LearnmoreMN Blog

Dreams coming true

By Juventino Meza, May guest blogger

Gov. Mark Dayton will sign the Higher Education Omnibus bill that included the Minnesota Dream Act. This is a historic day for Minnesota. It took more than a decade to pass this legislation; we are the 15th state to do so and only the 4th one to provide state financial aid.

The Minnesota Dream Act will:

• Allow students to pay in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities if they meet certain requirements, regardless of their immigration status
• Make state higher education aid available to all students who meet residency requirements, regardless of immigration status
• Allow public institutions (MnSCU and the University of Minnesota) to use private funding as financial aid for all students, regardless of immigration status
• Create a Minnesota financial aid application specifically for these students that delinks federal and state financial aid.

The Minnesota Dream Act has broad support. The Citizens League supported it based on its 2009 study of immigrant students' access to higher education in Minnesota. The bill was also backed by community groups (Mesa Latina, Centro Campesino, Chicano Latino Affairs Council), all major higher education institutions (U of MN, Minnesota Private College Council, MnSCU), business and labor groups (Education Minnesota, Chamber of Commerce, SEIU Local 26, Agri-Growth Council), superintendents around the state, Republicans and Democrats, rural and urban. And obviously, Gov. Dayton and Larry Pogemiller, director of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, supported it as well. This truly was a collaborative victory for Minnesota!

I went to ask the authors what they thought. “I am thrilled that after a decade of effort by immigrant students and their allies, their ‘dream of a college education’ became law when Gov. Dayton signs it, said Sen. Sandy Pappas. “I look forward to the talents and energies of these bright young people serving the economic future of our great state.”

It’s estimated that if 500 students benefit, it will “bring $1 billion in new earnings to the Minnesota economy over their lifetime. ($1.8 million is the lifetime earnings of an associate degree; $2.4 million for a bachelor’s degree).”

This legislation is about equity, but it also is about closing the opportunity and achievement gap. It will ensure that all students in Minnesota have equal access to higher education and that Minnesota is ready to compete in the world economy with the future workforce we will need.

“It’s an honor being part of this historic legislative proposal,” said Representative Carlos Mariani, who sponsored the legislation in the House. “I have been fighting for this for more than 10 years. This affirms the dignity of undocumented people in Minnesota. Congratulations to everyone who faithfully and strategically worked to make this law. DREAMers inspire us to be a better people. On-forward!”

Marco Loera, a soon-to-be college student from Rochester, Minn. was equally enthusiastic. “I can finally see my future; I can finally say that equality for all Minnesota students is closer now. This is my state and these are my dreams; now, no status will keep me from being the best I can be.”

Find information about the process here. We know that we have a lot of work ahead, especially in high schools and colleges to make sure everyone has the right information. Can you help us spread the word? Organize a group of students, families or staff and invite NAVIGATE MN to do a presentation about how students can benefit from the Minnesota Dream Act.

Why we need to pass the Minnesota Prosperity/Dream Act

By Juventino Meza, May guest blogger

Note: The MN Senate passed SF723 May 1 in a bipartisan basis, 41-23. Now it will be amended into the Higher Education Omnibus bill in Conference Committee, and then head for a final vote on both chambers. Gov. Mark Dayton has signaled that he will sign it.

When it comes to Minnesota, there are many things we should brag about: a lot of lakes, great businesses and great educational institutions are among them.

A few things we should not brag about: our embarrassing achievement and opportunity gaps, along with our future forecast of high numbers of retirees and too few workers with the educational qualifications our state needs. It’s actually kind of scary because all of this will impact how we do policy around education, health care, taxes and other issues for decades to come.

Here’s a small piece we can do today to address some of our future issues: pass the Minnesota Prosperity/Dream Act (SF723/HF875). Senator Sandy Pappas and Representative Carlos Mariani, along with 35 bipartisan co-authors introduced this bill to recognize certain undocumented youth as Minnesota residents for the purposes of eligibility for state financial aid and in-state tuition if they:

• Have gone to a Minnesota high school for 3 years;
• Receive their diploma or equivalent;
• File an affidavit with the respective college/university saying they will apply to change their immigration status as soon as they are able.

According to a study on state-based Dream Acts around the nation:

• In-state tuition results in a 31% increase in non-citizen enrollment in institutes of higher education.
• In-state tuition is correlated with a 14% decrease in high school dropouts among non-citizen Latinos.
• The benefits associated with in-state tuition do not appear to come at a financial cost to the U.S. taxpayer.

This is only based on in-state tuition; imagine the numbers if we equalize our financial aid for all Minnesota graduates.

Minnesota should be at the forefront of exploring and developing mechanisms that allow immigrant students to access and finance higher education that will keep more students in school, allow them to graduate from high school or obtain their GED, and attend and finish college in Minnesota (and subsequently live and work in Minnesota).

Even with federal immigration reform, Minnesota has to pass the Minnesota Prosperity Act

Like many other proposals, this bill has stalled in the House of Representatives in part due to leadership focusing on the U of M and MnSCU and confusion about it being a “federal issue.” However, if you look at the merits of the bill, it’s the opposite. Minnesota has the authority and the obligation to give its students a fair shot at higher education. Minnesota students shouldn’t be begging to be allowed to go to college, especially at a time when we will have a shortage of qualified workers.

Moreover, the federal government is debating immigration reform and we need to understand that it will be left to the states to decide to give in-state tuition and financial aid to undocumented youth who are legalized through federal action. It will not provide federal financial aid (the current proposal even says so in the DREAM Act section).

Some ask, “why should we let these students go to college if they cannot legally work?” Some undocumented students are already eligible to legally work through Deferred Action, a federal program (only for certain students who graduated from high school or got their GED). Minnesota should prepare more students who will eventually benefit from federal reform. It’s in the best interests of the state — economically, for our workforce and for closing the achievement gap.

Minnesota Prosperity Act/Dream Act uniquely enjoys broad support

By the time a student graduates from high school, Minnesota has already invested significant resources in their success. To prevent that student from pursuing higher education would be to squander our investment. The Center for American Progress estimates that allowing DREAMers equal access to financial aid would create 1,600 jobs and add an additional $359 million to Minnesota's economy over the next 10 years.

SF723/HF875 has the unique support of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and Education Minnesota. It’s supported by the community, student groups, business organizations, faith groups, the U of M, the Minnesota Private College Council, MnSCU, Agri-Growth Council, Chicano Latino Affairs Council, Latino Economic Development Center and many others.

Ultimately, these are students who grew up in Minnesota. They are as Minnesotan as anybody else. We cannot afford to lose the opportunity to tap into talent already in our state.

More information

• View a letter signed by supporters of SF723/HF875
• View a list of other public supporters
• Citizens League's 2009 study on immigrant students' access to higher education
• Find out what you can do

Moving forward, looking back

First-generation college students reflect on their college journey

By Rashné Jehangir, February guest blogger

Retaining students in that critical first year of college warrants the attention and resources that most campuses invest in — particularly when we know first-generation students are nearly four times as likely to drop out of college after their first year, compared with their more traditional peers. But there is an increasing call to consider the experience of these students throughout the college journey.

In my last post I wrote about the importance of creating classroom spaces for students to share their narratives. To extend that conversation, I would like to share some preliminary results of a current research project in which I conducted focus groups with first-generation, low-income students who were juniors, seniors and recent graduates in Minnesota. The intent of the study was to understand how these students — these so called “success stories” — had navigated the academy to make the progress they had. Several key themes have emerged in early analysis and I will highlight two below:

Visible/Invisible: Students were acutely aware of grappling with their multiple identities throughout their college careers. They talked about feeling at once isolated and singled out, particularly those low-income, first-generation students who were also students of color or immigrants. As one student, Monica, said:

“Coming into college was really hard for me to find people that looked like me. I was scared of what the classes would look like. I came from a Saint Paul public school, and I would look around and I would know that half of those students were in private schools, they have a better education then I do, they come from better families, so it was really intimidating like I didn’t know if I could be as good as they were."

Perpetual Border Crossers: Students also talked a lot about the chasm between their home world and the world of academia. This chasm was complicated by parental expectations of success in college while still maintaining familial roles, responsibilities and cultural perspectives. Dawb, an immigrant first-generation student said:

“Sometimes you have to abandon some of who you are and adopt to some of who they are in order to have more access and more opportunities, so you have to adopt the culture… and give up some of your culture. But when you do that, people from your culture think differently from you.”

They described their place in college as a burden of privilege where they were both excited by the opportunities ahead and overwhelmed at being the constant role model for their family and community.

Students also talked about how they sought to manage this constant ambivalence by seeking out safe places and allies who understood the tightrope they walk as they tried to make sense of their own identities. Many students noted that summer bridge programs were the most meaningful and useful conduit to academic and social integration in college. TRiO programs and multicultural offices with staff who understood their lived experience also got high marks. They had several suggestions for faculty and administrators — a common one was a creation of some sort of safety net for mistakes — the kind that parents of students whose parents went to college have in the form of financial support and advocacy. The other suggestion was for staff and faculty that reflect the changing demographics of the study body. Finally, prior to making policy decisions about first-generation students, they asked that institutions find a way to listen to their needs.

As David put it: “just listen, and think about what it’s like to be in our shoes.”

There is a lot more to add, but this is all I had space for today.

Support low-income, first-generation and immigrant students in transitioning to college

By Awo Ahmed, November guest blogger

Colleges can encourage and help first-generation, low-income and immigrant students transition into post-secondary education by working with students early in their high school years. They can also help these students when they first arrive on campus.

In my previous blog post, I talked about the financial burden low-income first-generation and immigrant students face when they come to college. Providing institutional financial aid that covers large financial gaps will help students focus more on academics and less on how to pay for their education. In addition, expanding work-study programs geared toward campus engagement can alleviate some of the financial burden and make sure students are active within their communities and campus. Research has shown that students engaged in campus activities are more likely to graduate from their institution. Involving parents early in their child’s post-secondary education is also very important.

Providing educational workshops about the financial aid process and tools can be significant for parents. A great example is the FAFSA online application process. It might be easy for some of us to understand, but for parents who are new to the country, the financial aid process has a lot of jargon that is confusing and complex. Introducing financial aid literacy tools for families and students will assist them making a good decision on schools that are affordable and a good fit for their child.

Another strategy colleges use to ease the transition between high school and college for low-income and first-generation and immigrant students are bridge programs that take place about a month before the academic year starts. The goal of these programs is to provide early exposure to academic and social resources available to students on campus. Students from such backgrounds aren’t aware of all the different programs and services that exist. Summer bridge programs provide that extra help. Staff and faculty members help students navigate and connect with these resources on campus. Students are encouraged to get involved in student activities and clubs to integrate into the campus life, creating a personalized college experience for students.

Furthermore, creating a strong first-year program such as freshmen achievement courses or freshmen study groups and making participation mandatory or highly recommended can help students transition academically from high school to college. Providing tutoring, study groups and academic support services through faculty and staff can have a lasting impact on the students overall academic performance throughout their college career. The support network students establish during their freshman year can open doors of opportunity later when they want to reconnect with those staff and faculty for research opportunities or general advice. The goal of these networks is to provide not only academic support but also social support. Having the opportunity to talk to faculty or staff about future career goals or graduate programs will help students make decisions about their future.

First-generation students — whether native-born Americans or children of immigrant families — will face challenges and barriers to college access. However, there are many ways to reach out to these students and ensure that they have a chance to succeed in post-secondary education. This is vital to our success as a nation.