University of California system pledges $25 million for illegal immigrant scholarships

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Anthony Gockowski, Investigative Reporter - Campus Reform


http://i.imgur.com/wnnU3bR.jpg

University of California system president Janet Napolitano announced Wednesday that she will earmark $25.2 million to fund loan programs for undocumented students across the system’s 10 campuses over the next three years.

“We are committed to continuing a path forward for undocumented students at the University of California,” Napolitano said in a press release. “This funding will further strengthen the university’s undocumented student initiative, and help ensure that these students receive the support and resources they need to succeed.”

The $8.4 million annual allocation will fund three separate programs for illegal immigrant students in the UC system, including a “DREAM Loan Program” that will receive $5 million per year for three years.

“The program makes student loans available to undocumented students, who are not eligible for federal aid,” the press release notes, explaining that “students will repay their loans back into the DREAM Loan fund.”

Additionally, $2.5 million per year will go towards undergraduate and graduate fellowships for “undocumented” students, as well as other financial support such as funds for textbooks.

UC’s “Undocumented Legal Services Center” will also receive a $900,000 budget increase, likely to help fund legal battles for students seeking citizenship. The legal services department in the UC system provides “undocumented” students with legal aid “free of charge,” meaning taxpayer dollars are funding illegal immigrants’ legal bills.

Notably, President Napolitano formerly served as the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, where she was tasked with protecting America’s borders. She shifted focus shortly after beginning her tenure as UC system president, though, immediately allocating a one-time fund of $5 million to undocumented student programs when she began at UC in 2013. Now, she is increasing that figure five-fold, pledging $25.2 million over a three-year period to illegal immigrant students.

“From the earliest days of her presidency, Janet Napolitano has acted to ensure that our undocumented students are on equal footing with others seeking to fulfill their aspirations at UC campuses,” UC Board of Regents chairman Monica Lozano remarked. “These efforts have made the University of California a leader among universities across the nation in ensuring academic opportunity for undocumented college students.”

[DemonGeminiX]

Something tells me they want to be a part of Mexico.

[RBP]

I had a fairly inebriated Mexican woman in my ride this weekend. She launched into a diatribe about how her family calls her a traitor and a racist for supporting Trump. Her reasoning was that she's a single mom who had to come up with the tuition that her daughter's EARNED scholarships didn't cover while illegal immigrants were getting free rides. That clearly pissed her off.

[Muddy]

Porky, WTF man?

[PorkChopSandwiches]

My kids need college

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Jack Heaphy, Virginia Campus Correspondent - Campus Reform


The University of California system recently pledged more than $25 million to illegal immigrant students over the next three years, but that is too little to suit some students.

The editorial board of The Daily Bruin, UCLA’s student newspaper, argued in an editorial Monday that the decision—announced last week by UC system President Janet Napolitano—is not an adequate long term solution because it is set to expire in 2019.

The Bruin describes the total allocation as “promising,” but contends that it “fails to ultimately address the larger problem at hand,” despite the fact that the $25 million figure is over five times the amount that Napolitano had committed for the same purpose when she assumed her current position in 2013.

“Setting expiration dates only serves to create uncertainty among students whose futures are already held in tenuous balance due to patchwork governmental policies,” the editorial contends, arguing that a more permanent solution needs to be implemented because illegal immigrant students are often ineligible for federal aid, work study, and work permits.

The editorial proposes that the UC system institutionalize funding so that services like the UC Undocumented Legal Services Center can be expanded with additional lawyers and services.

“By expanding funding through 2019, President Napolitano has demonstrated her continued commitment to helping undocumented students," UC spokeswoman Claire Doan told Campus Reform in response to the editorial’s critique, adding that “from here, UC will continue to assess its programs to determine the best course of action.”

The Daily Bruin is not alone in its sentiments, though. The Daily Californian, UC Berkeley’s student paper, likewise does not believe the university went far enough, noting in an editorial Wednesday that paying off loans obtained through programs like the DREAM Loan Program is “significantly harder for an undocumented student” than it would be for a citizen.

“Though job hunting isn’t exactly a cake walk for most recent grads, undocumented students go through infinitely more obstacles when hunting for a job that would enable them to pay back said loans,” the paper claims, proposing that the UC system should funnel additional money toward grant programs for illegal immigrant students so that they are not entrenched in debt after graduation.

“The university has a history of making budget decisions that seem incongruous with the needs of the students,” the editorial observes disapprovingly, saying that instead, “spending decisions should be in line with what the students want: access, support, and investment in our needs, regardless of citizenship status.”

[FBD]

college is largely just another money-rape scheme foisted on the peasants