Thread: AR-Schools Work on Alien Filters Two's Tuition Waiver Polici

Schools work on alien filters Two's tuition waiver policies crack door for illegals

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock)
September 18, 2009 Friday
DEBRA HALE-SHELTON ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

The University of Central Arkansas' new president said Thursday that he would ask trustees if they want to revise a policy giving out-of-state tuition waivers to anyone living in campus housing so that illegal aliens are excluded.

"I'll ask them if they'd like to bring this back to the table," Allen C. Meadors said of the policy at the Conway campus.

In Arkadelphia, meanwhile, Henderson State University President Charles Welch said Thursday that that school is revising the application form for its housing-related out-of-state tuition waivers to include "a clear statement indicating that illegal residents are not eligible."

Both presidents' statements followed repeated questions from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette about the waivers and illegal residents.

Welch said earlier that Henderson did not allow any illegal aliens to receive the waivers, and Meadors said UCA was unaware of any illegal aliens benefiting from the policy.

Federal law prohibits illegal aliens from obtaining postsecondary education benefits on the basis of residency unless those same benefits are offered to all U.S. citizens.

UCA's and Henderson's policies do not violate that law because their waivers apply to all U.S. citizens.

"Since they're doing it for anyone who lives in a dorm, that passes the test as far as I can tell," said Stanley Williams, deputy director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. "It would be legal because they've opened it up to everyone." Williams specifically addressed UCA's policy, but Henderson's is only slightly more restrictive - requiring such students to buy campus meals and to make satisfactory academic progress, for instance.

Both universities' housingbased waivers took effect before either Meadors or Welch became presidents: UCA's in the fall of 2007 and Henderson's in 2005.

State Higher Education Director Jim Purcell said international students, unlike illegal aliens, would not be a problem at any university under the federal law as long as they have proper documentation. Many colleges actively recruit international students to increase campus diversity.

"It would seem to me if they're offering the same benefit to everybody, if somebody does come in and they don't have proper documentation, or they managed to slip through the cracks, they still have managed to cover all bases" with these policies, Higher Education Department spokesman Dale Ellis said in reference to UCA and Henderson.

Ellis said, however, that all Arkansas universities were "trying to take great steps to make sure that their international students do have proper documentation." At UCA, 375 students got the housing-based out-of-state waivers in the fall of 2008 and 359 received them in the spring of 2009, the most recent numbers available.

At Henderson, similar waivers went to 372 students in the 2008-09 academic year, with 104 of those benefiting just one semester.

Gov. Mike Beebe declined to comment Thursday on whether UCA should tighten its policy now to exclude illegal aliens.

"We're not going to wade into" that question, spokesman Matt DeCample said.

But on the broader out-ofstate waiver issue, DeCample said, "We feel that in-state tuition rates are meant specifically for taxpaying families in Arkansas, and it's not the best policy to offer people in other states that benefit that you offer to people who pay taxes in Arkansas." Meadors said any decision on excluding illegal aliens from UCA's housing-based out-of-state tuition waiver should be up to UCA's board of trustees.

Meadors said some people would argue that illegal residents "haven't gone through the process, haven't paid taxes." "I don't disagree with that, but I'm more concerned about the outcome" if "we don't allow them to develop in a positive and productive way," he said, stressing that he was expressing his personal opinion, not UCA's.

Meadors said illegal aliens attend public schools through the 12th grade, "and we don't have any real protests over that." He said it is his "personal opinion" that there is "a real humanitarian" issue here - that we allow the children to attend public schools, then risk putting even the bright ones "out on the street" if they're turned away from college.

"Isn't America built on giving" people the best opportunity to make the best of their lives, he asked.

State Sen. Jerry Taylor, D-Pine Bluff, said he is glad Henderson is tightening its policy and hopes UCA will "come up with the right conclusion" and exclude illegal aliens as well.

"We have debated that [issue] and debated that [issue]," Taylor said. "They know what the will of the Legislature is about that ... that being that you do not allow the illegal aliens to get the in-state tuition rates. That's been very clear. ... I don't believe we should be encouraging illegal activity." Taylor said he opposes the universities "doing anything that would try to circumvent" the Legislature's will.

In 2009, for the second time in four years, a bill that would have allowed children of illegal aliens in-state tuition rates failed to win legislative approval.

State Sen. Joyce Elliott, D- Little Rock, who sponsored that proposal, said Thursday that she has no problem with granting waivers to out-ofstate students.

The problem, she said, is that under these housingbased waivers the schools can legally allow illegal aliens from other states to attend Arkansas universities at instate rates but not extend the same privilege to an illegal alien living in Arkansas.

"Apparently, the only problem these kids have is, oops, they happen to live in Arkansas; they should have lived in Texas ... or someplace else, not here.

"I find that just absolutely incredible," Elliott said, "especially in light of our knowing that if Arkansas doesn't vastly increase the number of people in this state with four-year degrees, we will never reach our economic potential." Besides, she said, illegal aliens living in Arkansas are spending money in the state and paying sales taxes.

Elliott said she plans to take her proposal before the General Assembly again in 2011.

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/En ... 20&start=8

In Arkadelphia, meanwhile, Henderson State University President Charles Welch said Thursday that that school is revising the application form for its housing-related out-of-state tuition waivers to include "a clear statement indicating that illegal residents are not eligible."

So Wonderful!