Recently the President of the University of Washington or U-Dub as it’s called by the locals, has publicly shown his support for the “Dream Act” which is being mulled over by members of congress. For those of you on sharenotes.com that don’t know, the Dream Act is a bill that would allow high school students who are in the country illegally a path to citizenship by attending college.
The bill would not allow the students to be eligible for federal aid, however it would allow the students to take out loans to pay for schooling. The school’s president Emmert says the DREAM Act would ensure “talented individuals stay in the United States legally,” which in turn would help the country’s economy.
Critics of the bill state that in a environment where immigration is largely uncontrolled, the bill encourages an activity that is after all, illegal. While I’m not totally convinced one way or another, it is a strange message to send. So say, this act is definitively illegal, however should you make it into the country, it’s cool if you go to our schools.
Supporters of the bill concede that immigrants, illegal or otherwise are here to stay. And they have always been a part of our society, if we can encourage them to become more vital members through eduction then that is a good thing.
Because the debate over immigration has always been hotly contested the bill has been stalled. Advocates are hopeful that this bill will be part of a larger immigration makeover that the Obama administration has been discussing. Of course given the state of our two wars, the economy and the health care debate it’s likely that any comprehensive revamp will be back burnered by law makers. At least for the time being.
We invite all the users of sharenotes.com to weigh in on this or any topic we discuss on the blog. Leave your comments below to join the discussion with your fellow students.
