CCSF Ends its Older Adults Classes, Leaving 2,000 Students in the Cold

City College of San Francisco's (CCSF) recent announcement to end its Older Adults program in spring 2020 has provoked anger and distress, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . The program serves more than 2,000 students, many in their 70s and 80s, with more than four dozen free, non-credit classes. Many are held in senior communities, and topics include tai chi, music, figure drawing, theater, literature, writing, and computer skills. The classes are especially valued for relieving seniors' loneliness. CCSF had an operating budget of approximately $267 million in fiscal 2018, and the elimination of non-credit classes, mostly geared toward older adults, saves the college less than $1 million, according to officials. Writing instructor Audrey Ferber expressed outrage at the decision, saying "lifelong learning keeps seniors living and thinking longer, and it keeps them out of doctors' offices." Ferber also questioned officials' claim that the cuts are part of a long-term plan. "Shouldn't they have helped steer us in the direction of finding alternative funding before leaving us out in the cold?" she argued.