Tuesday September 4, 2001
Should Undocumented Students Get Financial Aid?
From The San Jose Mercury News: “Today, undocumented California high school graduates who do well academically can compete for admission to state colleges and universities along with everyone else. But once they get in, they have to pay tuition as much as 11 times higher than legal California residents pay. They also aren’t eligible for state-subsidized financial aid.
The best hope for such students is a bill that would allow some undocumented students to get financial aid and pay in-state fees at California’s public colleges and universities.”
How many undocumented students attend schools in your area? How many try to go on to college? What is their future if they have to pay unsupported tuition?
President Bush has signaled the changing national political climate by proposing legalization of longtime undocumented residents. Texas allowed in-state tuition for some undocumented residents this year, and Wisconsin lawmakers have recommended their state do the same. North Carolina is also considering in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants.
Others say that undocumented students deserve no support.
The Mercury News reports: “We are asking the American taxpayer in various states to subsidize public higher education for people who are in the country illegally,” said Ira Mehlman, media director for FAIR, the Federation for American Immigration Reform. While that may be popular with politicians, he said, “I don’t think it is terribly popular among the rest of the population.”
Kids Not Allowed to Read Books in Jail Cells
From The St. Petersburg Times: “Talk to just about anyone who works in the juvenile justice system, and they’ll tell you education is one of the keys to helping turn troubled kids away from crime.
But when young people are housed inside cells in juvenile detention centers across Florida, they generally are barred from reading books.
Reading is allowed in detention centers’ classrooms and recreation areas. But once these youths are sent to their individual cells, books are considered contraband — dangerous items that can be used to fashion weapons or help someone escape.”