Illegal aliens will not be exempt from out-of-state tuition hikes planned for next year. On Jan. 29, the House of Delegates voted to require illegal aliens living in Virginia to pay out-of-state tuition to attend public colleges and universities.
According to University Spokeswoman Carol Wood, the University does not have any illegal aliens in attendance, yet the vote still was met with a mixed response.
Latino Student Union President Daniel Garcia said he sees the legislation as a way to prevent college attendance among Hispanics.
"It is really going to take away some people's American Dream," Garcia said. "Through experience I know a lot of friends that work really hard and get excellent grades so that they can get scholarships and afford to attend college and this could cut down on that kind of effort."
The bill is a clarification of an existing Virginia law which states that in-state tuition is not available to illegal aliens, according to Christian Davidson, assistant aid to Delegate Thelma Drake, the bill's primary sponsor.
"It is a clarification -- it's not new stuff," he said. "We are just making sure people know what is already in there."
According to Randy Davis, spokesman for Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore, the House of Delegates decided to vote on the bill when several colleges and universities inquired about whether or not they should accept in-state tuition from illegal aliens. With Virginia's budget crisis this year it seemed appropriate to address this subject, Davis said.
"Some colleges and universities are having to raise tuition for students here legally," Davis said. Illegal aliens "should not be afforded the right to the lower in-state tuition rate."
Illegal aliens now will be formally required to pay out-of-state tuition to attend colleges and universities in the state of Virginia.
Davis does not expect a response to the bill from the University community.
"We are not anticipating a response, we just believe that someone who is here illegally should not get the benefit of in-state tuition," he said.
Garcia said he does not think the bill is such a small matter.
"This could hinder Hispanic students from attending the University," he said. "I'm hoping there will be something to control this. The only way we can fight it is to ensure more financial aid for Hispanic students."
Shamim Sisson, senior associate dean of students, attributed negative responses to the bill to a possible backlash against immigrants after Sept. 11.
"I think it is a little scary to some people that the very broad suspicion about immigrants that came about as a result of Sept. 11 might expand to a somewhat disadvantaged group of students here for perfectly legitimate reasons," Sisson said.
Per semester tuition for in-state undergraduates at the University is approximately $2,684.50 compared to $10,289.50 for out-of-state tuition.
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