NC Community Colleges alone in excluding illegal immigrants
The ruling came as a surprise to most everyone, including the community college system itself, and makes North Carolina the only state in the union to pursue such an action. In reaching his decision, Cooper overruled the community college system’s own attorney.
Many sources say the move places North Carolina on the far-right fringe when it comes schools of though concerning immigrants and education.
Wrote Julia Merchant in the Smoky Mountain News:
Higher education organizations have called the move unprecedented.
“When I first saw the headline, I thought it was a mistake or joke or something,” said Dan Hurley, director of state relations for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
Charlotte Observer Associate Editor Jack Betts characterizes the move as extremely regressive, but also opines that it is likely to stick.
Most critics point out that many of the students impacted by the move were born in the United States or were brought here very early in their lives, were educated in the public school system, and are well on their way to citizenship. The move, the critics say, is strictly punitive.
As a practical matter the ruling is a relative non-starter at Southwestern Community College in Sylva. The school has a popular English as a second language program, but that program does not fall within the degree-seeking curriculum. Current rules require than undocumented students pay out-of-state tuition, which makes it cost-prohibitive to most.
Fewer than five undocumented students are among the student body.
Tags: Charlotte Observer, Smoky Mountain News
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