The University board will vote in December on the tuition equality policy, which will enable students excluded from resident tuitions with new opportunities while setting in motion positive effects for Eastern Michigan University.
Each year, millions of students graduate from high schools across the U.S. and continue onward to universities and community colleges to fulfill their newly developing dreams for a future. Many students however, find it difficult to achieve those opportunities as they fall into a legislative loophole.
While these students lack the documentation of an American citizen, many have lived in Michigan since childhood and all have graduated from Michigan high schools. When the time comes to apply for the university of their choice, they are denied state resident tuitions because on paper they are considered “illegal immigrants,” despite spending a great deal of their youth in the country.
According to the DREAM Act Portal, over 65,000 students each year are denied resident tuition due to this policy vagueness. The tuition equality policy will allow these students to pay resident tuitions based on the fact they have graduated from a Michigan high school, regardless of current citizenship status.
As stated on dreamactportal.info, the DREAM Act was first initiated by Sen. Orin Hatch and Sen. Richard Durbin and will produce a new legislation “that can solve this hemorrhaging injustice in our society.” The legislation will grant undocumented students a conditional path to citizenship for six years, which includes the requirement of college degree or military service.
Though there are only approximately seven students will benefit from this policy, the new policy may have an effect on EMU’s campus in the future. Throughout 2013, schools such as University of Michigan and Washtenaw Community College have placed similar policies into the effect. On Dec. 13, EMU will vote on its own tuition equality.
“We will be one of the first pioneers to take a stand on this issue,” said Desmond Miller, Student Government President. “It’s time for us to change our policy, so we can change lives and offer an affordable education to students.”
While concerns have been raised by some current EMU students surrounding the policy, the effects on campus are expected to be positive.
“Eventually we will see a more diverse population of students,” Miller said. “Our board will be voting in December. Vote ‘Yes’ on the government portal.”
Students logging into the myemich.com website will find the opportunity to vote on the upcoming tuition equality policy on their homepage. More information concerning the tuition equality and DREAM Act can be found at dreamact.info.
