Matthew Bowers
The Virginian-Pilot
©
RICHMOND
An informal survey by a state higher education agency indicates that Old Dominion University is one of four of Virginia’s 15 public colleges and universities that will enroll undocumented immigrants.
The survey by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia was requested by Del. Chris Peace, R-Hanover, who has introduced a bill that would make illegal immigrants ineligible for admission to Virginia’s public colleges and universities.
ODU officials said Friday the school’s policy on admitting illegal immigrants is more complicated.
Steven Risch, director of international and graduate admissions, said his school doesn’t knowingly enroll undocumented immigrants. He said he’s not sure what the council survey asked or who provided ODU’s answers.
ODU will accept applications and admit undocumented students under the school’s nondiscrimination policy. But, under an unwritten office policy, it won’t allow them into class – to actually enroll – until they clear up their status.
But because the school doesn’t check the citizenship status of those who say they’re legal, Risch assumes that some illegal immigrant students are on campus.
“We’d have to check it for every application,” he said. “And I’m not aware of any school that does that.”
ODU received more than 22,000 applications in the past year, he said.
The council’s Jan. 16 letter to Peace said Virginia Tech, George Mason University and Radford University also permit illegal immigrants to enroll.
Virginia Tech doesn’t ask students about their citizenship status, other than sometimes for tuition or academic assistance purposes, spokesman Larry Hincker said. Determining their legal status is the responsibility of the U.S. government, he said.
“It’s not like these people are coming in from Chihuahua ,” Hincker said. “They’re graduating from good Virginia schools. They have good grades. … You don’t get into Virginia Tech unless you’re a good student.”
Peace, who asked for the state council survey, said his bill is not about discrimination. “It goes to the philosophical issue of whether we want to continue to provide incentives for people to come here illegally,” he said.
Members of the Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations, during a visit to the capitol this week, said they oppose Peace’s bill because it would further prevent otherwise worthy students from going to college.
“My friend came to this country two years ago. I met him at school. He started in low classes,” said Gilmar Alarcon, a 17-year-old high school student who came to Arlington from Bolivia.
Last year, the friend graduated, he said. “ He was taking three AP classes. He wants to go to college, but he couldn’t apply. Now my question is, what is he supposed to do now?”
Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com
Matthew Bowers, (757) 222-3893, matthew.bowers@pilotonline.com
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What part of illegal do you not understand?
They are ILLEGAL! Throw em all out. The ones who came here LEGALLY, I have no problems with. ILLEGALS should have NO rights other than a flight back to their country. What part of ILLEGAL does Richmond or Washington not understand!?
Blame Game
I guess ODU should double as the U.S. boarder patrol? Maybe all it’s 20,000 + students should be required to submit their U.S. passport at the class door on Tuesday? Why not finger print ‘em all too--- and while we’re at it, lets require this treatment of ALL college students in Virginia, AND state employees AND members of the General Assembly. Apparently, some in our state legislature don’t have the guts to focus on real issues, but instead, use an “informal” report to win points with the ever shrinking, xenophobic constituency. And yes, it’s thankfully shrinking – just ask former Senator George Allen.
Read the Article People!!
Are you people idiots? The article states that students are not permitted to enroll if thier visa status is not cleared!!! The issue is clearly how the illegals are entering in the first place, a problem that has to be dealt with and managed by our federal gov't. I guess some of you are suggesting that every U.S. citizen will need to carry a passport to check out a book in the library, get a drivers licence, and drive on I-64! Sure lets just throw out the few civil liberties this free country has remaining. Think about it!
Put Down to Mexicans
The comment in the article saying that not all the illegal students were from Chihuahua was a putdown to Mexicans. This was a very prejudice remark made by a representative of a university. Shame on you!!!
legals being pushed aside for illegals
There are only a certain number of freshmen students accepted each year, therefore if illegals are getting in to ODU it only makes sense that there are deserving legal citizens who are not getting these slots. Maybe we need our own "Iron Curtain" along our southern borders to keep these freeloading parasites out.
Rob Maz....
Instead of complaining about what can't be done, why don't you come up with solutions. Rob Maz the enabler provides the same garbage that alot of latino enablers do. This is not rocket science nor outside of common sense. These taxpayer funded give away programs are the very reason that these people are here. Just cut off the freebies, check everyone for legal status and deport all illegals in droves. It is just too darn simple except for the crowd that claims discrimination. Discrimination against who, criminals?
Okay jg42053
Then using your version of "diverstity", how about we simply pick the locks on your house and allow the illegals to live with you? That would be fair, wouldn't it? I mean afterall, you are insisting that just because these people want to, in your words, "better themselves", it gives them every right to disregard virtually every other law they choose to in order to accomplish that goal, doesn't it?
You simply can't have it both ways-they're here illegally and they have to go back or, they are here illegally and therefore excused from obeying every other law on the books-what's it going to be??
Wow
Quote: "I do not support illegals. ODU's resources are limited and there are plenty of "legal" deserving students waiting for a chance." Consider the following: On the one hand you state you don't support illegals and clearly state that ODU has limited funding. That's fine, but where exactly are they supposed to get the additional funding to do a background check on each student especially considering the fact that the feds and states should be doing that in the first place? Also, aren't the public grade schools (which you are paying a load of taxes to support) that these kids are graduating from before college, supposed to be verified as legal students in the first place? Since when did the job of verification of citizenship fall to ODU if most these same kids are graduating from high schools in the U.S. in the first place? Now that you have cut ODU off from your millions, they may never recover...
major
I did not know ODU offered majors in lawn mowing or drywall hanging, cool! The do the jobs we dont want to do and now go to schools we do not want to go to!!
Public Money
Cut off public money, they will stop - quickly.