Coming to Sacramento

We are excited to be visiting Northern California once again. Please forward this to anyone you might know in the Sacramento area!

I suddenly become a Colorado Rockies fan...

...after Rockies owner Dick Monfort publicly stated his support for the Tuition Equity Bill:

"I am a Republican. But I don't even know how a Republican could view this as not a good thing."
Monfort said it is senseless to spend the money to put children of illegal immigrants through the public school system only to deny them the final step. A college degree, he said, "allows this student to make something of his life."

Other republicans show that they do not value education, like State Senator David Schulteis:

"Public schools from kindergarten through high school are already required by federal law to educate all children, regardless of their immigration status," Schultheis said in a recent statement. "Higher education, on the other hand, while coveted by some, is not a prerequisite for making something of oneself in America."

So his logic is that since you can make something of yourself without attending college, you should maintain discriminatory practices that push immigrant students out, often because you take the liberty to claim they don't belong to the only country they have ever known. Real classy, Schulteis, specially since you yourself seemed to value education when you attended Occidental College, the University of Minnesota and Cal State LA. (Source: his resume)
Go to the original article and vote NO on the question of whether in-state tuition should be for citizens only.

Word choice and the Daily Aztec

Last week, we stopped by San Diego County for presentations at the two southernmost California State University campuses: San Marcos and San Diego. We were well received by captive audiences and plenty of support in both places. In San Diego, however, controversy precluded us, after an article previewing our event promoted it as an open discussion on "illegal immigrants":

Art Reed, one of our hosts on the campus, wrote a letter to the editor:

The labeling of our fellow students as “illegal immigrants” only increases the difficulties they face, and in fact exacerbates divisiveness on campus and in our community. The teach-in is meant precisely to dispel the kind of negative images and ideas about undocumented students that these sound bites and catchphrases foster.

It turns out that spineless copy editing and a narrow-minded AP stylebook were at fault on this one, as the original author, Wendy Fry, poured out her personal connection to undocumented workers in a blog post about the word choice dilemma. She also took on the AP:

The people who have failed to do their job competently, however, are those who serve on the AP Stylebook ethics board. The term is offensive, abhorrent and wrong especially in the context in which it was used. Unfortunately, it is a term pounded so incessantly into the mainstream media’s vocabulary that most journalists either accept it unquestionably or chose to completely avoid writing about immigration, an issue that needs to be addressed.

In my view, the controversy over the use of the term illegal immigrant is a non-issue. Because we know better, we avoid it here in almost all cases. But I feel that as long as you portray these 12 million souls as human beings, and you recognize all their human qualities, use whatever headline you want. Avoid, like the AP recommends, using the pejorative "illegals", and read up on credible sources before jumping on the NumbersUSA and FAIR bandwagon.
And in the end, remember that while these undocumented immigrants might have broken a law, in doing so they chose to uphold a set of human rights and principles that far outweigh the illegality of their border crossing, for it takes sacrifice and courage, character and hope, to make such a decision and undertake such a lifestyle.
To end the story, the Daily Aztec published a writeup of the event, also by Wendy Fry. Check that out here.

Washington State: On Political Courage

State Representative Dave Quall from the state of Washington is facing an uphill battle in his fight to secure grant money for undocumented students in his state, in a California Dream Act-like atmosphere. Still, he is chipping away at the "rule of law" argument" by promoting the universality of education:

Rep. Dave Quall, D-Mt. Vernon, the bill’s primary sponsor, compared the public education system to Doctors without Borders, a humanitarian organization that provides medical aid in more than 60 countries.

“[Doctors Without Borders] say, ‘If there’s a medical need, let’s take care of it,’” Quall explained. “That’s a generous philosophy, and I like a generous philosophy.”

One UW student who testified in favor of the bill said, “Courage is what is going to be needed to pass this bill.”

That student speaks of a type of courage that many undocumented students have, and that most politicians lack. Full story here.

Great find: Ille, the gal, blogs it up

It's kinda refreshing to run into a new undocumented students blog, specially when they base their writing on amazing puns of the word "illegal". A mysterious gal with writing tact and stories to tell, Ille, is writing today about her job-searching misfortunes, which quickly turn into a struggle against job scammers and fraudulent ID frauders, if that makes any sense. Last month, she wrote about her own experiences with incredulous college counselors:

During the second session, she told me that I'm thinking too much about being undocumented. So I responded that I don't particularly think about being undocumented at all, in most cases, I forget that I'm undocumented because I've spent a majority of my life not knowing. And in the back of my mind I thought, "I'm telling you of my status, when I've never told anybody before, because you're a therapist. People are supposed to talk about themselves to therapists, and anyone can guess that being undocumented is fairly encompassing of one's life.

Yup, being undocumented in college, slightly different than your average quarter-life crisis based on what sorority I am getting a bid for and why everyone is so smart. you silly therapist. Anyway, best of luck to Ille, the gal, in her observations on the human condition.
Visit her at http://www.ille-gal.blogspot.com

LA Times story followup

Just took on some knownothing commenters on the LA Times Readers' Rep Blog followup on the story of an undocumented fresshman girl at UCLA.

As usual on this one, hate mail abounds. Go and join the discussion!

Dream Act PSA from Missouri

Hats off to the folks at Voces de La Frontera for holding the fight for immigrant rights in uncharted territories. These young Missourians seem ready to stand up for their dreams.

Colorado: uphill battle against Republicans with no backbone

Their business constituents support it, but the spineless legislators do not:

"Candidly, right now I'm really struggling getting any Republican support [at the Capitol]. But I have hundreds of Republican businessman who know that this is exactly what Colorado needs," Romer said.

That is Colorado State Senator Chris Romer speaking to KGWN TV, Denver's Channel 2. He is seeking to promote higher education in his state by allowing undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates. He introduced SB170, titled "Nondiscrimination in Higher Education Funding" last week.
Mark Wolf at the Rocky Mountain News reports that prominent Republicans at the Board of Trustees level and in the private sector have already expressed their public support for the bill, praising its "forward-thinking" in immigration and its recognition of the fact that everyone pays taxes. We are going to keep up with all these in-state tuition battles and have all the latest here.

Utah: tough love from anti-immigrant forces

Utah, the state of pro-Dream Act Republican Orrin Hatch, is one of the few states to allow undocumented students to qualify for in-state rates if they have lived in the state for a long time. But now, Republicans in the Utah legislature are out to cut out student employment resources by changing the affidavit policies:

Ronald Mortensen, who represents the Utah Coalition on Illegal Immigration, strongly backs the bill.
"These are good kids, and we don't want them charged with identity theft at the age of 18, 19 or 20. That can ruin your life," he said. "We're giving them this special benefit of in-state tuition, and the only thing we're asking is they obey the laws."

The bill would require students to file two affidavits each year declaring they have not held a job without documents. People like Mortensen might think they are doing good for the students, but they are in fact perpetuating their exclusion from higher education. Rather than attack a flawed immigration system that does not acknowledge their dilemmas and provide them with a path to legalization that acknowledges their status as students and upright citizens of their communities, he is out to cut out their survival system in college. Full article, from the Salt Lake tribune, here.

Arizona: tough economy hurts Dream Fund

Chicanos Por la Causa created the American Dream Fund in 2008. President and CEO Edmundo Hidalgo said the organization was able to fundraise $5.5 million dollars, $2 million short of the expected goal, to provide scholarships for about 200 undocumented students attending ASU.

However, Hidalgo said the group is unsure whether there will be enough funds for incoming freshmen like Claudia.

Full article here. It says the organization has provided 200 ASU students with scholarships so that they could enroll in the university. Anyone know if these students have organized in any way, shape, or form?

Go Sun Devil Dreamers!

DreamActivist chooses heavily accented Latino for Dreamie of the Week

Some loser.

Alejandra Rincon, Author of "Si Se Puede: Undocumented Students in Higher Ed" Speaks at Brown

Alejandra Rincon, PhD is author of Undocumented Immigrants and Higher Education: Si Se Puede! This book chronicles the historic struggle of undocumented students and their supporters to gain equal access to higher education through in-state tuition laws. These efforts, which have been successful in ten states thus far, are the current expression of past civil rights struggles and may have broader implications for the population as a whole. Dr. Rincon will be joined by Rep. Grace Diaz and Roberto Gonzalez, Esq., Michelle DePlante, and Tam Tran who will share information on local efforts related to this important issue.

Sign Up Now! Undocumented Immigrants and Higher Education Join us for a discussion and book signing by Alejandra Rincon, PhD Support the DREAM Act Most importantly, support the R. I. Student Equal Economic Opportunity Act Learn about and lend your support toward local efforts to pass legislation that would open doors for undocumented immigrants to gain equal access to higher education in Rhode Island. Friday, February 6, 2009 – 6pm Brown University, Solomon Center Saturday, February 7, 2009 – 1pm URI Providence Campus, Paff Auditorium Organized and co-sponsored by the Cesar Chavez Scholarship Fund and the RI Coalition of Advocates for Student Opportunities (CASO) For more information, visit our website http://www.cesarchavezscholarshipsri.org

DREAM Act Teach-In this Sunday at Brown

If you're in Rhode Island and wanna help organize around issues about undocumented students such as in-state tuition, which was introduced today or the DREAM Act, stop by the Third World Center this Sunday from 2-5pm at Brown University.

If you can't come, try to leave some positive vibes on the article linked above. It could use it.

Virginia moving forward with in-state tuition bill

Virginia's in-state tuition bill is moving forward. SB1037 was introduced by a Republican and its stated intent is to prohibit access to in-state tuition for undocumented students, unless they follow a familiar set of rules: live in the state, attend a high school in the state for three or more years, get a degree and sign an affidavit. Unlike similar bills in California and elsewhere, however, the bill also includes a provision that the student must show his or her tax records for the three years prior to enrollment.

I found the political dynamics to be peculiar on this one, particularly since the bill's chief patron, Republican Emmett Hanger Jr. from the 24th district, seems to belong to the Buchanan school of thought on immigration. From his website:

For centuries, immigrants who followed the rules to come to this country legally have been the foundation of the American culture. So when we tolerate illegal immigration, we insult those immigrants who played by the rules to come here. More importantly, the failure to secure our borders jeopardizes our national security. With the federal government failing to do its duty to secure our borders, I believe Virginia must do more to crack down on illegal immigration and I am working hard to make that happen.

While other in-state tuition exemptions played out strictly under party lines, SB1037 just passed the Virginia State Senate with strong bipartisan support leading to a 31-9 vote in favor. Thirteen republicans and eighteen democrats supported the bill, while only six republicans and three democrats voted against it.

The Scholarship Hunter

Hi I'm mathbruin, your newest blogger... a little about me..
I am the superhero of scholarships...

Ok, now what I do best, look for scholarships open to ALL students (or at least won't check).

Hot Scholarships due: Jan- March

National - Computer Science
http://www.microsoft.com/college/ss_reqs.mspx due Feb 1st

New York - HS - Grad - Environmental/Water Quality
http://www.nywea.org/schol/ - HS Undergrad January 22nd GradMarch 2009

California - Graduating High School Students http://www.cacesf.org/2009%20Scholarship%20Information/Application%20&%20Award%20Rules/2008-2009_CACESF_Rules_and_Application_web.pdf
Due Feb. 2nd

NorCal - Graduating High School Students & College Students

Please note, the scholarship deadline has changed! The 2009 deadline is Monday, February 16th. Click here to download the 2009 New American College Fund Scholarship Application.
http://www.e4fc.org/images/NACF.09ScholarshipApp.pdf

Los Angeles - Graduating High School Students - AB540 Eligible

http://www.associationofrazaeducators.org/are_scholarship due March 2009

California - Orange County - Community College Student
http://www.oc-cf.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=328&srcid=310 due March

California - CSULA CSUDH - Ab540 Eligible
http://www.libertyhill.org/grant/home.html - Due March

California - Los Angeles - Non Traditional/Woman
http://www.ncjwla.org/index.php?gid=279&this_gid=252 February - May

A new undergrad, still forced to be underground

Today's LA Times carries the story of an undocumented student facing her first day of classes at UCLA last September. Her name is Karina De La Cruz:

Karina De La Cruz wakes up in the dark on her first day of classes at UCLA.
Pushing herself off a two-seat couch in the living room of a San Pedro apartment this September morning, she tries not to wake a brother sleeping in a twin bed next to her, or another dozing with his wife and baby daughter in the bedroom. De La Cruz dresses quickly and briefly considers taking her skateboard, then thinks of how her mother rolls her eyes whenever she rides it. She leaves it behind.
"I want to look right, I want to act right," she says later.

I remember that same feeling, and I gotta say I never got to look right or act right in the UCLA bubble. And for the record on Karina, who is now more integrated into the IDEAS family, she might have given up on that a bit, too, since I usually see her carrying her skateboard. She doesn't have to go through four years of this commute and this uncertainty: support the DREAM Act

If I am ever in Columbia University...

I want to meet this guy:

Administrators have not always looked favorably on Professor Dalton's theory of education. After they discovered that he was allowing a group of undocumented students to slip into his lectures semester after semester, he was asked to reconsider his open classroom policy, gently reminded that Columbia University has a formal auditing program and that students pay upwards of $50,000 a year.

The professor smiled and replied without pause, "These are my friends. You wouldn't tell any other professor that he couldn't invite his friends to sit in on his class."