Lawmakers, advocacy groups and members of the media have been touting a lot of facts and monetary figures regarding the proposed immigration bill called the DREAM Act. And to make matters worse, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has introduced four different versions of the bill, hoping one will find favor with members of Congress.
While the DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors) legislation may have admirable intentions in a time of severe economic duress, American children are the ones falling behind and losing their opportunities for higher education.
Take California for example, the state is seeing red to the tune of $20 billion per year and included in the cutbacks are colleges. As a result college tuition has increased at least 10 percent and public colleges have already authorized another 10 percent increase for the year 2011-12 school year.
Big deal say DREAM Act advocates, American’s will just pay the increase and still get their college educations.
Wrong.
Let’s take San Diego State University (SDSU), once a famous party school, college admissions have seen record applications and the majority of applicants will be turned away.
SDSU received more than 60,000 undergraduate applications for the fall 2011 semester as well as 8,000 spring applications. The total undergraduate applicants for the fall were 44,623 and 16,946 applicants applied as upper-division transfer students.
“SDSU continues to be a first-choice university for applicants and for good reason,’” said Ethan Singer, SDSU associate vice president for academic affairs. “The quality of students attending SDSU is the best it’s ever been, the faculty and staff are committed to providing students with a top-notch university education and SDSU offers a dynamic student experience as well as career opportunities in some of the most high-demand fields in our economy.”
The university contends it will be unknown for awhile as to how many students will be accepted next fall due to the uncertainties regarding state funding. However they have 3,400 freshmen who began college this semester as well as 2,400 transfer students for a total of 5,800.
SDSU says they will most likely only take 3,000 undergraduates for the spring 2011 semester. Moreover, statewide, the California State University System received more than 611,000 applications and many of these prospective students will be turned away. (Currently there are 430,000 students enrolled, but most campuses are reducing enrollment as a way to deal with state cutbacks.)
And if that isn’t depressing enough for students, the University of California employees are taking part in a statewide protest today. The workers are fighting an upcoming regents’ vote to cut retirement benefits.