2013-50

Arizona State University
University Senate
Spring 2013

Senate Motion #2013-50

A motion to suspend the rules requiring a second reading was approved in Senate Meeting #8 4-22-2013  

Motion Introduced by:  University Academic Council
 
Date of First Reading:  April 22, 2013
 
Date of Second Reading:  NA

Title of Motion:  In-State Tuition for Dreamers

Action Requested:  It is requested that the University Senate approve this motion of support for the University of Arizona Faculty Senate Resolution titled: In-state Tuition for Dreamers
 
The Arizona State University Senate wishes to express its full support of the University of Arizona Faculty Senate Resolution that grants in-state tuition to those Arizona residents who are given deferred action under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and also requests that the Arizona Board of Regents grant in-state status for tuition purposes to DACA recipients who qualify as Arizona residents.
 

On June 15, 2012, President Obama instituted a program, called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA, in which certain undocumented youth who were brought to the United States by their parents would not be deported.  Those granted “deferred action” under DACA are allowed to legally stay in the U.S. for two years which is renewable and may obtain employment authorization (“a work permit”).
 
The DACA program is to allow those young people who are referred to as Dreamers to gain authorization to legally stay here.  It is very likely that a statutory Dreamer program will be created through comprehensive immigration reform.  Thus, at some point the DACA recipients will most likely gain permanent resident status and may apply for citizenship.
 
In order to be eligible for DACA, there are a number of requirements.  A person must have come to the U.S. before their 16th birthday and lived here since June 15, 2007.  They must have either graduated from high school or have a GED, be honorably discharged from the military or currently in school.
 
Even though most of the young people who qualify for DACA have grown up here and consider the U.S. their home country, they do not qualify for in-state tuition at an Arizona university.  The Board of Governors of the two largest community college districts in the state, Maricopa Community College and Pima Community College, have passed policies granting DACA recipients in-state tuition if they meet the in-state tuition requirements. 
 
Since most, if not all, DACA recipients will eventually be allowed to remain in the U.S. permanently and will be able to apply for citizenship at some point, it is both to their advantage and Arizona’s to provide higher education opportunities to them.  Most of them would either find it very difficult or prohibitive to attend an Arizona university without being considered in-state students even though they have lived in Arizona most of their lives and have graduated from an Arizona high school.
 
Therefore, be it RESOLVED:
 
That the Faculty Senate of the University of Arizona supports the granting of in-state tuition to those Arizona residents who are given deferred action under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and requests that the Arizona Board of Regents grant in-state status for tuition purposes to DACA recipients who qualify as Arizona residents.