Last month in my previous post entry entitled, “Cultivating Edification: The Costs of Teaching Illegal Immigrants,” I touched upon the educational system in the state of California. I explored the blogosphere to ascertain the costs and educational developments in regards to illegal immigration from children attending Kindergarten through the twelfth grade. I introduced two informative blogs that addressed and expressed some of the concerns with illegal immigrant children attending grade school and not having to pay for it. This week, I continue my exploration of the blogosphere in search of other innovative and informative blogs that address topics of interests dealing with illegal immigration and a college education in the United States. I continue the topic of education to provide some insight to a comment left in my previous blog. My examination has led me to two other compositions tackling the concern of a college education for undocumented students. Researching some of the consequences that undocumented students are going through in paying for a college education I came across a post titled “Court: Granting Illegal Immigrants In-State Tuition Violates Federal Law,” written by Emily Grospe, a writer for the Daily Californian’s online blog editorials section. In it, Grospe speaks about the harsh journeys illegal student’s face when it comes to paying for a higher education. Published September 16, 2008, the author also makes a reference to the California Dream Act (see top), a state senate bill that allows illegal immigrant students who have attended a California high school for three or more years or has graduated from a California high school an exemption from paying nonresident tuition fees in a California community college or state university. However, critics are still in favor of undocumented students paying the same tuition fees as out of state U.S. born students. The second post titled, “Tuition and Illegal Immigrants: A Court Ruling that Illegal Immigrants Can’t get In-State Tuition Rates Will Harm Many Students,” comes from Scott Folsman a parent and former president of the Los Angeles 10th District PTSA association and current Vice-chair of the LAUSD Construction Bonds Citizens Oversight Committee. On September 22, 2008, Folsman provides an insight to a Los Angeles Times Editorial, and provides some information on the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. This act states that “an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible on the basis of residence within a state for any postsecondary education benefits unless a citizen or national of the United States is eligible for such a benefit.” In addition to posting my views and comments directly on the authors’ respective blog entries, I have also displayed these comments for you to examine below.“Court: Granting Illegal Immigrants In-State Tuition Violates Federal Law”
Comment:
Thank you for an insightful post on the views of illegal immigrant students and a higher education. I wonder what will be for the future of undocumented students who are trying to better their lives and sometimes the lives of their families by getting a college education. It is wonderful to read a piece from an informed person who provides some insight on a very important situation. The fact that you decided to include California’s AB 540 law and California Dream Act in your piece really ties in this story with something that is significant and noteworthy to many Californian college students, whether legal or illegal. I appreciate the poignant observations you make when referencing currently just how much money out-of-state students are paying for tuition in the UC system. Although your post served as an educational and edifying analysis, it could have been even more helpful and interesting to read your viewpoint and perspectives on the case at hand. Also, since the California Dream Act has been amended for a second time by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who looks like he might not be coming back to office in the next governor elections, do you think that the next governor for California will amend it a third time? The reference you make in your article in regards to Kris Kobach, an attorney for the University of Missouri at Kansans, and who looks to also be representing the plaintiffs, provides a good background to the case you presented. I also thing that including what the chancellor of UC Berkley had to say about the ruling shows that you are not biased and are only looking at one side of the story. I would of also loved to of seen some pictures in your article of actual illegal immigrant students, but I know many of them decline to be photographed because of the legal status. I really enjoyed the quotes you mentioned in your article about the students who are actually going through this difficult situation. It is a sad reality that most Americans are not aware of some of the difficulties an undocumented student has to face in order to get a higher education. Lastly, I admire your initiative in providing valid information in your analysis. I really enjoyed the information you provided and I wish to read more post from you in regards to higher education and illegal immigration in the future.
“Tuition and Illegal Immigration: A Court Ruling that Illegal Immigrants Can’t Get In-State Tuition Rates Will Harm Many Students”
Comment:
I would like to start off by thanking you for writing on such on an important topic in today’s age, not only for illegal immigrant students but for America in general. The decreased attention illegal immigration has been getting due to the financial economic crisis that America is going thru right now has kind of put higher education for undocumented students on the backburner for a while. I especially like the part of the article where it states that studies have shown that an education for immigrants pays off in the end(see right). I understand that many of the undocumented students in California are here illegally, but I also keep in mind that those students and their families are tax payers that contribute to the states educational institutes. According to the Social Security Administration, it is estimated that illegal immigrants have paid $450 billion to the Social Security fund and I think that should be some type of basis for allowing these students to pay almost the same amounts as U.S. born California resident students pay for college tuition. As evidence from the articles persuasive tone, I firmly believe that students who have graduated or have attended a California high school for a least three years or more as stated in the California Dream Act should be allowed the same benefits as other Californian students. Although, I find your blog very informative and helpful in understanding the situation explained, I would have liked to have read your opinion on the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. I also would have liked to have seen some more links to your blog in order for me as the reader to connect with some of the main points of your blog and thesis. I think you have a great blog and by also inserting some pictures into it, it would make it more alluring and more credible. All in all, you have a remarkable blog that enlightens and educates the uniformed reader. I really enjoyed reading the piece and I am looking forward to reading some of your other posts.
“Tuition and Illegal Immigration: A Court Ruling that Illegal Immigrants Can’t Get In-State Tuition Rates Will Harm Many Students”
Comment:
I would like to start off by thanking you for writing on such on an important topic in today’s age, not only for illegal immigrant students but for America in general. The decreased attention illegal immigration has been getting due to the financial economic crisis that America is going thru right now has kind of put higher education for undocumented students on the backburner for a while. I especially like the part of the article where it states that studies have shown that an education for immigrants pays off in the end(see right). I understand that many of the undocumented students in California are here illegally, but I also keep in mind that those students and their families are tax payers that contribute to the states educational institutes. According to the Social Security Administration, it is estimated that illegal immigrants have paid $450 billion to the Social Security fund and I think that should be some type of basis for allowing these students to pay almost the same amounts as U.S. born California resident students pay for college tuition. As evidence from the articles persuasive tone, I firmly believe that students who have graduated or have attended a California high school for a least three years or more as stated in the California Dream Act should be allowed the same benefits as other Californian students. Although, I find your blog very informative and helpful in understanding the situation explained, I would have liked to have read your opinion on the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. I also would have liked to have seen some more links to your blog in order for me as the reader to connect with some of the main points of your blog and thesis. I think you have a great blog and by also inserting some pictures into it, it would make it more alluring and more credible. All in all, you have a remarkable blog that enlightens and educates the uniformed reader. I really enjoyed reading the piece and I am looking forward to reading some of your other posts.
1 comment:
Thank you for addressing this important issue that has international ramifications. I appreciated that you came out in support of a position on the Dream Act toward the end of your second comment. I would have liked to have seen introduced information that would have helped me understand both why you hold your position as well as providing either clear support or rebuttal of the blog posts that you commented. Informing the causal reader, such as myself, of the extensive history of this debate by introducing previous cases such as the Supreme Court ruling in Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202 (1982) where the court prohibited public schools from denying immigrant students access to K – 12 public education. In addition what were the pitfalls that derailed the Dream Act both within the state of California and at the national level? Addressing these issues would have strengthened your argument within the comments that you offered. You did a great job incorporating the numbers and monetary investment that undocumented workers make to taxes and the obvious connection to the support of public K – 12 education. However the analogy between Social Security and education and between taxes and university education is not as strong. The multifaceted aspect of this subject is difficult cover in such an abbreviated form as the blog responses, however you did well at introducing the subject.
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