Toolsview all


In state colleges ... Act of compliance

 
By Susan Simpson | Published: October 26, 2007    Comment on this article Leave a comment

Undocumented immigrants still will be able to pay in-state tuition at Oklahoma public colleges, but must meet higher standards and will be ineligible for state scholarships, according to a policy adopted Thursday by the State Regents for Higher Education.

More Info

Financial impact
Last year, 244 undocumented students attended Oklahoma colleges, mostly at Oklahoma City Community College and Tulsa Community College. While they cost the state $112,000 in tuition waivers and state aid, they contributed $238,785 in tuition and fees.

"Whatever aid was given has been a minute part of the whole budget,” said state Rep. Shane Jett, R-Tecumseh. "They do not take away seats from those students who are native-born.”

NewsOK Related Articles

  • Along the Texas border ...An enforcement expansion
    10/26/2007 SAN ANTONIO — U.S. border agents plan to expand to a second portion of the Texas border a program to criminally prosecute and incarcerate illegal...
  • Immigration battle heats up
    10/26/2007 •Catholics vow to resist measure Catholic Archbishop Eusebius J. Beltran and a council of priests with the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City have signed a...
  • In federal court ... New challenge
    10/26/2007 Just three days after a lawsuit challenging Oklahoma's immigration enforcement law was dismissed in Tulsa federal court, another has been filed. Most of the...
  • In Catholic churches ...Vow of resistance
    10/26/2007 A council of priests with the Oklahoma City Archdiocese and Archbishop Eusebius J. Beltran have signed a pledge opposing the immigration reform law set to go...
  • Regents vote on undocumented immigrants
    10/25/2007 Undocumented immigrants that meet certain criteria still will be eligible for in-state tuition at Oklahoma public colleges, according to a policy adopted...

Students who have lived in Oklahoma for at least two years and have graduated from high school will remain eligible for in-state tuition if they have applied with the federal government to legalize their status.

They previously had to sign an affidavit that they intended to seek legal status.

The new policy was necessary to comply with the state's immigration law that takes effect Nov. 1. The policy applies to students starting in the spring semester. Regents voted 5 to 1 for the policy. Three regents abstained.

State Rep. Shane Jett, R-Tecumseh, told regents the new immigration law is unfair to children born in another country but brought here illegally by their parents.

"Those kids are here through no fault of their own,” he said. "We don't want to punish these kids for the sins of their fathers.”

Regent reactions
Regent Stuart Price voted against the measure and said the current policy should stand. It allowed in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants with high school diplomas or general educational development certificates, didn't require federal applications and allowed students to seek state scholarships such as Oklahoma's Promise and the Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant.

Page 1 of 2

Toolsview all



Related Topics: Domestic Policy, Social Policy, Political Policy, Politics, Education, Elementary and High School Education, Immigration Policy, High School Education, Immigration, Illegal Immigration and Deportation, Government and Politics



Leave a Comment

Thank you for joining our conversation on NewsOK.com. We encourage your discussion but ask that you stay within the bounds of our commenting and posting policy. Please help by flagging comments that violate these guidelines. Posts that contain obscene or vulgar language will be immediately flagged and not posted.

If you prefer your thoughts to appear in The Oklahoman, we encourage you to submit a letter to the editor.

Would you like to leave a comment?

Log in or sign up (it's free).

comments powered by Disqus

Ads by Yahoo!

53yr Old Woman, Looks 25
53yr Old Mom publishes 1 simple wrinkle trick that has angered doctors.
www.ConsumerLifestyleMag.com
Woman is 51 But Looks 25
Mom publishes simple wrinkle secret that has angered doctors...
ConsumerLifestyles.org

News Photo Galleriesview all