In a statement released earlier this week, NACAC voiced opposition to President Trump’s budget proposal, noting that the plan “stortchanged” students at all levels.
The proposal cuts funding for the Department of Education by 10.5 percent in fiscal year 2019 and abolishes several critical programs that help make college more affordable.
In a statement released Friday, NACAC urged Congress and the White House “to find common ground and move forward with policies that support DREAMers and promote student mobility across borders.”
Talks are expected to continue this week as policymakers from both sides of the aisle unpack the president’s immigration plan and craft their own proposals.
Continue reading ICYMI: NACAC Urges Trump and Congress to Find Common Ground on Immigration
It’s a time of uncertainly and fear for undocumented students.
DACA recipients will lose protection from deportation in March. And although lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have voiced support for the DREAM Act, disagreements over border security and other issues have stalled legislative action.
Yet despite current conditions, college counselors and admission officers are uniquely positioned to offer support and hope to young immigrants, author/activist Julissa Arce noted during a Tuesday #NACACreads chat.
Continue reading #NACACreads Author Shares Resources to Help Undocumented Students
Congress has signaled it’s ready to tackle reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA), but a bill introduced last week in the US House of Representatives has NACAC and other education organizations concerned.
“While NACAC agrees that the HEA needs to be reauthorized, this bill goes about it in the wrong way,” Michael Rose, NACAC’s director for government relations noted in a press release. “After an initial review, it is clear this bill reduces or eliminates student protections against fraud and abuse, and further dilutes the federal contribution to improving access to postsecondary education.”
Continue reading ICYMI: NACAC Opposes HEA Reauthorization Legislation
An estimated 65,000 undocumented immigrants graduate from US high schools each year.
In 2001, Julissa Arce was one of those students.
“I graduated in the top 5 percent of my class,” she wrote in her memoir, My (Underground) American Dream. “I was all smiles. My whole family was proud of me. And all of us were worried.”
Join us Jan. 9 for a #NACACreads discussion of Arce’s book and the challenges undocumented students face as they make their way to and through higher education. Arce will participate in the hour-long Twitter chat, which kicks off at 9 p.m. ET.
Continue reading ‘My (Underground) American Dream’ Selected for #NACACreads
Campus leaders who want to support undocumented students have a new place to turn for information.
Earlier this month, the Protect Dreamers Higher Education Coalition, of which NACAC is a member, created a new website highlighting facts about undocumented students and providing advocacy resources.
The coalition is encouraging colleges and universities to recognize Oct. 16-20 as Protect Dreamers Week. New resources created to help educators and others advocate on behalf of DREAMers include a fact sheet and talking points.
Continue reading New Advocacy Resources Available to Support Undocumented Students
President Trump announced this week that the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will end in six months.
Since 2012, DACA has provided deportation relief to undocumented youth who came to the country before the age of 16, as long as they met certain criteria.
NACAC was among several education organizations to speak out against Trump’s decision. In a statement released on Tuesday, the association said the move to eliminate DACA was a “regressive step that hurts many of America’s brightest, most vulnerable youth.”
NACAC expressed its strong support today for the reintroduction of the DREAM Act, which would provide certain undocumented students the opportunity to become lawful permanent residents and eventually apply for citizenship.
The DREAM Act, first proposed in the early 2000s and reintroduced this afternoon by Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), would also allow states to grant in-state tuition to DREAMers — making a college degree more affordable for thousands of students.
Colleges across the US have made major strides in their efforts to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students.
But a recent New York Times op-ed published by a University of Mississippi grad provides an important reminder that much work still needs to be done.
By his own admission, Dylan Lewis “thrived in college.” At the University of Mississippi he finally felt free to be himself. Lewis joined the student government, led campus tours, and felt safe and supported.
Yet despite a welcoming campus, Lewis— like many LGBT youth — faced unique challenges on his path to college completion.
Continue reading Even on Welcoming Campuses, LGBT Students Face Hurdles to College Completion
After last month’s successful Advocacy Day in Washington, DC, advocacy efforts within many NACAC affiliates are on the rise.
Over the past several months, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee have hosted SACAC legislative days. Because SACAC is a regional affiliate, advocacy days take place in specific states, allowing members to meet with their own legislators and impact students where they live.
Continue reading Legislative Update: Affiliates Ramp Up Advocacy Efforts