Thread: Addressing High Tuition Costs, Denver College Cuts Tuition in Half… For Illegal Immig

Addressing High Tuition Costs, Denver College Cuts Tuition in Half… For Illegal Immigrants

Posted on June 8, 2012 at 9:07pm
by Jason Howerton
Comments (7)

The cost of college tuition has skyrocketed in recent years and the issue has become a leading cause among members of the Occupy Wall Street movement, who claim education is fundamental right. They might be happy to know that help is finally on the way… for illegal immigrants.

Metro State College of Denver trustees on Thursday voted 7-1 in favor of a plan that will give illegal aliens a 58 percent tuition break, making them the first college in the country to lower tuition for non-citizens, CBS4 in Denver reports. The state legislature could decide to reduce state funding as a result, one Colorado lawmaker says.

State lawmakers shot-down a bill that would have lowered tuition for illegal immigrations during their last session. Further, CBS4 reports similar laws have been defeated five times in the last nine sessions.

CBS4 in Denver breaks down the details of the new tuition guidelines:

About 300 students would benefit from the tuition change. Those students would also have to meet admission standards. The plan would cut the cost of tuition in half for those students.

The new tuition rate breaks down like this: $6,716.60 per year for a full-time undocumented immigrant student. This compares to nearly $15,985 per year for out-of-state tuition and $4,304.40 per year for in-state tuition.

The new rate will take effect this fall.

Metro State College of Denver will officially change its name to Metro State University of Denver on July 1.

“There are no tax dollars involved, no subsidy, they don’t get anything special just a reduced tuition rate,” Metro State Trustee Terrance Carroll told CBS4.

However, some critics argue that lower tuition is in fact preferential treatment.

Colorado State Rep. Jon Becker (Source: colorado.gov)

Colorado Rep. Jon Becker, a Republican representing Fort Morgan, Colo., argues the college is also disregarding the decision already made at the state capital.

“The state is giving the college money which goes to paying each of their instructors and keeping up the buildings,” he said. “If one college decides it’s going to break out and do one thing we’ve voted down at the capitol, then we have to take a close look at whether or not its subsidized and how are they figuring it’s not subsidized.”

State Sen. Pat Stedman though came out in support of the plan, commending the school for “leading” the state legislature, KMGH in Denver reports.
“You are leading where the legislature has so far, not,” Stedman said during public comments before the trustees voted. “What you are doing by offering this opportunity and making this tuition affordable is going to offer them [students] the opportunity for a brighter future which is what this institution is all about.”

Most at the Metro State College of Denver trustees meeting were reportedly in support of the proposal. One of the college’s graduates, however, was not.
“We need to let the university be the light of truth and not political correctness,” Farber said.

Claudia Trejo, apparently in the U.S. illegally, told KMGH that “before this vote, college was a step too far away from me. But now that this vote has happened, I‘m able to come and I’m able to afford it.”

It is unclear whether the move by Metro State College of Denver will cause a domino effect and if other colleges will follow suit.

Metro State College of Denver Lowers Tuition Cost For Illegal Immigrants by 58 Percent | Video | TheBlaze.com

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Metro State College of Denver OKs tuition cut for illegal immigrants

By Anthony Cotton
The Denver Post
As far as Sarahi Hernandez is concerned, the only difference between her and every other student at Metropolitan State College of Denver is nine digits.

"A Social Security number — that's it," Hernandez said, shortly after Metro State's board of trustees voted 7-1 Thursday to pass a new tuition rate for illegal-immigrant students like her.

A sophomore from Denver who carries a 3.8 grade-point average, Hernandez said students like her deserve affordable tuition. The new rate, which will go into effect this fall, is $3,358 per semester, which is higher than in-state students, who pay $2,152, and lower than out-of-staters, who pay $7,992.

"We all deserve the chance at a higher education and to become productive members and give back to our community," she said.

Three criteria must be met to qualify for the new category of tuition. A student must:

• Have attended a Colorado high school for the past three years.

• Have graduated from a Colorado high school or gotten a general equivalency diploma in the state.

• Provide proof they are in good legal standing, other than their undocumented status, and that they plan to seek lawful status when eligible.

Trustee Jack Pogge, the only member of the board to vote against the plan, wondered whether the benefit derived by Metro State from implementing the new rate was great enough, particularly in light of the failure of the state legislature to pass the ASSET bill.

"It's not our position to do this," Pogge said.

The ASSET bill would have provided a lower tuition rate for illegal-immigrant students across the state with a GED or diploma from a Colorado high school who could also prove they had been a resident of the state for three years.

That measure had failed to pass the legislature on five previous occasions.

At least two Republican state legislators spoke out publicly this week against the move by Metro State. Rep. Cheri Gerou, a member of the powerful Joint Budget Committee, said the school may be disregarding the will of the legislature.

But state Sen. Pat Steadman, D-Denver, also a member of the JBC, joined Rep. Crisanta Duran, D-Denver, Denver City Councilwoman Judy Montero and almost 20 other people Thursday in public comment supporting the new rate. Only one person spoke in opposition.

Steadman pledged that he had "no intention of seeing anyone retaliate" in the legislature.

"Is Metro going around the actions of the legislature? Probably. But it's something we enabled them to do," he said.

In 2010, legislation was passed that gave state colleges and universities broad discretion in coming up with ways to overcome what Steadman called "a horrible job" by the state of providing funding. Funding from the state for higher education has declined by $216 million, or 31 percent, over the past three years.

Based on the state mandate, the colleges banded together and made a unified funding request to the JBC this year, with a breakdown of what each school system would be allocated.

The legislature also has allowed institutions to enact moves such as setting their own tuition rates or creating opportunities to find revenue to help defray their costs.

Metro State president Stephen Jordan said about 300 illegal-immigrant students could end up at his school this fall paying the new tuition rate. Estimates are that another 120 such students are already enrolled in the school.

School officials estimate those students could generate about $884,000 in revenue next fall and more than $2 million in five years.

"You'd be hard-pressed to find any institution who wouldn't be happy to bring in a new population and increase enrollment by 300 students," Jordan said.
Metro State College of Denver OKs tuition cut for illegal immigrants - The Denver Post

That's a hell of a savings for illegals. Where are the breaks for our citizen kids?????
Illegal kids should never ever come before an American citizen. I'm sick and tired of these kids being placed on a pedestal like they are so damned special while ignoring our own legal kids.

No kidding!! Where are my daughters breaks? They'll be paying for their education for quite some time!
This is more "rewarding illegal behavior" in my opinion!

Hernandez said students like her deserve affordable tuition

No, she does not.

Public Univ. Creates Special Illegal Alien Tuition Rate
June 14, 2012
Judicial Watch

A special category of tuition created this month for illegal immigrants at a public university in Colorado violates both federal and state law, Judicial Watch points out in a letter to the school’s Board of Trustees.

Therefore JW is calling for the immediate rescinding of the measure, which enables certain unlawfully present aliens to attend the taxpayer-funded school, Metropolitan State College of Denver, without having to pay full non-resident tuition. “In approving this new category of tuition, the College recognized that these students would otherwise be required to pay full non-resident tuition because of their inability to demonstrate lawful presence in the United States,” JW writes.

Because the new category violates both federal law and Colorado law and constitutes an act beyond the powers of the board, it must be reversed. Under federal law illegal immigrants are ineligible for state or local public benefits, including post-secondary education benefits unless a state enacts a measure affirmatively granting the perk.

Though a handful of states—including Texas, California, Utah, Washington and New York— have done this, Colorado has not. In Texas and California the illegal alien discounted tuition measures have been legally challenged and at least three states—Georgia, Oklahoma and Arizona—have solved the contentious issue by creating policies banning discounted tuition for illegal aliens at public colleges.

In this case one school passed the controversial measure, so it would apply only to that Denver campus, which has an enrollment of about 24,000. Founded in 1965, Metro State is a comprehensive college that offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in a variety of fields. Its school of business, professional studies, academic affairs and science are considered to be highly regarded.

In announcing the new illegal immigrant tuition rate, the university issued a press release calling it a “historical day” that earned a standing ovation from students, faculty, community members and even state legislators. The Board of Trustees passed the measure, originally proposed by President Stephen Jordan, with a 7-1 vote after hearing testimony from an army of supporters, including “undocumented students” attending the college.

To qualify, candidates must graduate from a Colorado high school or obtain a general equivalency diploma (GED) in the state. Here’s a good one; candidates must also provide a statement that they are in “good legal standing, other than their undocumented or unclassified status.” The goal, after all, is to help “students living in the state of Colorado who through no fault of their own do not have the lawful status to be eligible for resident tuition rates.”

That’s a classic line of the open borders movement, that American taxpayers are somehow responsible for helping illegal aliens brought the country as children “through no fault of their own.” Bottom line is that it violates a number of state and federal laws, though Metro College’s president insists the Board of Trustees has the “legislative authority to establish nonresident rates.”

Public Univ. Creates Special Illegal Alien Tuition Rate | Judicial Watch