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University of California Students Active in Urging Schwarzenegger to Sign California Dream Act
By Aprille Espinueva
Students are eagerly awaiting the next step in making a dream a reality.
The California Dream Act, SB1, was recently passed in the state legislature and now awaits Governor Schwarzenegger’s approval. The bill allows undocumented immigrant students from California high schools to receive financial aid in college, including community college fee waivers and the Cal Grant.
The bill, authored by Senator Gilbert Cedillo, acts as a supplement to AB 540, which passed in 2001. AB 540 qualifies all students for in-state tuition at California state universities provided that they attend California high school for three years, graduate or obtain a GED, and sign an affidavit stating that the student will apply for legal residency as soon as he/she is eligible to do so.
Support for the California Dream Act hasn’t been easy to attain, however. Last year, the bill was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger, who raised concerns about taking away financial aid from other students (document students and US citizens). The new bill has been amended to address Governor Schwarzenegger’s concerns and focuses on eligibility for noncompetitive grants, which excludes the competitive Cal Grant program. According to an article in the Daily Californian, noncompetitive grants make up one percent of student aid by the state.
The passing of the bill was largely due to the efforts of the University of California Student Association (UCSA) and its many partners. UCSA is the official voice of over 200,000 UC students to the governor, state legislature and Regents. Their mission is to empower students to advocate on their own behalf for the accessibility, affordability and quality of the University of California system through legislative advocacy and grassroots organizing. Last year alone, UCSA registered 21,000 students statewide to vote and continues to work on the issue year-round.
For the organization, its continuous lobbying efforts have proven to be a success.
“For high-achieving students in California high schools, this is a dream come true. It just doesn’t make sense to prevent qualified students from going to college. Today, thanks to students, California has set the standard for the rest of the country to follow,” said UCSA President Oiyan Poon.
Most undocumented students are prevented from pursuing higher education because their parents brought them to the United States without legal status. Many have entered the country at a young age, too young to understand the circumstances and now unable to apply for citizenship because they cannot obtain family-based sponsorship from their undocumented parents.
On Senator Cedillo’s website, it states that there are over 25,000 undocumented students who graduate every year from high school. These students “confront a difficult challenge of financing their college education because they are ineligible for any federal grants or loans and are unable to legally work.”
The passing of SB1 will allow students to gain access to financial aid and higher education and hopefully live the American Dream.
Aprille Espinueva is a second-year pharmacy student at UC San Francisco and Co-Vice President of External Affairs for the Associated Students of UCSF.
Comments
This is a great article! These students are no different than the average American student and work just as hard and more, to achieve their American dream to go to college and succeed in life.
Posted by: Monica Chipres at October 11, 2007 02:39 PM
If the governor doesn't sign this bill, it's a message of racism, hegemony and contradiction. Not everybody in the world can access the California higher education system on the cheap, including Gov. Schwarzenegger, who attended Santa Monica City College without paying tuition.
Not signing SB 1 would send a declaration of elitism that won't be forgotten in future elections for other political positions. Take that from a fellow mid-Republican. It's time to send a message to the federal government about the importance of this state's contribution to the GDP. Sign it and make childrens' future education a priority.
In for a dollar, in for a pound.
Posted by: Duke Rescola at October 12, 2007 02:27 AM
If the governor doesn't sign this bill, it's a message of racism, hegemony and contradiction. Not everybody in the world can access the California higher education system on the cheap, including Gov. Schwarzenegger, who attended Santa Monica City College without paying tuition.
Not signing SB 1 would send a declaration of elitism that won't be forgotten in future elections for other political positions. Take that from a fellow mid-Republican. It's time to send a message to the federal government about the importance of this state's contribution to the GDP. Sign it and make childrens' future education a priority.
In for a dollar, in for a pound.
Posted by: Duke Rescola at October 12, 2007 02:29 AM
I would like to help in making this proposition come true. What do I need to do?
I believe that this bill should have been sign by Gov. Schwarzenegger for I underdtand that this proposition will help immigrant students get a better education and for that they need to attend a University.
Posted by: Janet Rosas at October 15, 2007 09:58 AM
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