Community colleges are institutions of opportunity and social equity in today's society. They also play a vital role in educating the nation’s workforce. Yet, community colleges receive just a little more than half of the revenue that their four-year counterparts get. For every student, community colleges receive $8,800 less. 
 
This funding disparity harms the students who are more likely to attend them—low-income students, Black and Hispanic students, working parents, and others. 

Uneasy. Concerned. Unsure. Anxious. These are the words that a group of students used to describe their first-year college experience.

They're not alone. The pandemic is hitting college students hard, creating fear and anxiety about their future. In this opinion piece, Sian Beilock, a cognitive scientist and president of Barnard College at Columbia University, says colleges must step up and give students the tools they need to feel stronger and more comfortable in these uncertain times.