Rhode Island Passes In-state Tuition for Undocumented Students

By , on September 30th, 2011

In a unanimous vote, the Board of Governors For Higher Education of Rhode Island extended in-state tuition rates for residents to attend public colleges and universities in Rhode Island, regardless of their legal status.  To benefit from this decision, residents must meet the following:

1)     Attended high school in Rhode Island for at least 3 years

2)     Graduated from a Rhode Island high school or received an equivalent degree

3)     Will seek legal status in the US as soon as she or he is eligible

This change in policy means that higher education will be attainable to more undocumented students; for example, attending the University of Rhode Island will annually cost $9,824 compared to $25,912 for out-of-state students.

Juliana Romero, co-founder and active member of IDEAS for New England, one of the organizations that advocated for this policy change, commented, “Nothing is impossible! We fought for our dream to go to school! At the end of the day we all stood together, got hit with some haters (specifically ignorance and racism), but we won so it was worth it! Always have faith.”

Allowing Rhode Islanders to pay in-state tuition promotes equity in access to public higher education for talented, high-achieving

Continue reading Rhode Island Passes In-state Tuition for Undocumented Students

September 30th, 2011 | Tags: , , , | Category: Coalitions, Immigrant Workers, SLAP | Comments are closed

Help Young People Follow their DREAMs!

By , on November 24th, 2010

The Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act, commonly known as the DREAM Act, would give young people a chance to have an equal opportunity at the American Dream in the only place they know as home: the United States.

The DREAM Act will allow children who were brought to the United States before age 16, who have lived in the U.S. for at least five years, graduated from high school, and are of good moral character the opportunity to earn citizenship through at least two years of college or military service.  Every year, 65,000 students are denied the right to an education based on the status of their documentation.

On Monday, November 29th the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the DREAM Act.  Sen. Harry Reid has pledged to bring the DREAM Act up before a stand-alone vote in the Senate before the end of the 2010 Congressional session.

Tell your Representative to support the DREAM Act!



November 24th, 2010 | Tags: , , , | Category: Campaigns, Immigrant Workers, Take Action | Comments are closed

Undocumented and Unafraid: Students Speak out for their DREAMs

By , on November 19th, 2010

DREAM ActDuring this post-election “Lame Duck” session of Congress, the U.S. Student Association and the Student Labor Action Project launched their “Students vs Lame Duck” campaign set on passing the DREAM Act.

The first step was ensuring both the House and Senate voted on the legislation.  Following Senator Harry Reid’s announcement on Wednesday, it looks like the DREAM Act will finally come up for a stand-alone vote after Thanksgiving.  Now it’s time to hold our elected representatives accountable!

DREAM ActThe DREAM Act will allow children who were brought to the United States as minors, who have lived in the U.S. for at least five years, graduated from high school, and are of good moral character the opportunity to earn citizenship through at least two years of college or military service.  Every year, 65,000 students are denied the right to an education based on the status of their documentation.

In the past 24 hours, four students (known as DREAMers) have risked deportation and been arrested

Continue reading Undocumented and Unafraid: Students Speak out for their DREAMs

November 19th, 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , | Category: Campaigns, Immigrant Workers | Comments are closed

Students and Workers Organizing for Justice

By , on March 10th, 2010

From Florida to California, March 4th marked an exceptional moment for the student and worker movement in recent U.S. history. People took to the streets to demonstrate their frustration with the government’s failure to pass legislation that would benefit young people such as Student Aid Reform and the DREAM Act.  The mainstream media seemed taken by surprise of all these coordinated actions across the country – How could students and workers come together on one specific day? Was this an organized effort? Were people demanding change from the government and legislators?

I got the opportunity to march along with students, staff, and faculty at U-Mass Amherst.  Being there reminded me about the power of organizing and strategic escalation. Students at this school provided a deadline for their administrators to accept their demands around fees, budget cuts, treating staff & faculty fairly, and improving the school’s climate.  We will be watching their administrations’ response and actions to come.  Check out video from the great actions at the University of Central Florida and the University of California system.  You can also go to Continue reading Students and Workers Organizing for Justice

March 10th, 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Category: Alliances, Campaigns, Economy, Leaders | Comments are closed