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In 2018, Karina Paredes, student engagement and policy associate at Public Advocates, attended her first Student Senate for California Community Colleges General Assembly, held in Ontario, California. As Karina staffed a Public Advocates information table, students from a campus group called SMAC (Students Making a Change) approached her to learn about Public Advocates. Karina ended up learning as much about SMAC as they did about Public Advocates. Founded eight years earlier, the group became instrumental in raising student voices issues critical to community college students all over California.

Since 2018, the connection between Public Advocates and SMAC has flourished, encompassing state advocacy on critical bills and policies to support and protect community college students. The focus of the work has been to increase community college students’ access to transfer-level math and English courses through the implementation of Assembly Bill 705, a law passed in 2017.

SMAC and Public Advocates have worked together on strategies and tools to ensure community college students know that they can directly enroll in transfer-level college math and English without having to take placement tests. Placement tests have not proven to be good predictors of students’ readiness to succeed. Remedial education courses have proven to waste students’ time and money, as well as drive racial inequity.

SMAC embodies students supporting students when, many times, their own institutions fail to do so. With as much passion and know-how the SMAC fellows and programmatic staff demonstrate, I have no doubt they can accomplish whatever they set their sights on.

Karina Paredes

Through thought partnership and collaboration, SMAC and Public Advocates have developed AB 705 Know Your Rights infographics, a student-friendly video, and co-hosted webinars for students. Now, in coalition with numerous student groups, they are working to pass follow up legislation, AB 1705 (Irwin), that will strengthen AB 705.

After months of work with Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin to move the AB 1705 forward, proponents celebrated the news that the bill would be heard by the Assembly Higher Education Committee. The bill would clarify and strengthen the intent of AB 705, closing loopholes that impede the implementation of AB 705 and providing additional guidance to ensure all students benefit from the existing reforms.

Chidi Agu, the program coordinator for Students Making a Change, testified in support of the bill and SMAC provided valuable public comment. The energy of student-centered and equity-driven organizations in support of the bill was palpable in the hearing room. AB 1705 unanimously passed its first hurdle. That afternoon SMAC went on to lead a Know Your Rights webinar about transfer level math and English for Southern California community college students. The bill has continued to move through the CA Legislature with unanimous support, and is likely to reach Governor Newsom’s desk for his signature.

This bill will make a tremendous difference for all kinds of students but especially our Black and Latinx students, who are too often steered into remedial classes where they lose time, money, and ultimately end up less likely to achieve their goals.

Chidi Agu

Public Advocates believes that student leadership, engagement and organizing are the most impactful ways of challenging the systemic problems faced by Black and Brown community college students. We are grateful to have SMAC as a trusted community partner in our work to challenge the root causes of poverty and racism in education, housing, transportation and climate justice.

Featured photo (top): From left to right, Karina Paredes, Jetaun Stevens, Marjorie Blen (SMAC ED), Trillia Hargrove (SMAC Fellow) and Chidi Agu (Program Coordinator)