New In-State Bill Leaves DREAMERS in the Dust

Recently a new bill was introduced in Colorado that would take out the parents' residency requirement to receive in-state tuition at Colorado public colleges and universities. The rule currently says a student (22 and under) qualifies for in-state tuition only if the parents, not student, have lived for twelve consecutive months in the state. This currently puts students who are in foster care, homeless, and runaways at a disadvantage.

Though DREAM Act was mentioned, and though State Sen. Sandoval supports DREAM Act, she was careful to mention,

"...this is different because it affects only U.S. citizens."

And that,

"The Dream Act is another topic for another day."

Again and again dreams of undocumented students are pushed to the side - 'a topic for another day'. When will that day come, if ever?

Steve Jordan, president of Metropolitan State College of Denver said,

"He didn't want this to spark an immigration debate within the Capitol."

Jordan said dozens of Metro students who have trouble proving their parents' residency are stuck in the system morass — mostly homeless and foster kids.

"Don't we want to invest in the young people in Colorado?" he said. "This is more than about immigration ... but I'm fully cognizant that this will spark a hornet's nest."

What about DREAMERS? Are their futures not worth investing in? It is great that a larger group of students in Colorado may soon have access to in-state tuition, but once again DREAMERS are left in the dust. President Jordan is quite right, anything pro-immigration, such as (gasp)the cardinal sin of making higher education affordable for everyone regardless of legal status, will create controversy; but to not touch it for that reason is cowardly, and playing right into the hands of the anti-immigrants crowd.

The rest of the article can be read here.