“We’re not going to stop fighting for this,” Eastern Michigan University student Katie Mercer said.
Mercer spoke before the EMU Board of Regents Sept. 18 on behalf of the organization Dare to Dream, which is asking the university to adopt in-state tuition rates for undocumented students.
Currently, Michigan residents who are undocumented are required to pay potentially double the amount of in-state tuition fees and receive no federal funding towards their education, Mercer said.
She urged the Board of Regents to support tuition equality.
“By not allowing undocumented students a fair chance at higher education we are only hurting ourselves economically and financially,” Mercer said.
If EMU did change its tuition policies, Mercer suggested more undocumented students would be able to attend EMU and pay for their education, which would help out the community.
Mercer said Dare to Dream will also spread word out to the greater community in efforts to get them involved, with possible marches, events and weekly meetings, as well as teaming up with neighboring schools like U of M and Wayne State, which have bigger organizations than EMU.
To date, thirteen states have adopted policies that grant tuition equality to undocumented immigrants, but Michigan is not one of them.
At the federal level, there are currently no laws regarding tuition and fees for undocumented students. However, California has created the Dream Act, which allows students to receive non-state funded scholarships and state-funded financial aid.
According to Mercer, EMU is the most affordable school in the state and has a high Latino/Latina population, many of whom are affected by the current residency tuition policies.
Mercer expects the Board of Regents will respond to Dare to Dream in a couple of weeks.
