Essay #2
3/10/2011

Title

( an interesting and original title related to your thesis and the topic

( an introduction paragraph with ( a hook to make the reader interested in your essay ( some general / background information to lead into your topic ( a clear thesis statement with main points

( three body paragraphs, each with ( a topic sentence with one of your main points restated ( 2-3 major supporting points for that main idea and supporting details/example sentences for each point

( a conclusion paragraph with ( a short summary of the main ideas & a restated thesis ( some interesting finishing ideas and thoughts

600+ words
NO plagiarism