Posted on 04/06/2009 12:24:20 PM PDT by Alex Murphy
From Senator Chris Romer: I understand there are passionate arguments for and against this bill but I think the article below by the Archbishop of Denver highlights a key point: this is about the future of children who are here through no fault of their own. Its important that we remember this human element and the 400 kids estimated to be annually effected by SB09-170. Allowing them reasonable access to higher education makes sense for these students and for Colorado.
Tuition Equity: A Just Means To Help Build Colorado’s Future by Archbishop Charles J. ChaputImmigration is one of those issues guaranteed to create hot feelings no matter how you argue it. On the one hand, we’re a nation founded by immigrants. Historically, we depended on immigrants to grow. Nearly all of us have family lines that started in some other country. Openness to immigrants is part of our national identity.
But it’s also true, as Irish, Italian and other Catholic Americans know very well, that dislike of immigrants also belongs to our history. We welcome immigrant labor because we need it. We often don’t welcome the human complications that come along with the people who do the work. This resentment of newcomers gets worse during economic hard times, and it’s made worse by today’s understandable concerns for domestic security.
Good people can disagree on the details of immigration policy-in other words, how best to balance justice for immigrant workers with our public safety and the solvency of our institutions. But we can’t ignore the “human complications” of undocumented labor without brutalizing ourselves and our whole system. Here’s an example: Hundreds of thousands of young adults have grown up in the United States with no memory of any other country. They’re indistinguishable from their peers who were born here. They have no other country to “go back” to. But they’re not American citizens. They didn’t choose their circumstances. They didn’t decide to migrate here; their parents did. They shouldn’t be penalized for a problem they didn’t create.
Federal law mandates free public education K-12 for all young people in the United States regardless of their immigration status. But in recent years, state-level efforts have been made across the country to bar undocumented young adults from the benefits of in-state tuition breaks for higher education.
This is bad public policy for several reasons. Young people who pursue a college degree tend to produce more, become better leaders, enrich our economy through the development of their talents, and depend far less often on social assistance. On the other hand, those who don’t complete high school are more than 25 percent likelier to need public aid such as food stamps, welfare, or subsidized lunches for their children than individuals who complete at least some college. States with a large percentage of college-educated residents have greater productivity. They’re also are much more likely to attract new industries.
Ten other states, mostly in the west, have now passed “tuition equity” bills that allow qualified undocumented young people to access in- state tuition rates for college. The early research suggests exactly what we might expect: i.e., that the resources “lost” in providing in- state tuition are recovered from reduced crime rates and dependence on social assistance. Unfortunately, Colorado is just one of three states, along with Arizona and Georgia, that explicitly bars in-state tuition for resident, undocumented students. As a matter of justice and common sense, this needs to change.
State Senators Paula Sandoval, Abel Tapia and Chris Romer, along with supportive colleagues in the Colorado General Assembly, are trying to fix this problem with Senate Bill (SB) 170. They deserve our gratitude, and more importantly, our active support, because SB 170 is legislation we need.
SB 170, if enacted, will require that any individual receiving in- state tuition must have attended a Colorado public or private high school for three years. The person must also have graduated from a Colorado public or private high school or obtained a Colorado general equivalency diploma (GED). But students who meet these significant and verifiable standards, and qualify for in-state tuition, will not be required to verify lawful presence in the United States. This last factor is crucial for those many young people who have grown up in the United States, know no other home, but don’t have American citizenship.
Politics is not the only, nor even the most important, way that Christians live their faith publicly. Most of the really vital things in life have nothing to do with politics. But politics does involve the use of power in the pursuit of justice, and that has moral and human consequences. In Colorado’s short annual legislative session, certain issues really do matter. Senate Bill 170 is one of them. Please consider the young people who will help build Colorado’s future if this bill succeeds. Senate Bill 170 needs and deserves our support.
This is bad public policy for several reasons. Young people who pursue a college degree tend to produce more, become better leaders, enrich our economy through the development of their talents, and depend far less often on social assistance. On the other hand, those who don’t complete high school are more than 25 percent likelier to need public aid such as food stamps, welfare, or subsidized lunches for their children than individuals who complete at least some college.
....SB 170, if enacted, will require that any individual receiving in- state tuition must have attended a Colorado public or private high school for three years. The person must also have graduated from a Colorado public or private high school or obtained a Colorado general equivalency diploma (GED). But students who meet these significant and verifiable standards, and qualify for in-state tuition, will not be required to verify lawful presence in the United States.
Come on Chaput!
Illegal Aliens receive instate tuition in the Great State of Texas.
catholic churches as well as other denominatiosn including Baptists are sucking up big time for illegals. I am forced to pay tax money to support illegals so no money left over for the church. At least I know my money at a church is not going to ACORN.
Pack them and their parents up and ship them back where they're from. They are taking my tax dollars. They are causing my schools to lower teaching standards. They are causing problems at the hospital. They are causing congestion on the roads. And now they want to take my child's desk away in college. No, thanks.
I was opposed to In-State tuition for Illegals when it passed here in Texas but I do not see how it will take your child’s desk away at college.
When did “Allowing them reasonable access to higher education makes sense for these students and for Colorado” equate to the American taxpayers having to pay for the illegal aliens’ tuition, while their own American kids are scramblin’ ??????
DUH .....
Very simple! There are only so many admission slots available every year for incoming students. Every illegal alien that is admitted is taking a seat that would otherwise go to a legal resident. Somehow I doubt any other country would educate illegal American students at any price much less at rates charged to tax-paying legal residents.
It began when Texas and California granted in-state tuition to illegal aliens in 2000-2001.
Here in Texas, if a student graduates in the top 10% of his or her high school class they are admitted to the state university of their choice. Thus, the system is set-up so that only the top students regardless of race or ethnicity are admitted to the University of Texas at Austin.
http://www.eagleforum.org/column/2003/mar03/03-03-19.shtml
UT Austin tuition for 2009/10 for say Business majors is about $4,900 for in-state. For out-of-state it's $16,400. Guess who's picking up the $11,500 difference? For every illegal who is admitted, that's one American taxpaying student who is denied an education.
http://www.utexas.edu/tuition/
Excuse me? Colleges limit the number of admitted students for each term. Every time an illegal is admitted, that's one less American citizen who will be admitted. Any time an illegal is admitted and pays in-state tuition, that is more I eventually have to pay. Every time an illegal is granted a scholarship, that is more dollars diverted away from American students.
If the kid is in the Top 10% of their class, they are admitted to the school of their choice.
Again, I was opposed to the In-State tuition for illegal aliens when signed by our GOP governor.
However, the University of Texas should only admit the most academically qualified students in the state, regardless of their race or ethnicity.
BTW-My son is now at UT Austin and graduated in the top 10% of his class at a top public high school which had a good number or illegal alien students.
My son competed against those kids and was better than at least 90% of his fellow students. He deserved to be admitted to UT, just as any other student in the top 10% of his class.
If a kid is not in the top 10% of his class, he is not ready for the academic challenge of UT.
Again, I am opposed to in-state tuition for illegals.
However, I am in favor of universities only admitting those who are most academically qualified, regardless of race or ethnicity.
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No, not anymore or at least it's all but a done deal. UT is pushing (no other college is, just UT) for the law to be changed. UT has been whining for years and the president let it slip it was hurting him getting a good football team. They have manipulated the numbers of Top 10%ers and not corrected the erroneous message that the msm is putting out and have decreased the freshman class size so it appears on the surface that they are in dire straights. A couple weeks ago, the Texas Senate voted to pass the changes (SB 175) so that colleges may accept up to 50% of the incoming freshmen from the Top 10%. Reading between the lines, they don't have to accept any from that group any more. That is a slap in the face to the current high school junior class (which will be the first class affected) who were promised this and worked to get into the Top 10% for the last three years. They are submitting their college applications in less than four months. How would UT like it if during 4th quarter with OU the refs suddenly changed the rules?
Nonsense, the UT Football Team does not consist of students from the top 10% of their high school class.
Furthermore, UT Austin has 53,000 students and their is plenty of room for the top students in the state.
And if they cannot cut the mustard to get into UT Austin, there are plenty of other state universities that will accept those students.
Which is exactly the point. It's beyond ridiculous. Boggles the mind. UT claims they have to admit so many Top 10% that there isn't any room left to get good football players. UT should be proud to accept these top students. There's a reason they are at the top - they're smart and can get the work done. Unfortunately, they don't bring in the big athletic bucks and it's all about the $$$$$ and fame.
I wish our bishops would learn to pick their fights. Sticking to faith and morals would be a good place to begin.
Sure, UT is only the top grossing athletic program in the nation.
Scoreboard!
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