Sorry about formatting-- I didn't double space because I thought it was a bit easier to read and see the placement of each point within the cohesive whole when presented like this. 

Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts institution in which its undergraduate students are governed by the Student Government Association (SGA), a non-political group on campus that focuses on academic and social matters. Every year, SGA hosts Plenary, which is a time when members of the student body present a resolution containing information and a proposition regarding current policies, regulations, etc. that the member would like to either omit, alter or improve.

As I had mentioned before on my welcome page, I mainly wanted to use this page to identify the main issues concerning undocumented students and education. I believe that by doing so, we can have a clear understanding as well as a starting point to look back on as we continue to address these issues and push for change.

Personally I believe that education should be a human right, unfortunately that is not the way our education system works in this country. So now that we have taken the time to think about these issues, its time to ask ourselves the big question- “What Now?”

Depending on whether or not a state has a policy or rule clearly stating that undocumented immigrants are ineligible to be admitted into any public college/university schools, it is still possible for undocumented students to attend a college or university. Although it is definitely challenging for a student in this circumstance to be admitted into a higher institution, it can be just as challenging for the student to stay in college and graduate.

Navigating the college and financial aid application process can be confusing, difficult and overwhelming for students and their families especially when a student is among one of the first in their families to attend college coming from an immigrant background. In most cases, immigrant parents are unfamiliar with the college application process let alone may encounter the additional challenges of there being a language barrier as well as citizenship status. Parents can be seen as the fundamental support system of their child and the importance to pursue a higher education has never been more stressed until now.

The Educators for Fair Consideration (E4FC) Organization and the MALDEF The Latino Legal Voice for Civil Rights in America organization are some among the few organizations I have found to provide a continuous list of scholarships available to undocumented students. Feel free to search them and explore their websites as they aim towards helping the undocumented community in the U.S.

For those of you who have taken a look at the Bills regarding State Aid for Undocumented Students post or have come here before doing so, this post focuses on breaking down what is a Bill Number and the different types that a bill gets assigned, how to interpret the content and its current status.

According to College Board undocumented students are allowed to apply and be accepted into a college or university. However, the student is ineligible to apply for federal aid yet may still be eligible to receive state aid depending on the state they reside in.

Regardless of a student's immigration status or undocumented status, college and K-12 school administrators are not required by the Federal Government to report their status. In 2008 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had written a letter to North Carolina when the state had considered barring undocumented students from attending its public colleges and universities. DHS had even sent another letter, this time to North Carolina's Attorney General reiterating the same point. Up until that point, the federal laws had been confusing to understand and a bit ambiguous. According to the National Immigration Law Center, the DHS had made the following clarification in its letter,

Obama’s recent announcement regarding Immigration policies imposes a hopeful pathway for undocumented individuals to attain citizenship status. As a result, it is more probable that individuals will be interested in learning more information regarding the policies and procedure one will have to undergo in order to attain citizenship. This post aims to provide helpful tips on how to confirm that you are speaking to the right people and be aware of scams and frauds.

The files attached to the bottom of the post are provided in both English and Spanish and list important tips to remember when attempting to seek out immigration services. For instance some of the tips include the following,