No (or unreliable) transportation

A student still has to keep a roof over her head, so she works -- if the classes are in the daytime and she works all day,
well. . . .

Many people shoulder the entire burden of chores at home and also work full time, so there's no time for studying or classes

And finally, a thing I heard all over the South as I was growing up, from fathers of boys: "I went in the military, and if it was good enough for me, it's good enough for him!!@^%$#&*!!"

I teach most of my classes in the late afternoon and evenings, including in the summer.

You are right about many students having full-time jobs. Many also have to find child care. I think the main financial burden, though, is textbooks. They are hideously expensive. For my 2-class sequence, the book package runs $400. That's almost half a month's paycheck for many of my students. And I can't do a thing about it.

I donate a portion of my paycheck every month to a fund our college has for temporary emergencies like transportation. So do many of my colleagues.

I was disappointed to read this:

"Lovett says that some training programs in northeast Tennessee have tried to encourage employers to only hire students after they earn their degree or certificate"

That's just simply wrong! Maybe this program is more about improving stats than people?

I do think public higher ed should be free, so I'm impressed that TN has stepped up to the plate on this. Just sometimes the way good things are implemented has a lot to do with their success.