{"id":4517,"date":"2012-10-24T16:01:29","date_gmt":"2012-10-24T21:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/?p=4517"},"modified":"2015-11-12T08:21:47","modified_gmt":"2015-11-12T14:21:47","slug":"risks-rewards-for-undocumented-college-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/risks-rewards-for-undocumented-college-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Risks, rewards for undocumented college students"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Susana<\/a>
Susana Mu\u00f1oz focuses her research on higher-education policies and activism among undocumented students. (Photo by Troye Fox)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A student who didn\u2019t show up for an appointment inspired Susana Mu\u00f1oz to research the experiences of undocumented students<\/p>\n

\u201cThis topic sort of found me,\u201d says Mu\u00f1oz, now an assistant professor of higher education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.<\/p>\n

Mu\u00f1oz recalled the experience in an essay for \u201c21st<\/sup> Century Scholar,\u201d a blog administered through the University of Southern California. She was working in an academic services program for low-income and first-generation students when a friend called her seeking help for Mexican-American student.<\/p>\n

After discovering the student was \u201cundocumented,\u201d Mu\u00f1oz realized helping the student within working hours might jeopardize the federal funding of her program. She offered to meet with the student at an off-campus location during her lunch hour. He never showed up.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A painting by Claudia Ramirez, a graduate student at San Diego State University, depicts the struggles of undocumented students trying to obtain their education. Mu\u00f1oz received the painting as the 2012 Outstanding Faculty Award winner at the 2012 Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education conference.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThis bothered me immensely,\u201d says Mu\u00f1oz. She was a U.S. citizen who\u2019d come here with her family at age 6 and spoke fluent Spanish. \u201cYet, perhaps this student felt unsafe to see me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Degrees represent honor, opportunity<\/strong><\/p>\n

When she started her dissertation at Iowa State University, Mu\u00f1oz began looking at the factors that helped undocumented Mexican women persist and succeed in college in the U.S. As she interviewed the students, she became more aware of the privileges of her U.S. citizenship and the sometimes scary lives of the undocumented students.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never thought about issues of transportation \u2026 I never knew they didn\u2019t have drivers\u2019 licenses until much later in the study.\u201d When she traveled with them by car, \u201cI never once thought about how scary a traffic violation and the presence of police officers could be for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the four years since completing that dissertation, she has focused on identity issues that undocumented students face, how colleges and universities deal with these students, and on students who are \u201ccoming out of the shadows\u201d to advocate for changes to immigration policy.<\/p>\n

Many of these young people are highly motivated to complete college, says Mu\u00f1oz, and unafraid to speak out. \u201cFor the women in my (dissertation) study, obtaining a college degree was one way to honor the sacrifices made by parents, but more importantly, they viewed a college education as a pathway to gaining legal status or perhaps developing the confidence and communications skills needed to defend their own human rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pursuing the Dream Act<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recent events have removed one barrier for some undocumented students. The Obama administration announced a new policy in 2012 that allows young people who were brought to the United States as children to apply for a work permit, with a two-year stay on deportation. Experts say that change will motivate many to pursue higher education and allow those already in school to make plans for work in their field after graduation. \u00a0\u201cUndocumented students are cautiously optimistic about the impact of this policy change,\u201d Mu\u00f1oz says.<\/p>\n

Still, numerous challenges remain. She now is looking at how colleges and administrators work with undocumented students. For example, these students now must pay out-of-state tuition at public colleges in all but 12 states, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.<\/p>\n

Universities take a variety of approaches to making decisions about in-state tuition, financial aid and other assistance to undocumented students, says Mu\u00f1oz. Often such decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, with universities reluctant to set specific policies. \u201cThey approach the issue with caution because they don\u2019t want to draw attention to this issue, which might have repercussions with their constituents. That\u2019s the reality of the political context.\u201d<\/p>\n

Complexity, challenges remain<\/strong><\/p>\n

Her research also focuses on the complexities of undocumented students choosing to go public with their status.<\/p>\n

Many are inspired by the need for social activism, pushing for general immigration reform and, in particular, for the Dream Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors). The Dream Act could make it possible for undocumented students to qualify for financial aid, in-state tuition and other support services, and open a pathway to citizenship for those who arrived in the U.S. as children. Many such students have grown up in the U.S. and already feel like citizens, even though some have had to be cautious about admitting their status for fear of deportation, according to Mu\u00f1oz.<\/p>\n

Increasingly these student activists are choosing to go public. \u201cThey are saying \u2018this is who I am.\u2019 It gives them a sense of liberation to proclaim themselves as undocumented and unafraid. Coming out of the shadows is a complex process and these college students are just trying to get an education, like other students.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A student who didn\u2019t show up for an appointment inspired Susana Mu\u00f1oz to research the experiences of undocumented students<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":835,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[175],"tags":[],"section":[],"display_categories":[],"related-coverage":[207],"uwmnews-feed":[],"class_list":["post-4517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-research","related-coverage-teaching"],"yoast_head":"\nRisks, rewards for undocumented college students<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A student who didn\u2019t show up for an appointment inspired Susana Mu\u00f1oz to research the experiences of undocumented students\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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