As the university system lobbies legislators on behalf of a bill that would allow undocumented students to receive in-state tuition at four-year state colleges and universities, this university has taken a quieter, but favorable, position.University President Wallace Loh, who immigrated to this country from Peru, said passage of the bill would benefit the economy as a whole. And university lobbyist Ross Stern, whose attention is primarily focused on budget matters, said he would encourage students to lobby their representatives in the House of Delegates as the bill comes to a vote there.
"If you have students who are able to gain admission ... and if you don't give them an opportunity to have higher education, then what will they be doing, flipping hamburgers?" Loh asked. "That doesn't help the economy of the state. We want more college graduates who can go on and contribute in productive ways to the state's economy. In the long run, it does not make economic sense to turn away qualified students."After its successful vote in the state Senate on Monday, the bill is moving through the House; its Ways and Means Committee reviewed the legislation Tuesday. If signed into law, the legislation, which has earned the title of this state's Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, would grant students who have graduated from a state high school, completed 60 credits at a community college and paid state income taxes for at least three years the opportunity to receive in-state tuition at four-year state institutions. Those students who receive in-state tuition must also apply for permanent residency within 30 days of enrollment at an institution of higher education.
Opponents of the bill have argue that the state simply does not have the money to offer these students reduced tuition — the basis for many opposing votes in the Senate — and that admitting undocumented students as in-state residents would take away spots from U.S. citizens. But Stern said increasing competition would likely have a positive effect on the university's national rankings."I think expanding the pool of eligible Maryland residents can only be a good thing," Stern said. "Increased diversity and an increased pool of good students is a good thing for the university — not just for us, but for all the universities and the state as a whole."State Sen. Jim Rosapepe (D-Prince George's), who voted for the bill, added that students who would be affected by this proposal are already academically qualified, but high tuition rates often prevent them from attending state universities.
"The better students you get, the better university you are, and the problem is that they can't come to the University of Maryland right now — it's just that too many of them are priced out of the market," Rosapepe said. "It's kind of an inconsistent policy to say they can come to the University of Maryland, but they have to pay triple the tuition. It doesn't seem fair, and it just doesn't make sense. We want the best students to come to the best campus."
Stern also said since these students must pay state taxes and have already attended at least high school in this state — K-12 schools must provide education to all students regardless of immigration status, according to U.S. Supreme Court mandate — the state should want to capitalize on their investment.
"If the state is going to go through the expense and the effort to educate children, it makes sense that they have access to higher education as well," he said. "The state is better served by offering educational opportunities to its high-school graduates, and that investment is worth making."Loh said he attributes all of his successes to the educational opportunities he was able to receive in the United States.
"I came here legally, but that totally aside, what I have today is because of the opportunities that this nation provided," he said. "It is a passport to social and economic opportunity. We have a very large proportion of Hispanics in our state and in our nation. Many of them are undocumented, and they've been living here since they were children. ... To say we're not going to allow you to come in with resident tuition is in effect slamming the door of opportunity to them."Rosapepe noted that the nation is primarily made up of immigrants including his father, who was an Italian immigrant and said it is part of the nation's history to offer equal opportunities to all.
"I think most people recognize that America is a nation of immigrants and that very few of us would be here if our parents or grandparents hadn't come from some place else," he said. "Many people come here for better opportunities."Although no date has yet been set for a House vote on the issue, many question whether the bill will make its way to the chamber's floor before the end of the legislative session.
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