The Undocumented Student: Current Issue and Future Challenges

1. The Undocumented Student: Current Issue and Future Challenges Aliza Gilbert College Counselor Highland Park High School Highland Park, Illinois

2. The Situation in Illinois • 4% of the undocumented students in the U.S. live in Illinois. (1) (CA – 24%, TX – 14%, FL – 9%, NY 7%, AZ – 5%, NJ – 4%, NC – 3%) • 3,500 graduate each year from Chicago high schools alone (2) • March 2004 Current Population Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and Department of labor • Center for Urban Economic Development, UIC March 2003

3. Public Act 93-007 • In 2003 Illinois became the 7th state to pass a tuition law (House Bill 60) referred to as Public Act 93-007. • Ten states have established new residency standards allowing unauthorized immigrant students to receive in-state tuition under certain conditions (TX, CA, UT, WA, NY, OK, IL, KS, NM, NE). • In IL students can pay in-state tuition rates if they: • graduated from an Illinois high school • attended high school in Illinois for three years while living with a parent or guardian • sign an affidavit that they will seek legal status as soon as they are eligible

4. Current Issues and Future Challenges • Paying for college • The myth – undocumented = no college • Lack of motivation resulting in poor academic performance • High school counselors and college admission professionals who are misinformed

5. What Can Counselors Do? Improve identification of students • Smart kids with poor grades who have bad attitudes toward school. Many are bitter. • Students with good grades who don’t engage in the college process and ultimately never apply to college. • Identify students with birth places outside of the U.S. who do not have a social security number. • Talk to teachers, other students, past grads.

6. Educate Students • Revise your presentations to include the terms: citizens, lawful permanent residents and undocumented students. • Do presentations to multicultural and international student groups. • Get to the freshmen early! • Outreach to the middle schools. • Inform students about tuition laws (if they exist in your state) • Talk about attending college part-time vs. full-time • Payment plans • Scholarship opportunities • Inform students who are citizens or permanent residents that they can receive financial aid even if their parents are undocumented. • Affirm that an education is worthwhile.

7. Questions undocumented students ask regarding admissions • Are there any state laws which require your institution to report to a federal or state authority on the presence of undocumented students at your institution? • If a student does not have a social security number should they use zero’s or leave it blank? • Are all applicants for admission asked about their citizenship or immigration status on the application? • Is an applicant who indicates that he or she is not a U.S. citizen required to submit proof of their immigrant status? • Will the application be rejected if any of these questions are left blank? • Does the institution have a written policy regarding whether or not it will report undocumented students only if asked, or do they volunteer this information?

8. Questions undocumented students ask regarding financial aid • Will the institution consider undocumented students for institutional or private aid? • Does the institution require all applicants, even those who are undocumented to complete a FAFSA in order to be considered for private or institutional scholarships? • Will the institution accept the College Board CSS Profile in place of the FAFSA? • If a FAFSA form is completed, does the institution automatically report any flagged files to INS? • Does the institution offer any special scholarships for international students? • Can undocumented students apply for these scholarships? • What forms must be completed for these scholarships?

9. My wish list for colleges! • Revise your application • Eliminate request for social security number • Revise citizenship options • Revise on-line application • Don’t require a Verification of Finances for undocumented students • Don’t require an undocumented student to complete a FAFSA • Create a financial aid form for institutional need based aid • Award institutional scholarships (how about fully funding just 1 kid?) • Educate your entire staff, especially front line admissions reps and data processors • Assign a point person in admissions for students and counselors to contact

10. Resources for Handouts • College is Possible: A Guide for Undocumented Students (Chicago Public Schools) http://www.postsecondary.cps.k12.il.us/get_to_college/undocumented_students/(available in Spanish also) • The Dream Act of 2007 Frequently Asked Questions (Immigration Policy Center) http://www.ailf.org/ipc/factchecks/DREAMFAQ10-23-07.pdf • Dreams Deferred: The Cost of Ignoring Undocumented Students (Immigration Policy Center) http://www.ailf.org/ipc/policybrief/policybrief_2007_dream.pdf • Guide to Undocumented Student Aid (IL Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights) http://www.icirr.org/index_files/undocumentedstudentaid.pdf

11. Enrollment Management Perspective on Undocumented Students Don Bishop Creighton University

12. Demographics • 1986: 33% of H.S. grads were students of color, 9.9% were Latino—30% of all SoC • 2000: 42% of H.S. grads were SoC, 16.3% were Latino—39% of all SoC • 2014: 47% of H.S. grads will be SoC, 19.9% will be Latino—42% of all SoC

13. High School Graduates 30 Yr Trends • 1986:2014:Growth 3.9% Asian 6.9% 77% .9% Native American 1.1% 22% 16.3% African American 13.2% - 19% 9.9% Latino 19.6% 198% Latino high school graduates will continue to soar and Asian numbers will also see substantial increases Latino growth is driving the increase in SoC We expect the number of undocumented high school graduates to jump substantially in the next five years

14. Jesuit Involvement in Undocumented • Most Jesuit Universities report they enroll between 1 or 2 new undocumented freshmen each year • The average freshman enrollment of the reporting Jesuit schools is 1,080 of which the median number of Latino students was about 70

15. Jesuit Universities Lower Income Reach • Among the participating 17 Jesuit Universities in the survey they averaged enrolling 1170 total freshmen and 220 freshmen (19% of the class) with incomes below $60,000…many were under $40,000 • 310 freshmen (27%) with demonstrated needs above $32,000…and EFC’s averaging below $3,000 • Most of these students averaged between $6,000 to $10,000 of Federal & State Aid and over $15,000 in institutional scholarships and grants

16. Creighton’s Approach to Undocumented Students • We do not share undocumented applications with the Office of International Programs. The student is attending school in the United States. • We consider the student for University based awards…and advise them no state of Federal aid will be available

17. If the student has a permanent resident or refugee status they can complete the FAFSA and be considered for all aid programs • Undocumented students go through the same admissions review process as American citizens and they receive all materials and invitations • We also invite them to meet with our multi-cultural advisor Ricardo Ariza to assess their best options—for legal status, if deemed possible

18. Some students submit tax forms or at least documentation that ascertains within reason their financial situation. Sometimes resources have been withheld from these declarations. • Some students have received support up to the full cost of tuition. Most do not have all loan debt normally provided entirely replaced by grants. We base our final decisions on their academic and service and leadership records. The student and family and their community support system are all expected to contribute • Ricardo may contact the Mexican American consulate for advice and may refer applicants to this group • Any programs that require background checks and social security and immigration/citizenship status as part of that background check will not review or admit undocumented students

19. Ethics • We are constantly wresting with what is best for the student in the long run. That is our first concern • Our undocumented students are not able to find jobs that pay above board. They are highly trained professionals and can not seek and gain proper work. They have borrowed from families and worked exceptionally hard • Our top student (Finance Major)—worked as a translator as a student for community programs, and now in finance for a community program—paid in cash

20. Ethics • An undocumented student will cost about twice the resources in aid of a high need student who is unable to enroll due to the lack of aid from the University • When we enroll an undocumented student we are telling two other high need students they can not come20

21. Ethics • In some isolated cases we are compelled by the students character and talent to enroll them in place of two other highly deserving high need students • However, we are rethinking this due to their inability to find work. Their debt and work has not benefitted them as much as they hoped and they feel mislead.

22. The Future • We are active in seeking advice of the developments on this political and social justice issue • If no solution is formed in the next several years we may not continue to enroll students because of the lack of job placement..we hold out hope

23. The Undocumented Student: Current Issues and Future Challenges Vic Davolt Director of Admissions Regis University Denver, CO

24. Current Issues’in Colorado • Undocumented students are legally enrolled in Colorado high schools • Undocumented students who graduate from Colorado high schools and turn 18 years of age are expected to return to the country of origin--now considered illegal immigrants • Undocumented students are required to pay out of state tuition costs at most Colorado public universities and are not eligible for need-based state aid • HB 1023 passed in the summer of 2006 bars illegal immigrants from getting public benefits and tightened restrictions on employers of illegal immigrants • Students born to illegal immigrants—student is U.S. citizen but parents are not here legally-- have recently been granted in-state tuition • High school counselors refer students to attend colleges in states with more welcoming programs—such as California, Texas and New Mexico or to attend private universities where merit aid is available • New Mexico doesn’t deny post-secondary education benefits based on immigration status. According to an article in the Rocky Mountain News July 20, 2007, (While) “state financial aid is intended for residents, a provision makes it possible for out-of-state students to establish residency and thus qualify for in-state tuition and an institutional scholarship.”

25. Mirna, Ana, and MariaStories from Regis University • The last three years Regis has enrolled these three young women who are undocumented • All three were top performing graduates of their respective high schools • All three have parents who own their homes and pay federal and state income taxes • All three have merit awards from Regis • All three have uncertain futures under current legislation

26. Mirna • Started with the high school counselor’s desperate plea on behalf of a top graduate • Generosity of donor Ralph Nagel and Fr. Michael Sheeran, President of Regis University • Parents are tax paying home owners with funds set aside for amnesty fines • Dream of Being a nurse • Never wrote a paper, solved a math problem, or read a book in high school, but managed a “B” in anatomy course second semester at Regis • Immigration Attorney, “Don’t ever go back to Mexico.” Van totaled! • Nursing dream dashed • Future Uncertain

27. Ana • Another counselor’s plea • Top rated student from top high school • Nagel funds unavailable • Community College (out of state tuition) and a 4.0 • Transfers in and pays the balance • Loves Regis but paying balance of costs may be unsustainable • Uncertain future

28. Maria • Yet another counselor’s plea • Salutatorian with AP and Honors • Earned nearly $10,000 in outside community scholarships (first year only though for most); also earned merit award from Regis • She pays 1/3, mom pays 1/3, and brother pays 1/3 of balance • Because of Colorado HB 1023 dad and brothers had to move to Wyoming for work; family relocating to Wyoming and now she’ll need to add room and board to her costs if she stays at Regis • Wyoming will grant her an honors scholarship but must charge out of state tuition; dad and brother may lose new job because of immigration status—even though the owners love them • “The pay is good because my dad and brothers will do construction work no one else will do.” • Because of Colorado HB 1023 Maria will lose her job at car dealership even though the owners love her—the tears flowed heavily • Earned a place in Regis Honors program and earned a Regis Honors Scholarship (only five given per year) • “Get my driver’s license in another state; if I get stopped, just pay the fine.” • Uncertain future

29. Future Challenges are Current Challenges • Amnesty, fines and resurrection of the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors—which hasn’t gained approval in Congress. When will Congress act? • U.S. Latino Population is Explosive—there are 104.9 million Latinos in Mexico and 44.5 million in the U.S.--A country within a country. • Everyone’s heard of the 12 million undocumented count • By 2020 one in five U.S. residents will be Latino • In Colorado—in 1988 Hispanics were 11% of the graduating high school class but by 2014 will be 25%. • The “Latinization” of states calls for immediate attention in higher education—will serving the needs of this explosive growth of Citizen Hispanics cut out the undocumented?