NC: Community colleges for all

[zeezil]

Community colleges for all

Community colleges were founded to provide low-cost educational opportunities to all citizens within their communities, from young high school graduates working on a college degree while living at home and potential workers getting specialized job training to senior citizens taking a recreational course on needlepoint or crafts. They were not designed to be a battleground over illegal immigration and they are particularly bad as symbols of exclusion.

As the nation engages in an increasingly emotional argument over how to respond to an estimated 12 million foreign workers who are living — and working — in this country illegally, some of the youth of these workers have become victims as well as pawns of the debate. Children brought illegally into the country by their parents have been allowed by federal law to attend public schools, but no law allows them to attend community colleges after they graduate from high school.

As a result, states have varied in their response, some allowing and others disallowing their attendance. In North Carolina, reversing an earlier ruling which excluded illegal immigrants, state Attorney General Roy Cooper said federal law left it up to the states to set their own admission policies. Now the community college system next month will decide whether or not to admit the students.

Public opinion has been hostile to opening community colleges to illegal immigrants, but school officials should take a broader view and open college doors. It is not fair that the sins of the parents be held against their children, especially children who have graduated from North Carolina public schools.

Common sense and self-interest says open admission is the right choice. Denying the students entrance would only interfere with their getting skills needed to hold down productive jobs, but helping educate them will enhance North Carolina’s workforce, expand the base of taxpayers, and keep them off state welfare rolls. With only a few hundred students involved, the students will pose no strain on the community colleges nor will they receive any special favors. Educating them can only help the state.

Illegal immigration is a complex issue, but let’s focus on the adults and stop picking on their innocent children — for the state’s sake as well as theirs.
http://tinyurl.com/5dqldc

[vmonkey56]

North Carolina Community Colleges - you are using taxpayers dollars - What part of that do you NOT understand?

And anyhow, What part of ILLEGAL CRIMINAL ALIENS are North Carolina Community Colleges missing?

Attorney General there are about 40 million illegal criminal aliens, here, in America

NO, MORE FREEBIES TO ALL ILLEGAL CRIMINAL ALIENS AND THEIR CHILDREN (EVEN ANCHOR BABIES LAWS NEED TO BE ENACTED).

[Judy]

The article opens with the sentence that says it all, "Community colleges were founded to provide low-cost educational opportunities to all citizens within their communities". Whoever wrote that La Raza pity piece needs to read their first sentence and understand the difference between a "citizen" and an "illegal alien."

Perhaps an English Lesson is in order?



No community college educations at all for illegal aliens. Period.

[tencz57]

This bleeding heart liberal in one sentence says the CC is for "Ctizens". Yeah it's our money that built them and our taxs pay the educators . Next sentence bleeding heart says "are particularly bad as symbols of exclusion." As they should be . NO citizen of the U.S needs be turned away cause a Non-Citizen filled the class . These Freaken Illegals Demand and Whine about everything . They run the Country

[Judy]

I know. It's pathetic what we've allowed to happen here. But people are waking up, more every day, so hope is on the way.

[butterbean]

Common sense and self-interest says open admission is the right choice.

"SELF-INTEREST"? The illegal aliens self-interest? NO! ILLEGAL ALIENS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN OUR COLLEGES.

Denying the students entrance would only interfere with their getting skills needed to hold down productive jobs, but helping educate them will enhance North Carolina’s workforce, expand the base of taxpayers, and keep them off state welfare rolls.

First of all, they can get an education in various places around the world, BUT NOT HERE. Second, ILLEGAL ALIENS CANNOT GET JOBS HERE. And 3rd, ILLEGAL ALIENS SHOULD NOT BE GETTING WELFARE HERE!

[Tom2]

Foreign workers??!! That's a stretch. But I suppose they are foreign. And perhaps they're even workers. I'd add they're also illegal aliens and this author doesn't seem to know the difference between an American and a Mexican; probably couldn't distinguish between a Korean and a Nigerian either. How stupid. If the scofflaws sneaked into our nation but only to work, why are we forced by taxation to support their children. What the heck are the kids doing here in the first place? Based on current property taxes, like many of you, I'll have expended a conservative $250,000 to educate my two daughters for just K-12. And I've expended another approximately $200,000 for their college educations. My education budget is tapped out and I'm incensed at the suggestion that some of my federal taxes would be used to educate folks who aren't supposed to be here. Time to write your congressmen again. Apologies for using the term "Mexican."

[MW]

Who is the writer of this piece? Was someone afraid to claim responsibility for their work?

[NoBueno]

Community colleges were founded to provide low-cost educational opportunities to all citizens within their communities

I apologize if i'm being redundant or stating the obvious...but illegal invaders are not citizens of this country, nor our communities! As such, they have no business attending any of our schools.

They need to take it up with their parents if they feel they are being punished for the sins of their illegal actions...