Posted on 07/28/2003 8:24:37 PM PDT by new cruelty
Diana Mora, 18, of Chicago, would love to attend Northwestern because it's a "really great school'' with "really good prestige.'' Martha, 20, of Chicago, earned high grades at Roosevelt High School in hopes of attending the elite university in Evanston.
But even though both graduated at the top of their respective classes and both were accepted for admission at NU, neither can attend.
That's because as illegal immigrants from Mexico, they are not eligible for financial aid--either from the government or Northwestern. At $37,338 for a year of tuition and room and board, they said not getting aid is just like not getting accepted at all--there is no way they can afford to go.
"We should have the opportunity to be able to go to the top universities,'' said Martha, who asked that her full name not be used. "A lot of people think Hispanics can't do it. We can do it. We just don't have the resources. I don't think it's fair."
But an Uptown-based community group is hoping to change that. The Organization of the NorthEast is lobbying a handful of local private universities to do more to help illegal students attend their campuses.
Emboldened by the passage of a recent law allowing illegal, longtime Illinois residents who graduate from state high schools to pay in-state tuition, they say there is nothing stopping schools like Northwestern from providing their own funds to help the students. Under current law, the students are ineligible for federal or state aid.
In response to the group's effort, Loyola University created a task force to recommend ways to assist illegal students, although the school has not committed to any action.
If Northwestern--one of the nation's top schools--took action, it "could set a trend'' for other private schools, said Joyce Ramirez-Knight, co-chair of the immigration strategy team for the organization.
But Northwestern has rejected calls to change its policy of only offering aid to U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
NU officials say the school only offers full scholarships to athletes. All other aid is need-based, and is typically a combination of federal and state money in addition to aid directly from Northwestern.
Because NU would have to provide all the funds itself, providing aid to illegal students would drain NU's $51 million aid budget more quickly than giving aid to low-income students who are legal residents, NU officials said.
Such aid "is much more expensive and deprives others of resources,'' NU President Henry Bienen said in a letter to the group late last month. Bienen also said there could be legal problems with "selectively limiting assistance to any particular group of noncitizens.''
Bienen was unavailable for comment Friday, but NU spokesman Al Cubbage said the school doesn't see how it could offer scholarships to Mexican citizens who live in the Chicago area over Mexican citizens who live in Mexico.
But Ramirez-Knight ridiculed the school's assertion that the aid was too costly, considering the school's $3.3 billion endowment was the 15th largest in the country in 2002.
She also said there is a difference between students like Mora and Martha and international students who have no plans to stay in the States. The women have lived here for years, their families are here and they attended local elementary and high schools. They are simply caught in the process of trying to become citizens, which can take between seven and 21 years.
"They know no other country,'' she said.
Isn't that kind of racist?
The only way that would be racist is if American was a race, which it is not. An American is a national identity, so this is a nationalist statement. A patriotic one at that. Why is it wrong for any american to want to look out for the interests of his hello citizens and place them above those children whose families have not earned the right to even be in the country.
Are there no colleges in Mexico for them to attend?
Let's see here.... most states are raising tuition for their own citizens, and now these despicable barnacles are demanding financial aid? There is absolutely nothing stopping the feds from rounding up these miserable sponges and tossing them out of the country. If the feds keep siding with the criminals, citizens will have no alternative but to do their jobs for them. I think that may be coming soon in California. Watch closely.... the fireworks could start within days or weeks.
In Texas they have to give them the standardized school tests in their own language. The children of the freeloading immigrants have never been taught that learning is important so even when they're given the tests in Spanish the scores are dismal. Why study? Why read to your kids? You can just demand the taxpayers give you what you want.
There are good ones and the public universities in Mexico are free ---the government pays their way completely which is what they demand of us. What they want is a system like they had back home ---it's not fair to expect them to pay their own way.
They may need to learn one American tradition ----working your way through college. Most American kids are doing just that, they don't all expect a free ride like this bunch does.
OK, then don't expect to see your name on a diploma.
Why does anyone have to work at all? It's not fair!
How come we can't all live like drug-lords? It's just not fair!
If a Bushbot/RINO reads that you won't vote for Bush or any other RINO again, their immediate come-back is, 'What choice do you have?' 'Do you want to let Hillary and the Democrats win?'
I hope an anti-illegal immigration, law-and-order, Conservative challenges Bush in the Republican Primary.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.