Undocumented immigrants’ scholarship status unclear

By Timothy Pratt (contact)

Friday, Feb. 22, 2002 | 10:56 a.m.

The Millennium Scholarship has provided an opportunity for undocumented immigrants who have been shut out of higher education to get a degree.

But the interpretations of the rules governing the scholarship, which provides up to $10,000 for Nevada students with a "B" average to attend the state's colleges and universities, differ widely among the institutions of higher learning.

The result is confusion surrounding the subject for counselors at Clark County high schools, students and their families.

"It's an issue whose time has come to clarify," Chancellor Jane Nichols said.

Undocumented immigrant students who are eligible for the scholarship can use it to attend state universities at in-state tuition rates, which are often less than half the out-of-state rates, Nichols said this week.

That is the guideline being followed at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, but at the University of Nevada, Reno, undocumented immigrants must also submit an affidavit stating that a parent has applied for legal residence.

The Community College of Southern Nevada does not admit undocumented immigrants, even if they qualify for the scholarship -- if officials find out about their illegal status.

"Nobody really knows the definitive answer, that's the problem," said Rocky Barella, a counselor at Desert Pines High School who has seen dozens of good students shut out of higher education because of their status in his 11 years at the school.

"I can't say with full confidence to undocumented students to go for the Millennium, because I feel like it would be lying to them," he said.

Until Nevada's Millennium Scholarship was created in 1999, undocumented immigrant students were shut out of in-state tuition rates at the state's public universities and community colleges.

They are still ineligible for federal aid, which put a higher education out of reach of most, even the good students who could qualify for scholarships. High school counselors estimate that could be hundreds a year.

Federal law, however, allows undocumented immigrant children to attend public schools through the 12th grade regardless of their immigration status.

The confusion over the Millennium Scholarship becomes important to resolve as counselors say they see the number of undocumented students enrolled in Clark County schools grow.

"I would say that about one-third of our students may be undocumented," said Veronica Hummel, dropout prevention coordinator at Valley High School, where 50 percent of 2,677 students last year were Hispanic.

Hummel said she sees 50 to 75 undocumented students each year with good to excellent grade point averages.

Surisadai Maya is one of them.

One of her last memories of Mexico, her homeland, was a dark tunnel that stank of raw sewage. Maya was 5, and her family was crossing the border into the United States.

"I thought we were going on a day trip or something," she said. But it was one of the last times she saw her homeland.

More than a decade later, Maya, 17, is a senior at Valley, a member of the National Honor Society with a 3.0 grade point average, and a command sergeant major in the Army ROTC. She considers herself an American.

Because of her immigration status, she isn't eligible for an ROTC scholarship at Washington State University, which she was told by a recruiter she could have easily obtained.

"Most of the kids I know in my situation go on to jobs that don't require a college education, like cleaning or construction," Maya said.

Maya, however, plans to use the Millennium Scholarship and go to college.

She thought her only choice would be the community college, where some of her friends have gone. Now she's considering other options.

"I guess I'll ask my counselor about that," she said when told that the universities also accept the scholarship from undocumented immigrants.

Some undocumented students have attended the Community College of Southern Nevada, because of an open admissions policy that does not require rigorous background checks.

The admissions form does ask if the student is a U.S. resident or citizen.

But the college does not submit the information to extensive cross-checking, Arlie Stops, CCSN assistant vice president for admissions and records, said.

With a total enrollment of about 32,000, some of the student body may well be undocumented immigrants, Stops said.

"Let's just say that immigrants are very astute at figuring out how to get by in the system," he said.

Nichols said the confusion over the scholarship policies should be clarified, and that the issue is part of what she called "a national conversation" in higher education.

California and Texas passed legislation in the last year that allows all students who graduate from in-state high schools to qualify for the lower college tuition rates.

"I see states grappling with this issue more and more at a variety of levels," said Paul Martinez, director of the New Mexico-based Center for the Education and Study of Diverse Populations, which advocates better educations for immigrants.

"The question you have to ask is, what are we going to do with these undocumented students? Discriminate against them? Put them in special classes? Call the Immigration and Naturalization Service? Or provide them with the best possible education?" he said.

"Our position is that it's in all of our best interest to do the latter."

A bill before a House subcommittee could take down the barriers to federal aid. The Student Adjustment Act of 2001 would upgrade the status of undocumented students who meet various requirements.

Maya would like to see that.

"I know I'm capable of something big and have already shown I am a leader," Maya said. "I'm not asking for anybody to give money away. I also want to give back to the country."