Fundamental Needs of a Student

1. Paying for College

College tuition rates and textbook costs continue to rise right alongside student debt and it's time to be fair.
Students need jobs with adequate wages and reasonable rates for room and board, both on and off campus.
Students have a great deal of worth in any community they reside in. A partnership between both student and residential populations has proven priceless in many communities.

Students need good transportation to and from campus and partnerships between the school and local community have proved fruitful for all parties involved.
Distance and online students pay for and deserve a variety of courses taught by knowledgeable professors.
While students are responsible for getting to class on time, other entities should and do assist them in physically getting there.

Peer-mentoring programs have succeeded in many parts of the country. These programs should be encouraged and expanded.
Quality professors and fair grading scales are, if nothing else, required for a worthwhile education.
Any student needs a good place to study and the resources necessary to get a quality education. Technology must be taken into account when considering the needs of a college student in modern-day society.

Internships and apprenticeship programs have been and continue to be an essential part of the learning process and should be recognized as such.
Graduate degrees are becoming increasingly necessary in today's job market and these programs should be expanded to meet the needs of our economy and individual professional goals.
No matter the destination, every student deserves the opportunity to get there. The economic needs of our society and the desires of individual students need to equally be taken into account when designing and promoting post-baccalaureate programs.

Learning while in college goes far beyond academics and student participation in community organizations should be heavily advocated.
Every student wants to make friends and network while in school and opportunities to do so are a necessity.
While students primary goal while attending college is to get an academic education, out-of-classroom social interactions run a close second. Social skills are sometimes as important as academic knowledge and should be promoted as such.

18 to 24 year olds are one of, if not the most, uninvolved citizen populations in the country while issues that have a very direct and sometimes harmful effect on their lives continue to get discussed without significant input from student leadership.
Part of a well-balanced education includes civic learning and participation and should be considered an essential part of post-secondary education in the United States.
Students need to be educated and participate in local government as they have a direct and often significant interaction with it every day. Local government should attempt to include students in as many aspects of the decision making and administration processes as possible.

Student Advocacy Network, 2007