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Illegal immigrants press for college financial aid
Chicago Sun Times ^ | July 28, 2003 | DAVE NEWBART

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.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: aztlaniscoming; bordersecurity; financialaide; handouts; highereducation; illegalaliens; illegalimmigration; immigrantlist; invasionusa; otherpeoplesmoney; tuition
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To: pram
I guess that's one way to keep Democrats' hands off your money.
141 posted on 07/29/2003 10:31:36 PM PDT by KittyKares
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To: KittyKares
When you're self-employed they take at least 30% and when you make very little to begin with, you ain't left with enough to buy food and gas.
142 posted on 07/29/2003 10:33:26 PM PDT by First Amendment
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To: Conservababe
Why not let the free market reign? Let schools stand or fall by the tuition, without help from govt. Prices would plummet, as would salaries for professors, and we would have a better system. Of course that is a not possible with our current crop of Republican"masters". They parrot the line, we believe in the market, but they don't trust the system any more than the most radical socialist.
143 posted on 07/29/2003 10:38:05 PM PDT by jeremiah (Sunshine scares all of them, for they all are cockaroaches)
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To: B Knotts; new cruelty
Sometimes I think I have stumbled into another dimension."

I think we've been shoved into another dimension.

144 posted on 07/29/2003 10:43:50 PM PDT by DumpsterDiver
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To: jeremiah
Do a freep search for "college costs become a GOP issue".
145 posted on 07/29/2003 10:59:51 PM PDT by Conservababe
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To: KittyKares
Universities are free there!!!?? Then they should go back to Mexico for their education and keep their hands out of our pockets!!! It's a no brainer.

Yes --public universities are free for Mexican citizens. Also they need more university educated so it seems like a pretty good solution for these illegals. Go home, get your education free there and work to improve your own country.

146 posted on 07/30/2003 7:50:45 AM PDT by FITZ
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To: El Cid

so what if they broke the law What are you afraid that those ILLEGAl IMMIGRANTS might take your place or be better than you


147 posted on 01/17/2006 12:16:49 PM PST by lil1
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To: El Cid

so what if they broke the law What are you afraid that those ILLEGAl IMMIGRANTS might take your place or be better than you


148 posted on 01/17/2006 12:16:54 PM PST by lil1
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To: lil1

Welcome to FR, again.


149 posted on 01/17/2006 2:37:04 PM PST by Darksheare (Tagline subverted for nefarious plans of nefariousness.)
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To: new cruelty

Just deport all illegals and especially quickly those demanding special perks.


150 posted on 01/17/2006 2:41:30 PM PST by Dante3
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