PCC makes HISTORIC Vote - In-state Tuition for DACA Recipients

Taken from the headlines of the Tucson Weekly from February 28, 2013...

Resident Equality 

PCC might do what the Arizona Board of Regents hasn't - provide in-state tuition for deferred-action students

by Mari Herreras

and it did!

In case you missed it, watch the historic 4-1 vote.

Ana Valenzuela understands exactly how the expected vote on Wednesday, Feb. 27, by the Pima Community College governing board can change lives.

The board is expected to vote on offering in-state tuition to students who've received federal work permits under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The program, created by the federal government in June, provides the ability to work and protection from being deported to people who've come to the United States undocumented as children.

Valenzuela, a UA junior and architecture major, told the Tucson Weekly that she should graduate from the UA by May 2013, but as a deferred-action student who pays out-of-state tuition, it will probably take her almost three additional years to get that degree. She's working to save money for her next class, but last semester she took one three-unit class, which cost her $3,600.

Through her work with ScholarshipsA-Z, a local organization that advocates for undocumented students and helps with tuition assistance, Valenzuela said she knows PCC students into their fourth year still working on their two-year associate's degree. It costs $63.50 per credit for full-time in-state PCC students, and $319 for nonresidents.

Currently, the only education institution in the state to offer these students in-state tuition is the Maricopa County's college system of 10 colleges. The Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR), which runs the state's universities, has discussed making a similar change, but decided it wasn't legally able.

"That's the next step to take action around this issue - ABOR," Valenzuela said.

However, the focus lately has been on PCC. "We've been active on this vote. We're really involved in our students and about 95 percent of the students we work with attend Pima. It used be higher."

That was before Arizona voters approved Proposition 300. The referendum prevents college students who cannot prove they are legal residents from receiving state financial assistance.

In 2008, The New York Times reported that the state Legislature found that about 1,700 students were denied in-state tuition in Maricopa County. The UA saw 200 to 300 drop outs because of the law and PCC lost more than 1,000 students.

"Prop 300 made it almost impossible for students to go to school," Valenzuela said.

The deferred-action program is for all undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. before age 16 and were no older than 31 when the program began. Those who apply must be in high school or have a high school diploma or GED. There are other requirements, including no felony convictions.

Deferred-action also provides students with a legal work permit - form I-767, under current Pima County law, students with residency are eligible for instate tuition.

That's why PCC board chair Brenda Even said she supports the vote taking place on Wednesday at the El Pueblo Library Learning Center, Room 3, 5 p.m. Newly elected PCC board member Sylvia Lee brought the proposal before the board in January, where board members discussed the legal aspects of the proposal, as well as if the state could retaliate by withholding funding.

"There's not much more they can cut," Even said. The board has been discussing this change since December when Maricopa County made its residency policy change and since the formal presentation in January most of the questions have been answered.

"We've checked with attorneys and I think are ready to vote on it at this time. I am hoping for a positive vote," she said. "I figured these are young people who have been in this country and in Tucson for many years. This is their home. We educate people. That's our mission 'Aide our community through learning.' Seems to me it would make some sense."

Valenzuela said she and other members of ScholarshipsA-Z have met with PCC board members before this vote. In a letter ScholarshipsA-Z sent to the PCC board, the group asked that if the board votes yes, that instate tuition be made available to deferred-action students by next semester, and that those students bring in their work permits this semester to change their status.

"We been working to make sure students have access to higher education. We want to continue to work with the board to implement this change and help train staff to do paperwork, be supportive and not pass judgment of status," Valenzuela said.

The group also requested that after the vote, the board makes a public statement on if this is going to be implemented or not.

Lee told the Weekly that she brought this proposal before the PCC board because she looks at this as an economic-development and quality-of-life issue. It's estimated there more than 4,000 students who are eligible if the board changes its policy.

"I sincerely hope the vote goes in our favor. We all know the benefits that higher education can play in improving lives and helping our economy in the long term," Lee said.

"Latino youth is the fastest growing youth group in our country. We have to secure an education for them for our country's future.

Tucson College May Grant In-State Tuition to DACA Recipients

On February 27th, Pima Community College in Tucson, AZ, will decide whether or not to provide in-state tuition to students who receive work permits through the recent Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.  This policy will tremendously improve access to higher education for all students, regardless of their immigration status.  If passed, PCC will follow in the footsteps of Maricopa County Community College District, which granted in-state tuition to DACA recipients starting this semester. 

Check out MCCCD's decision.

Why do we believe ALL institutions (community colleges and universities) should support this? 
Here are some important reasons

- Matt
  Executive Director, ScholarshipsA-Z

Relief Granted to DREAMers: Tucson Reacts

On June 15, 2012, President Obama granted administrative relief to some DREAMers. The Tucson DREAM community and allies reacted by thanking the President and demanding the release of one Tucson DREAMer being held by the Border Patrol.


Read more students' reactions in an interview with Tucson's KVOA and KGUN9 stations, and local Arizona Daily Star paper. Video above is courtesy of The Three Sonorans.


-mM

The Impact of SB 1070 on Arizona’s Youth

This week, April 25th to be exact, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide the fate of SB 1070, Arizona's anti-immigrant law passed in April 2010.  As the oral arguments are heard, the opinions cast, and news channels argue about what each of the Justice's comments might imply, we ask you to think about the families, especially children, who have been negatively impacted throughout our communities because of SB 1070.  


Check out this powerful report led by Tomas Lopez with the support of the Southwest Institute for Research on Women, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Bacon Immigration Law and Policy Program, James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona.  After interviewing over 70 teachers, parents, and students the report will shock you:

"The report’s findings reveal a disturbing picture of youth destabilized, disillusioned, and disadvantaged by the passage of SB 1070. Their communities have been frayed by the departure of family members and friends. Their educations have been undermined by, among other factors, decreased school enrollments and the distress left in the wake of those departures. Many young people and their families also maintain a powerful mistrust of the public institutions around them, especially police, but also often extending to schools."

Download the full report.

When education's under attack, don't light a candle

At 8pm on March 13, 2012, members attending the 2012 NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education annual conference in Phoenix, AZ, including leaders from ScholarshipsA-Z were asked to light candles at a Candlelight Vigil for Social Justice.  Meant to bring awareness about social injustices in AZ, specifically those that target LGBTQ and immigrant families, this event only attracted approximately 5% of the entire population attending the conference (250+ out of 4,700).  As a result, this "act of kindness" became a paternalistic and passive move in a community that primarily creates change through action, not vigils.  Fortunately for NASPA, there was at least one moment of inspiration when the chairs of the GLBT and Latino/a Knowledge Communities spoke out against Arizona's oppressive legislation.  Leaders like Dr. Michelle Espino (University of Georgia) and Dr. Juan Guardia (Florida State University),  brought TRUTH to the otherwise passive and politically correct event by impacting the hearts and minds of everyone in attendance with their words and promises for action.


When education's under attack, what do you do?  Fight back!  With candles? NO, with action.


Because while we were lighting candles, the Maricopa County Sheriff was organizing yet another workplace raid to detain and deport more hardworking members of our community who happen to be undocumented.  

Candles = silence = inaction = injustice 

- Matt
Director, ScholarshipsA-Z

Defining Courage: Undocumented Student Stories

We want to give a big shout out and much thanks to the leaders of the Border and Immigration Ministry at St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church in Tucson, AZ, who brought us to facilitate a workshop about ScholarshipsA-Z and the DREAM Act.  Special thanks to Suzanne H., one of our biggest allies. While the session was inspiring on many levels, everyone in the room shared in a moment of tension brought about by the words of one workshop participant.  With pure certainty and excitement that his "counterpoint" would change the conversation, he shared with frustration that undocumented students from Mexico should not be here, and instead "go back to their own country and fix it."  

Although it was clear that most participants and all of our team members were triggered, we did not dismiss his fears.  (And they truly are fears) Instead, his misinformed and hateful beliefs were simply overpowered by stories of struggle and the pursuit of a college education.  With the utmost courage, ScholarshipsA-Z's undocumented and ally student leaders discussed their desire for opportunity and justice, leaving this participant and the allies in the crowd both speechless and in tears.


Today's workshop was difficult, yet educational.  It caused anger in the middle, yet understanding in the end.  And, one of the most important lessons we can take away from this experience is that undocumented students have a level of courage that remains unmatched.  Perhaps as allies, if we had only half of their courage to speak out and fix our broken immigration system, a workshop about the potential impacts of the DREAM Act wouldn't even exist.  


Matt Matera
Executive Director, ScholarshipsA-Z 

Undocumented & Unafraid in Alabama

You're watching this video because Fernanda Marroquin, a talented DREAMer, has been arrested. As an undocumented student who is unafraid and unapologetic, Fernanda and the other 12 protesters arrested in Alabama's capitol on Tuesday, show us what courage really looks like. Watch her video. Listen to her story. Her struggle is our struggle. Read more. Help get the protesters out of jail.

Fernanda has a lot to risk, yet she IS UNAFRAID. Are YOU?

~Matt

"Secure Communities" Are Anything But

Recently, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it will "move ahead with its controversial Secure Communities immigration enforcement program, even if states do not agree to participate." Read more.

This move by President Obama's administration is disappointing and ridiculous. "Secure Communities" does anything BUT provide security to our families. Instead, it tears families apart and threatens the most basic tenet of a community: a sense of safety and care for each other. With this program, who will want to report any crimes in their neighborhoods, with the fear that they may be detained by ICE agents?

United We Dream notes:

According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as of May 23, 2011, the U.S. government has deported 1,026,517 immigrants since the beginning of fiscal year 2009. That figure includes noncriminal immigrants and DREAMers who are victims of our outdated immigration system. (Read more.)

This program is a problem for ALL of us as citizens, DREAMers, etc. Don't let our broken immigration system continue to break apart our communities. Get in involved. Call President Obama at 202-456-1111. Here is a sample phone script.

- Matt

Co-director & Co-founder

ScholarshipsA-Z

Immigration Audits' Effect on Small Businesses

The New York Times just recently posted an article about how small businesses can survive an immigration audit. The article raised a couple of interesting points. First, it points out that one of the main “narratives” behind programs like E-Verify and the Secure Communities initiative is one of “unscrupulous employers seeking cheap labor” as Craig Regelbrugge, a lawyer and lobbyist with the American Nursery and Landscape Association. However, as the article points out, many employers treat their undocumented employees just as well as they would treat documented ones. For example, an East Coast agricultural business owner was forced to fire several members of his management team, who were being paid $12 to $15 an hour, well above minimum wage; they had vacation pay as well.

Furthermore, the immigration audits are rather ineffective. ICE does not arrest all the workers that have just been fired. As a result, the workers oftentimes stay in the area and find another job. David Cox of L.E. Cooke Company nurseries knew for a fact that several of the workers he had to fire found other jobs nearby. In fact, ICE’s immigration audits seem to harm the small business owners more than anyone else. Mr. Cox estimates that his expenses went up 10% for the year, and the East Coast agricultural business owner had to reduce his 2011 sales goals by 15%. What do you think of ICE’s immigration audits? Have you or someone you know been affected by the audits, E-Verify, or the Secure Communities initiative?

Mini-Legislation Update: So Close Yet So Far

Maryland was on the brink of joining the likes of California and Texas in passing its own version of the DREAM Act. It would have given undocumented immigrants the opportunity to attend in-state universities and pay an in-state tuition. However, opponents of the law have successfully gathered enough signatures (100,000) to send the law to the voters as a referendum during the next election in 2012. The law would have taken effect this month, but instead DREAMers in Maryland will have to wait more than a year just for the chance to get in-state tuition.

In other news, Alabama and Georgia are already feeling the economic backlash of their strict anti-immigrant laws. People have already started packing up and leaving because they (understandably) do not want to be around when the law takes effect. As a result, there is a severe shortage in workers despite relatively high unemployment rates. For example, there are not enough people to help rebuild and repair the damages left in the wake of Alabama’s recent tornados. Georgian farmers had to leave many crops to rot in the fields because of a lack of workers. The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association estimates around $300 million in profits lost.

--Susan

Opportunity Costs of College

Today I’ve been reading about college admissions. More specifically admission boosts received by different “hooks” as they are called by potential college admits and counselors. Although there have been a few studies done about the benefits that each hook invests upon the applicants, the most definitive one I found was “The Opportunity Cost of Admission Preferences at Elite Universities” done by Princeton Professors Thomas J. Espenshade and Chang Y. Chung. They examined the profile of the applicant pool and the admitted students at five elite universities. Put simply, they found that affirmative action benefitted African-American and Hispanic applicants immensely at the cost of only Asian applicants. White students were unaffected by the policies.

If an applicant’s race were to affect their SAT score the boost would be the following:

▪ African-Americans: +230

▪ Hispanics: +185

▪ Asians: –50

▪ Whites: 0

They found that if affirmative action were to be eliminated the rate of admission of Hispanics would fall from 26.8 to 12.9 percent and that of African-Americans would fall from 33.7 to 12.2 percent. The admission rate of Asians would increase from 17.6 to 23.4 percent. The admission rate for Whites did not change. What this means is that Affirmative action does not affect White applicants, helps African-American and Hispanic applicants tremendously, and hurts Asian applicants.

Next the study looked at the effect of legacy admission. The study found that legacy admission had very little effect on the racial composition of the admitted class. The proportion of White students went from 49.4 to 51.5 percent. “Minority student effects go in the opposite direction, but they are not large. The African-American share among admitted students declines modestly from 9.2 to 9.0 percent, the Hispanic share falls from 8.3 to 7.9 percent, and Asians now account for 23.7 percent of all admitted students instead of 25.1 percent.” What this tells us is that legacy admission will probably change the composition of who gets in but will hardly change the racial composition of the class.

So if you ever get into a debate on affirmative action or legacy admission share these numbers! Otherwise, of course, you could just argue with truthiness.

A new Calculus of Immigration

At the risk of being written off as naïve or not cynical enough, yesterday’s NYTimes article titled “Better Lives for Mexicans Cut Allure of Going North” gave me hope. It’s a long article so I wont summarize it for you but I would definitely recommend it. What I got from it was that times, as Bob Dylan famously sang, are a-changin’. The country we live, the draconian political climate around this country is neither sustainable nor permanent. Mexico’s economy is growing, there’s less poverty now than there was even five years ago and more people have access to better schools and better jobs.

Either way. Because I think a little celebration is healthy, take a look at the article!

Jacob

The STAPLE Act and the DREAM Act

I read an interesting opinion piece in the Daily Californian today about the DREAM Act and the STAPLE Act, which I’d never heard of before. STAPLE stands for Stopping Trained in America Ph.D.s from Leaving the Economy, and it’s an act designed to stop the brain drain of people with advanced degrees in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields from leaving the country. It would give automatic green cards to foreign students who gained a higher degree in those fields. It has been advocated by Bill Gates, President Obama, and both Democratic and Republican representatives. The writer of the article, Peggy Sands Orchowski, did not specify why the act did not pass originally, but it’s interesting to think of it in terms of the DREAM Act. She thinks that Democrats could try to attach the DREAM Act to the STAPLE Act, since it has more bipartisan support, and that the two acts could possibly pass together.

Another intriguing point she made was (I think) intended to be a throw away comment to start off the piece but really had me thinking. She said that immigration reform is not “dead” in the current Congress the way that people think. While it is true that comprehensive immigration reform has hit a brick wall, immigration reform in general still has a chance of happening piece by piece. This made me wonder, does immigration reform have to pass all at once? I’m aware that immigration is a really complex issue that requires multiple legislation changes and that the easiest way to do that would be to pass everything at once, but with the current political climate the way it is, would it be easier to pass things one at a time? What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

Click here to read the opinion piece.

Intersections (Third Culture Kids)

Part 1

During the month I’ve been here in Tucson, I’ve heard a few people talk about the border region as a different country. Culturally it’s neither Mexico nor the United States. Sure, the road signs and official notices are in English, but just about every business has signs in Spanish. Hot dogs aren’t eaten with ketchup or relish, instead they are wrapped in bacon and topped off with beans and guacamole and are called Sonora dogs. Until recently, too, the public school system emphasized Hispanic-American culture in its history classes as part of the region’s cultural heritage (similar to how south eastern states emphasize history about the civil war period). Granted, the border is a political boundary between two nations symbolized by a wall, but in many ways it is also their intersection.

Intersections fascinate me. For one, there is a newness about them that I rarely encounter in my day-to-day life. Intersections shake things up, and call into question established paradigms (Only ketchup on your hot dog? Why not try some bacon, guacamole and beans!) They bring new energy (and perspectives) to old conversations. (How else would California and Arizona have such beautiful architecture?) In a lot of ways, I guess, living at an intersection is like living an experiment where eureka moments happen frequently to those making an effort to understand each other.

Living at an intersection is sometimes uncomfortable, too. It asks its inhabitants to be patient with the frustration of not understanding each other. (It’s no secret that it is less frustrating to speak with words than with charades.) Differing social norms and values challenge each other at intersections as well. But anyone who lives in an intersection is living proof this isn’t an insurmountable challenge.

My bus ride home last night exemplified this intersection perfectly for me. Without giving it much thought, I picked an open seat. Two spots down from me sat a seventy-something Anglo woman who wore an American flag handkerchief to keep her hair in place. She would yell out “Have a great night and God bless you!” to whomever got off the bus. A few minutes into the bus ride an older Hispanic woman got on the bus as well and sat between the older white woman and me. The Anglo woman, being friendly, tried to strike up a conversation in English with the Hispanic woman, who just responded with a nod and a smile because she didn’t speak the language. Unabashed, the Anglo woman pointed at the picture on one of the Hispanic woman’s bags. It was of two lovers and said “I will love you. Always.” The two women smiled at another, the two laughed, and then one pantomimed that she still dances like a young woman with her husband. Both laughed again. Despite being unable to communicate with words, each woman left the bus with a new friend.

-

Written by Jacob Hanger.

Based on this book: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_culture_kid

New ICE Memo Released

Last Friday, ICE director John Morton released a memo urging officers to exercise prosecutorial discretion when dealing with undocumented people. Prosecutorial discretion is “the authority of an agency or officer charged with enforcing a law to decide whether to enforce the law in a particular case” (Immigration Policy Center). In other words, it is an officer’s ability to decide which case he/she wants to pursue. The memo describes some basic guidelines when it comes to prioritizing cases: the people who are trying to harm the United States should be dealt with first so that ICE’s limited resources do not go to waste.

This memo is different from previous memos because it outlines specific factors that officers should take into account. First, there are 19 categories that officers should think about when deciding how to proceed. They include anything from the age of the person to whether the person has family who are citizens, from the person’s criminal history to whether the person is the primary caretaker for a seriously ill family member. In addition, there are 8 positive factors that the memo says should “prompt particular care and consideration” (ICE Memo). Among those are whether the person is a veteran or member of the U.S. armed forces and if the person has lived in the United States since childhood. It is implied that exercising prosecutorial discretion with people that fall under these categories means not necessarily deporting them immediately.

While this memo is in no way a substitute for the DREAM Act, it is certainly a step in the right direction. Now we just have to wait and see what ICE officers will do.

Click here to check out the article

Senator McCain places blame for wild fires on migrants

Senator McCain recently told the media that he believes the wildfires along the Arizona-Mexico border were started by migrants crossing the border (You can read more about it here). When asked why he believed what he did, he said he couldn’t back it up with facts. Still, he insisted that it was the crossing migrants. So what do we have here? To me it sounds like nothing more than a hunch.

This story exemplifies a few things that are interesting about the current state of our society. First and foremost it serves to show the priorities of our the media machine in this country. In very few countries would the unfounded opinion of a politician make headline news. Here McCain decided to throw some blame on the migrants crossing the desert, and the news, knowing that the American public loves sensationalistic stories, spread it everywhere.

So who’s to blame? McCain for stating an opinion or the media for taking something unfounded and sensationalizing it? To be honest, I think there’s enough blame to go around. McCain for being either naïve or misleading and the media for having very lose reporting standards.

What do you think?

-

Written by Jacob Hanger

Pulitzer Prize Winner Comes out as Undocumented, Starts Campaign to Support DREAM Act

Jose Antonio Vargas is a re-known journalist who has worked for the Washington Post and even earned a prestigious Pulitzer Prize award for his coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings.

Besides being a re-known journalist, Vargas is also undocumented.

Vargas says that it was last December's failed effort to pass the DREAM Act that pushed him to come out of the shadows, share his status and start his own efforts to support the passage of the DREAM Act.

Read and watch his ABC News interview here.

Visit Vargas' just launched website: http://www.defineamerican.com

And watch his story:

Legislation Update (GA and AL)

HB 87 (Georgia)

On May 13, 2011 Georgia’s governor Nathan Deal signed HB 87 into law. This is one of the toughest laws so far against immigrants. It would allow law enforcement officers to demand to know the immigration status of people involved with other criminal investigations and make the use of fake identification punishable by as much as 15 years in prison and $250,000 in fines. It would also punish people who “knowingly transport illegal immigrants during the commission of a crime” with up to a year in jail and up to $1000.

A group of civil and immigrant rights groups have sued the state of Georgia and requested a temporary injunction on the law until the end of the lawsuit. One of the people involved in the lawsuit is Republican Paul Bridges, mayor of Uvalda. He wrote an opinion piece on CNN’s website defending his decision to challenge the law, arguing that the law will deal a devastating blow to Uvalda and Georgia’s economy, especially to small businesses and farmers who already have trouble finding enough workers. His arguments are interesting in that they point out why the law runs counter to Republican ideals. First, he paints the law as the ultimate government intrusion; in his small town of 600, neighbors often help each other out by giving rides. Now, it could be a crime to do so if the passenger happened to be an undocumented person. Second, he points out the sheer amount of money that will be lost to this law and reminds people that it is not the fiscal responsibility that Republicans believe in.

Click here to read the full text of Mayor Paul Bridges’ opinion piece.

People left of center have always been the majority of those fighting anti-immigration laws. It is very heartening to see someone like Mayor Paul Bridges, firmly right of center, also stand against this law.

HB 56 (Alabama):

Governor Robert Bentley signed Alabama’s copycat version of SB 1070 into law on June 9th, 2011. Like Georgia’s law, it allows police officers to question someone’s immigration status if he/she is stopped by law enforcement for any reason. It also makes it a crime to transport or rent housing to an undocumented person.

Unique to Alabama, however, are two other more restrictive provisions. One is the requirement that businesses cross check all their employees’ immigration statuses with an online system called E-Verify. This will generate high costs for businesses in both its implementation and its effects on their employees. Another provision requires schools to collect information on where its students and their parents were born. Lawmakers claim the information will just be used as data to answer the question of how much Alabama is spending to educate undocumented children, but parents will most definitely be concerned about the implications for their children’s safety. Some might even decide to not send their children to school.

The law takes effect on September 1, but the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama has filed a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality.

"Why did we have to read this book?”

Last time I heard Professor Louis Menard speak, he emphasized that value of a liberal education was "knowledge for the sake of knowledge." He lamented the dwindling number of people graduating with degrees that celebrate knowledge over its practicality. He told us that something like a fifth of all university students are non-traditional students, and that the majority of majors are technical fields. He explained, though, that the liberal arts system of education has not actually been around for a very long time. In the 1880's Harvard made an undergraduate degree mandatory to enroll in its Law School and Med School. Other universities followed suit.

That one decision revolutionized the role of universities in the United States. Students were required to navigate four years of requirements in vastly different fields of study, and hopefully find an interest along the way. They were told to not worry about their career until the end of their collegiate stint. That things would just work out.

Other countries, disagreed with this model of tertiary education. The British model pigeonholes students into their career right after their secondary education (which is already somewhat specialized). The French model gives most people access to a first year of university studies but requires them to pass a test after that year proving they are capable of finishing their studies. Both of these systems require that 17 year old make decisions about their future careers and do not give them a way out.

Enter globalization. Competitiveness is king. The world is flat. And if you don't watch out your job could be sent half-way around the world over night.

With so much uncertainty it seems almost irresponsible to risk irrelevancy by studying something that doesn't guarantee one a job, especially when degrees can cost upwards of $200,000. And that's what is happening. The trend has been an increase in technical degrees like engineering and a decrease in traditional liberal arts degrees.

I'm getting degrees in Political Science and Latin American Studies. Does that mean I'm not worried about getting a job? I am actually terrified about not finding a job.

But there is a reason I am not pursuing a technical degree.

I went to a high school that is comparable to MIT. By the time I graduated I knew how to program in Java, Ruby, Python, and C. I had taken Differential Equations, and Complex Analysis. In short, I knew more math and engineering than I ever wanted to know. When I got to college I decided I wanted to pursue the social sciences I didn't get the chance to in High School.

I have loved every single moment of it. I have read the same treaties and books the founders of our government did. I have learned the languages of the Americas (Spanish and Portuguese), and have studies their cultures. And, you know, every new language is a new job market.

What I'm trying to get at, is this: the way I see it, college is meant to change the way one thinks. It is an artificial environment meant to stimulate its students. For many, college is the first time they have been somewhere like this. The stimulation is important because the students are constantly being challenged to break with their home paradigms. Though non-liberal arts education is obviously stimulating in the area the student is mean to study, I question how stimulating it is in areas the student is not meant to study (my guess would be not very). For example, a British studying chemistry will only take chemistry classes, and maybe one research paper writing class.

So, what's the point of this? Well, I have no problem with being practical about education. I think it's a great idea, actually. Unfortunately, I am afraid technical degrees sometimes short-change the student in areas they aren't deliberately studying. So as we think about ways to change education, we should keep in mind what we are forsaking for competitiveness.

-
Written by Jacob Hanger. Based on: http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2011/06/06/110606crat_atlarge_menand?currentPage=all

Sen. Reid: DREAM Act is win-win

In May of this year, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) reintroduced the DREAM Act. A few days ago, he wrote an opinion piece advocating for its passage. For those who aren’t clear what the DREAM Act entails, here’s a refresher: if you come to the United States before 16 years of age, live here for at least five years, graduate from high school, stay out of trouble, and either serve two years in the military or complete two years of college, you would be eligible to become a lawful resident (Reid, “Senate’s DREAM Act is win-win”).

It’s interesting to see what arguments Senator Reid makes in favor of the DREAM Act. The most fascinating for me was how he used the story of Corporal José Luis Gutierrez, a permanent resident from Guatemala who came to the United States undocumented. He says:

Hundreds of thousands of non-citizens fight in our military. And hundreds of thousands more want to serve our nation, which they love as their own. But they can’t, because their parents brought them here illegally, and, unlike Cpl. Gutierrez, they aren’t fortunate to qualify for one of the very few routes to legalization that exist.

While I’m not sure of the validity of this claim, it’s interesting because he is assumedly attempting to appeal to a conservative crowd, who might have a more positive view of immigrants that love the United States and want to serve in the military. In addition, he makes several other arguments in his opinion piece. If you would like to read more, click here.