#tuitionequity

Below is a roundup of news, events, research, andother resources to support undocumented students in higher education. For more information or to share your links to be included for next week, please contact Zenen Jaimes Perez ([email protected]) or Mayu Takeda ([email protected]) for questions.

Please feel free to spread this to your networks and sign up for the listserv here. Visit our blog to see resources from previous weeks.

Events

United We Dream: Learn about the 1st toolkit that provides institutional practices and programs with & for undocumented students (02/25/2015)

Are you an undocumented student, educator or administrator who has wondered how you, your department, or institution can better work with and for undocumented immigrant students? If so, check out the first toolkit in the nation that provides 29 examples of institutional policies and programs with & for undocumented students! Join this webinar to learn what’s inside the toolkit and to learn how you can use it to be part of the first ever National Institutions Coming Out day on April 7, 2015!

 TheDream.Us & United We Dream: Scholarships for undocumented/DACA-mented students: Get that money! (02/28/2015)

Are you an undocumented/DACA-mented student, educator or administrator who is always looking for scholarship opportunities open to undocumented/DACA-mented students?  Join this webinar to learn about the various scholarship opportunities and resources open to undocumented students. These opportunities include The Dream.US Special Scholarship Round happening NOW specific to DREAMers in the San Francisco Bay Area and students living in New York City and who want to attend an undergraduate college that is part of The City University of New York (CUNY), and other colleges.

 Council for Minority Student Affairs: In-State Tuition for Undocumented Students- Professor Panel (02/17/2015)

The Council for Minority Student Affairs (CMSA) will provide students and staff at Texas A&M University an informative panel regarding instate tuition for undocumented students and its positive effect for Texas through many avenues including, but not limited to: Texas’ economics, health, education, agriculture and the work force. Texas. Senate Bill 1528 has positively affected many Aggies and continues to positively impact the lives and careers of many. With new legislation, the possibility of this bill to get removed or amended to negatively impact undocumented students has become very realistic. As an Aggie family we cannot stand on the sidelines and watch traditions end for our fellow undocumented Aggies!

  National & State News

  Nonprofit Quarterly: Rutgers Hosts Forum for Undocumented Potential Students (02/17/2015)

On Saturday, February 14th, Rutgers University held a forum designed to help potential students who are undocumented to navigate the college-admissions process. Though well attended at 220 people, the forum was also the target of some anger, in that it was closed to the press. According to the Migration Policy Institute, 75,000 undocumented residents of New Jersey are between the ages of 18 and 24, and 20,000 of those are enrolled in school.

 The Eagle [Texas]: Texas A&M professors to offer insights on in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants (02/16/2015)

Three House bills and a Senate bill redefining residency status to qualify for in-state tuition rates have been filed since November. A bill from Sen. Brian Birdwell, a Waco Republican, is going before the Senate Committee on State Affairs, of which he and Sen. Charles Schwertner are members.

 WAMC [New York]: Grading the Governor's Proposed Higher Education Budget (02/16/2015)

The governor’s plan to provide college financial assistance for eligible undocumented immigrants is a good idea too.  These students are already allowed to pay in-state tuition (if they meet the residency requirements) and so denying them financial aid is simply unfair.  This proposal, also known as the state “DREAM Act,” ends that unfairness.

 The Herald News [Massachusetts]: Bill would give in-state public college tuition rate to illegal immigrants (02/16/2015)

Immigrant students illegally living in Massachusetts are lobbying for access to in-state tuition rates at public universities and colleges. “I think it’s a matter of fundamental fairness,” said state Rep. Denise Provost, D-Somerville. “Why would we want to waste that human potential?”

 International Business Times: College for Undocumented Immigrants: Rutgers Information Fair Draws Packed Crowd, Conservative Criticism (02/16/2015)

Police were on hand at Rutgers to deal with protesters at the fair but experienced no problems. News media were not allowed inside in order to keep attendees' information private. "I love it because it makes you feel comfortable," 20-year-old Andrea Rodriguez told NJ.com. "It's always good to let people know you're undocumented and you're unafraid. We didn't choose to be in our situations. But we have to embrace who we are."

 Tucson Weekly: This Is What Happens When an Arizona Republican Goes On Fox News (02/16/2015)

Mark Brnovich went on "Fox and Friends" on January 13 talking about Obama's executive action on immigration, and in the course of the interview he said, "I know in states like Arizona it's estimated that 10 percent or more of the students in our public schools are here in the country illegally." Big number, 10 percent. One in ten students. The Republic put the assertion to the test in one of its Fact Checks and gave it No Stars: Unsupported. Most probably our attorney general, whose job description, I'm guessing, includes being factually accurate, mixed up the immigration status of children with the status of their parents.

 North Jersey News: Undocumented students learn about applying at Rutgers forum (02/15/2015)

A forum at Rutgers University in Newark designed to help students living in the country illegally to navigate the college-admissions process drew more than 220 people Saturday, a sign of the hunger among such students for access to higher education despite the often staggering cost to them. For many of these students - brought to the U.S. as children - the biggest hurdle to higher education is financial.

 The Daily Texan: Texas' leaders could learn something from Joe Straus (02/15/2015)

Patrick, in his dual capacity as the President of the Texas Senate, has pushed for increasingly out-of-touch right-wing pipe dreams in his brief time in office. These include allowing open carrying of licensed handguns and allowing handguns on college campuses, as well as rescinding the 2001 Texas Dream Act, which allows for undocumented students to be granted in-state tuition at public universities, including this one. In doing so, Straus has not only stood up to both Patrick and Gov. Greg Abbott, but also the platform of the Texas Republican Party.

 Nj.com: Unauthorized immigrants pack 'undocuRutgers' college admissions fair amid heightened security (02/14/2015)

University officials stationed police officers at the door and limited access to the building, Ackerson Hall, amid fears that protesters might disrupt the event. But police reported no problems. Rutgers officials also closed the college fair to the press after promising participants that their names and immigration statuses would be kept confidential. One student journalist said campus police removed him from the event after he tried to record inside the building.

 Times Free Press [Tennessee]: Bill would give undocumented immigrant children in-state tuition (02/13/2015)

Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, says he believes his plan of letting some undocumented immigrants pay in-state tuition rates to attend Tennessee public colleges and universities may fare better in the Legislature this year than in 2014.

 North Jersey News: N.J. plots a path for immigrant students (02/13/2015)

For the first time since Governor Christie signed legislation allowing New Jersey residents who are in the U.S. without legal permission to pay in-state college tuition rates, Rutgers University is hosting a forum aimed at helping them get a college degree. The forum in Newark on Saturday spotlights a decision Christie made in 2013 to sign that law, attention that comes as he prepares a possible presidential run in a Republican primary where support for immigration reform could become an issue.

 Language Magazine: Toolkit for Schools to Help Undocumented Students (02/12/2015)

The Dream Educational Empowerment Program (DEEP) has released a 65-page National Institutions Coming Out Day Toolkit in preparation for the National Institutions Coming Out Day (NICOD) on April 7, 2015. This toolkit, the first of its kind, equips students and educators with materials and resources to facilitate institutions’ participation. It lists 29 clear and concrete examples of institutional efforts to increase resources and support systems for undocumented students nationwide.

 WSMV [Tennessee]: Bill would provide in-state tuition to some undocumented students (02/12/2015)

Two Tennessee lawmakers are working to push forward a bill that would make college a possibility for undocumented immigrants. A bill was introduced Wednesday that would give in-state tuition to undocumented students who grew up and graduated high school in Tennessee.

 The Tribune: College in Colorado’s new website offers help for parents of undocumented students (02/12/2015)

College in Colorado has launched a new website, www.CICColoradoASSET.org, to help Colorado students and their families understand the ins and outs of the legislation that allows them to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities.

 Houston Chronicle: Straus opposes repeal of Texas Dream Act (02/11/2015)

Texas House Speaker Joe Straus on Wednesday expressed opposition to ending in-state tuition for illegal immigrants in Texas, but said he has not surveyed his members on the state law that increasingly has come under fire by his party's conservative wing. "Texas is a place of opportunity, and I personally don't want to be a party to anything that sets us back," Straus, R-San Antonio, said during an interview at the University of Texas at Austin.

 La Vox de Houston: UH, la última universidad estatal que apoya la Texas Dream Act (02/11/2015)

La  Universidad de Houston siguió este miércoles la estela de otras importantes universidades estatales al hacer público su apoyo a la ley conocida como Dream Act de Texas, que permite a los estudiantes indocumentados que viven en el estado pagar la universidad al mismo costo que los residentes legales, justo cuando varias propuestas en la Legislatura, dominada por los republicanos, intentan eliminarla

 The Sentinel [Georgia]: Education for All (02/11/2015)

Although I praise the efforts to cover the protest at the University of Georgia (UGA) and my arrest on a charge of non-violent civil disobedience on Jan. 9, I feel the media has neglected to highlight the most important part of the story: the struggles of education with undocumented students. I was one of the three Kennesaw State University students who protested at UGA on Jan. 9 against two recent policies, which revoke from certain qualified high school graduates the privilege of paying in-state tuition for Georgia’s top five public universities. These few are students who were brought to the United States at a young age, have graduated from our high schools and are now seeking to further their education. Should legalities bar them from pursuing higher education?

 La Voz de Houston: University of Houston gives its support to Texas DREAM Act (02/11/2015)

The University of Houston followed in the footsteps of other major universities on Wednesday and officially offered its support to the Texas Dream Act, which allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition, just when several bills introduced in the Republican-controlled Legislature try to repeal it. “We oppose any effort to repeal the Texas Dream Act and reaffirm support for the established law allowing in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants who are seeking legal residency,” said the University of Houston in a statement sent to La Voz.

 The Tennessean: Bill would give undocumented immigrants in-state tuition (02/11/2015)

Many undocumented immigrants going to college this year will continue to pay substantially more than their peers to stay in Tennessee, unless legislation introduced this week becomes law. Tennessee lawmakers filed a bill this week that would offer some undocumented immigrants in-state tuition at public colleges. The move was greeted with support from immigration advocates, business leaders and educators.

 Peach Pundit [Georgia]: In the Senate, an Emotional Hearing over In-state Tuition for Dreamers (02/11/2015)

Leading off witness testimony was D.A. King of the Dustin Inman Society, who pointed out that the DACA program was instituted unilaterally by President Obama. He urged lawmakers to “let this bill die in committee.” Also speaking against the bill was Phil Kent. Kent said that “we don’t know who these people are,” and maintained that those eligible for the DACA program were using fake documents. He made the point that by allowing Dreamers to enroll at in-state tuition rates, the slots that they take couldn’t be taken by citizens and legal immigrants. Although Kent was appointed by Governor Deal to Georgia’s Immigration Enforcement Review Board, Kent said his comments were his own, not the board’s.

 MassLive: Immigrant students in Massachusetts seek in-state tuition (02/09/2015)

The cost of higher education continues to increase and many students focus on getting into state universities in order to reduce their loans. Immigrant students illegally living in Massachusetts are not able to receive the benefits of in-state tuition. According to the Bourne Courier, immigrant students are lobbying for access to in-state tuition rates at public universities and colleges.

 Daily Tar Heel [North Carolina]: ‘It’s a lot to put on young people’ (02/05/2015)

So far, Jose has defied the odds. “My case is a rare case,” he said. “Before my senior year ended, I knew I was going to college.” Jose, who requested that his last name not be used for security reasons, is an undocumented resident of North Carolina. He has lived in the state since leaving Mexico at age 5, but he is considered an out-of-state student at UNC. For Jose, earning a higher education involves overcoming challenges many people never have to consider.

 Research and Reports

  Vox: A federal judge just put the brakes on Obama’s immigration actions (02/17/2015)

1.       Federal judge Andrew Hanen just ruled that the Obama administration has to temporarily halt implementation of its executive actions on immigration.

2.       The ruling comes right before the administration was going to open up applications for immigrants older than 30 who came the US as children to apply for protection from deportation and work permits. It also affects a program that was supposed to open later this spring, for parents of US citizens and permanent residents.

3.       The injunction means Hanen thinks there's a substantial chance that he's going to ultimately rule that the executive actions were made illegally, siding with the 26 states that have sued the administration.

4.       The Obama administration is expected to file to keep the injunction itself from going into effect; the Fifth Circuit will take up the question in a few weeks.

Order of Temporary Injunction - Texas v. United States

Mother Jones: A Judge Just Blocked Obama's Immigration Plans. Here's Why You Shouldn't Take His Ruling Seriously. (02/17/2015)

Congratulations to Florida SDS for helping to win in-state tuition for undocumented students!

BREAKING: #TuitionEquity Bill #HB851 passes Florida House by wide margin, with no members daring to speak in opposition. #EducationForAll #OneStateOneRate

Tampa Bay SDS: Our status should not be an obstacle for anyone to be able to go to school. Education is a right. At USF, we are pushing for ‪#‎tuitionequity‬ for undocumented students so that they can have in-state tuition. If you are on campus, please come to our table and sign the petition! If you cannot, we have an online petition as well!