Like residents of a desert town dependent on a reliable water source, community college students need jobs to survive.

In our last edition, The Channels reported that student jobs are the No. 1 target in the latest round of budget cuts. As many as three out of four jobs could be eliminated. Only workers in the campus Bookstore and the Security Office are safe.

Who exactly are the student workers at City College? They are tutors, readers, lab assistants, office workers, and—at the risk of self-referencing—a few genuinely overworked editors at The Channels.

We believe everyone benefits from a student work force. We become more engaged in our college, while earning needed income. New and confused students campus-wide seek out our help.

Almost a year ago this week, the college agreed to spend $600,000 to remodel the Cartwright Learning Resource Center to accommodate more tutors. That’s a lot to pay for a lot of empty cubicles.

This is a tough town: Students who depend on campus jobs will be left to fight with educated adults for scarce off-campus jobs.

International students will also suffer greatly. Their only legal employment option is on campus. These students—who now number 1,200— pay higher tuition fees that provide the college with essential revenue. Should we be biting the hand that feeds?

We acknowledge that everyone has to share the pain of budget reductions. City College has been cutting classes, freezing open faculty and staff positions, reducing maintenance and supplies budgets, and slicing extra-curricular programs.

The college repeatedly states that it is committed to keeping cuts as far away from students as possible. We now understand that means far away from classroom cuts.

Losing our income feels very personal. Why pick on the people who can least afford it?