Undocumented Students

Tailoring current student affairs practices

to fit their unique needsCecilia Lopez & Maggie Mahoney

February 17th, 2011

Presentation Outline

Present basic facts about undocumented students

Review national and state legislation concerning these students

Propose methods to tailor student affairs practices to fit the unique needs of undocumented students

Basic Information & Data

Terminology

1. Bernal, S., & Chuan-Ru Chen, A. (2010, March 8). Practitioner advocacy to improve undocumented student success [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from NASPA Annual Conference Archives website: http://archive.naspa.org/conference/cfp/coord/upload/2010%20NASPA_upload.ppt

Legal Definition

Undocumented: Foreign nationals who “(a) entered the U.S. without inspection or with fraudulent documents, or (b) entered as a nonimmigrant, but then violated the terms of his or her status and remained in the U.S. without authorization.”1

Any student who is not a legal resident in the U.S. – no visa, no green card, or naturalized or born U.S. citizens

A note on student visas

Family Education Rights & Privacy Act

The affordability issue concerning readjustment of status

1Badger, E., Yale-Loehr, S., & Lindsay, S. (n.d.). Undocumented students and eligibility for enrollment at U.S. colleges and universities. Retrieved from Miller Mayer, LLP website: http://www.millermayer.com/NewsandArticles/ UndocumentedStudents/tabid/307/Default.aspx

National Data

A note on accuracy of data

2.5 million undocumented youth under the age of 18 (Perez, 2009)

65,000 graduate from high school each year1

Estimated that approximately 13,000 of these students ever attend college

1. Gonzales, R. G. (2009, April). Young lives on hold: The college dreams of undocumented students [Brochure]. Retrieved from http://professionals.collegeboard.com/ profdownload/ young-lives-on-hold-college-board.pdf

Student Profile

Perez’s Developing Talent Study1

182 undocumented student respondents

71% enrolled in Honors and AP courses in high school 

Average high school GPA: 3.48

Average college GPA: 3.10

College leadership role: 40% (CC) 44% (four-year)

College community service: 61% (CC) 65% (four-year)

College Academic Awards: 45% (CC) 58% (four-year)

1 Perez, W. (2009, March 26). Sobreviviendo la crisis: The case of undocumented students. Lecture presented at California State University, Northridge, Northridge, CA.

The DREAM Act

National legislation for students who show good moral character since entry and who came to the U.S. at age 15 or younger at least five years before the date of the bill’s enactment would qualify for conditional nonimmigrant status1

Individuals must either attend a higher degree program for at least two years or serve in the U.S. armed forces for at least two years

History of the Bill since 2001

1National Immigration Law Center. (2010, December). DREAM Act: Summary [Fact sheet]. Retrieved from http://www.nilc.org/immlawpolicy/DREAM/dream-bills-summary-2010-09-20.pdf

College Access

K-12 Access: Plyler v. Doe

1982 U.S. Supreme Court case

Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA, 1996)

Prohibits access to benefits unless U.S. citizens are also eligible.

In-state tuition laws and financial aid

California, New Mexico, Washington, Utah, New York, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, New Mexico, and Wisconsin

Financial aid access: Texas & New Mexico

Texas HB 1403

Description

Student must have:

resided in Texas with a parent or guardian while attending high school in Texas; graduated from a public or private high school or received a GED in Texas; resided in Texas for the three years leading to graduation or receipt of a GED; and provided their institutions a signed affidavit indicating an intent to apply for permanent resident status as soon as able to do so.

Data

Sustaining and Supporting

Sustaining and tailoring current resources and practices to support the unique college

experience of undocumented students.

Seven areas of Student Affairs

What to be aware of

Continuous education on legal and support services

Professional and student development

Students constantly battle feelings of shame, trepidation, anger, despair, marginalization, and uncertainty 1

“Triple minority status” : ethnic origin, lack of documentation, and economic disadvantages2

Socioemotional development3 1,2,3Perez, W., Cortes, R. D., Ramos, K., & Coronado, H. (2010). Cursed and blessed: Examining the

socioemotional and academic experiences of undocumented Latina and Latino college students. New Directors for Student Services, 131, 35-51. doi:10.1002/ ss.366

Academic Advising

Support students to be academically successful

Some may fit aspects of the first-generation college student experience

Possibly the only student affairs professional to ever be in contact with the student

Housing

Campus becomes a safe haven for undocumented students

Most essential services are located on or near campus

On-campus living reduces the need for transportation

On-campus living counteracts the need to rent/lease an apartment

Financial Services

Trained financial aid counselors

Publish funding resources on institution website

Encourage students to seek out private funding opportunities

Study Abroad

Usually disregarded as an option for these students

Alternate opportunities can exist through programs that explore the rich cultures of the U.S.

The department must be flexible and innovative in their program offerings

Some majors require study abroad experiences, which turn away undocumented students

Legal Services

Make students aware of their rights and legal responsibilities

Resources available concerning barriers and options for their legal status1

Immigration attorney referrals

1Malagon, M. C., & Huber, L. P. (2006-2007). Silenced struggles: The experiences of Latina and Latino undocumented college students in California. Nevada Law Journal, 7, 841-861. Retrieved from http://heinonline.org/ HOL/ Page?handle=hein.journals/ nevlj7&div=41&g_sent=1&collection=journals#847

Counseling & Mental Health

Professional, trained staff members can offer support for the unseen struggles facing undocumented students

Impact of their immigration status: fear of deportation, uncertainty, and frustration1

Confidentiality of services

Affordability of counseling sessions

1Albrecht, T. J. (2007). Challenges and service needs of undocumented Mexican undergraduate students: Students’ voices and administrators’ perspectives (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX). Retrieved from http://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/ bitstream/ handle/ 2152/ 3542/ albrechtt61669.pdf?sequence=2

Career Services

Career development process constrained by legal restraints

Career decisions-making process

Many aspects of typical career counseling and planning conflict or are not relevant1

Effective networking

Importance of internships

Broad range of career exploration activities1Ortiz, A. M., & Hinojosa, A. (2010). Tenuous options: The career development process for undocumented students. New Directions for Student

Services, (131), 53-65. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ss.367/abstract

Questions?

Visit our website to access resources that can help you stay informed to best serve undocumented

students

sagradresources.wordpress.com

Thank you for attending!

Sources

Gonzales, R. G. (2009, April). Young lives on hold: The college dreams of undocumented students [Brochure]. Retrieved from http:// professionals.collegeboard.com/ profdownload/ young-lives-on-hold-college-board.pdf

Ortiz, A. M., & Hinojosa, A. (2010). Tenuous options: The career development process for undocumented students. New Directions for Student Services, (131), 53-65. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ss.367/abstract

Albrecht, T. J. (2007). Challenges and service needs of undocumented Mexican undergraduate students: Students’ voices and administrators’ perspectives (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX). Retrieved from http:// epositories.lib.utexas.edu/ bitstream/ handle/ 2152/ 3542/ albrechtt61669.pdf?sequence=2

Badger, E., Yale-Loehr, S., & Lindsay, S. (n.d.). Undocumented students and eligibility for enrollment at U.S. colleges and universities. Retrieved from Miller Mayer, LLP website: http://www.millermayer.com/NewsandArticles/ UndocumentedStudents/tabid/307/Default.aspx

Malagon, M. C., & Huber, L. P. (2006-2007). Silenced struggles: The experiences of Latina and Latino undocumented college students in California. Nevada Law Journal, 7, 841-861. Retrieved from http://heinonline.org/ HOL/ Page? handle=hein.journals/ nevlj7&div=41&g_sent=1&collection=journals#847

Perez, W., Cortes, R. D., Ramos, K., & Coronado, H. (2010). Cursed and blessed: Examining the socioemotional and academic experiences of undocumented Latina and Latino college students. New Directors for Student Services, 131, 35-51. doi: 10.1002/ ss.366

National Immigration Law Center. (2010, December). DREAM Act: Summary [Fact sheet]. Retrieved from http:// www.nilc.org/ immlawpolicy/DREAM/dream-bills-summary-2010-09-20.pdf

Bernal, S., & Chuan-Ru Chen, A. (2010, March 8). Practitioner advocacy to improve undocumented student success [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from NASPA Annual Conference Archives website: http://archive.naspa.org/conference/cfp/coord/upload/2010%20NASPA_upload.ppt

Perez, W. (2009, March 26). Sobreviviendo la crisis: The case of undocumented students. Lecture presented at California State University, Northridge, Northridge, CA.