By Dr. Eduardo Marti
I could have been an undocumented immigrant.
In 1960, I escaped Cuba in fear of political repercussion. At the time of this, the most momentous decision of my life, I was an impetuous 19 year-old, ready to fight in the counter-revolution. My parents wisely asked me to leave the country for a month, to cool off. Since I had the good fortune of already having a valid US tourist visa and the Cuban Government exit permit, my exile began uneventfully. I simply got an airplane ticket and left, never to return. When I arrived in Miami, an immigration officer asked me some pointed questions about my intentions. He quickly ascertained that if I went back to Cuba, my life could be in danger. He offered me political asylum. If it was not because of this specific US policy toward Cubans, I would have become an undocumented immigrant because it did not take me long to realize that it would be folly for me to join one of the many groups talking about fighting Castro. My visa would have expired and I would have stayed as an undocumented immigrant. I could not return. I can only imagine what today's undocumented immigrants go through. Leaving your country, your friends, and your family behind, getting to know a new country with different language, customs and laws is never easy. On top of this, undocumented immigrants are forced to live in the shadows, constantly afraid of being reported to the authorities or totally under the influence of an employer. Worse, imagine being the child of undocumented immigrants and having no option but to come one's parents.
When immigration reform is finally enacted, millions of children of undocumented immigrants, most likely, will be able to access higher education and some form of financial aid. The smart ones will go to selective independent colleges with scholarships, others will attend state colleges but the majority will go to a community college.
After WWII, when millions of veterans returned with GI Bills in hand and overwhelmed the universities, the Truman Commission of 1947 called on community colleges to receive the returning veterans. After the Higher Education Act of 1965 was passed and members of ethnic minorities and the poor were able to use Federal Financial Aid to go to college, and the universities were, once again overwhelmed, the number of community colleges mushroomed and welcomed this new population of students. At approximately the same period of time, when the Vietnam War was raging and many avoided the draft by claiming educational deferments, the community colleges accepted them. Now, we will have another wave of students, many of them with different needs from that of the general population. Community colleges will be there once again.
College officials must prepare their institutions to receive this new population of students. They must recognize the similarities and celebrate the differences these students bring to higher education. In some ways, these students are no different than our current students: They will have attended a US high school for at least 2 years and graduated or obtained a GED or equivalent. But, in other ways they are different. Most likely, they will be traumatized and sensitive to discrimination; as first generation college students, they will have a limited understanding of American higher education; they generally will come from the bottom rung of the socio-economic ladder and will need financial assistance; and, they will have cultural and language barriers.
It is in the public interest to graduate as many previously undocumented immigrants as it is possible. Community colleges should closely examine the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) developed by CUNY as a good way to serve this new population of at-risk students. Effective academic and student support services have proven to have an impact on retention and graduation rates. Not all colleges will be able to replicate the CUNY initiative but by emulating this program they will improve student success.
At the heart of the ASAP is an enhancement of academic and student support services. Although not all previously undocumented students may be able to attend full-time, some of the elements of the ASAP program may be adopted by many community colleges.
Extended orientation programs have a significant impact on retention. In addition to the traditional orientation program, some modules that recognize the specific needs of previously undocumented students should be incorporated.
Learning communities can be very effective for this population of students. In learning communities students can find comfort in numbers; they can find security in having mentors who were themselves "without papers." Extracurricular activities associated with learning communities can also be helpful. This is a good vehicle for group identification. Activities that celebrate their cultures are empowering for self-esteem. Previously undocumented students may have a lot of drive but chances are that they may lack confidence as college students. In most cases these students are first generation college students and, most likely, their high school education was not stellar. Furthermore, in some cultures, there may be family pressures not to continue with school; parents who come from countries where a high school diploma is an achievement and who are generally skeptical of higher education see greater value in having their children go to work than to "waste" their time in school.
Tutoring is another way to ensure student persistence. At- risk students are prone to shy away from asking for help. Undocumented students may see asking for help as a form of weakness. Peer tutoring, especially if performed by another previously undocumented student, can be a very powerful retention tool. Not only do the students get academic help but also, while being tutored, they can get informal counseling on how to survive the college experience. High impact academic activities such as original research or group projects can assist students in making the work meaningful, work that, at times, may seem burdensome or irrelevant.
Extended orientation programs, learning communities, extracurricular programs, tutoring, high impact academic activities and attention to their self-esteem issues many go a long way to transforming previously undocumented students from at-risk to successful students.
For those who graduate, loss of credit upon transferring to a baccalaureate institution can be yet another insurmountable barrier for this population of students. Colleges nationwide must emulate CUNY, SUNY and other systems that have clearly stated policies for a smooth transition from community college to the baccalaureate-granting colleges. For the independent colleges that depend on articulation agreements for transfer, regional clearinghouses could be established that will enable easy access to transfer agreements and, then, students can tailor their course of study to maximize the transfer of credits.
These measures are not inexpensive. Enhanced academic and student services require more resources per students. But, the ASAP program has shown that the public recuperates its investment through increased graduation rates that lead to better jobs that, in turn, lead to better wages and increased tax revenues. In addition, the benefits to society extend beyond the fiscal considerations. Educated populations generally attract more businesses; communities tend to be safer and healthier. This contributes to a better quality of life for all the members of the community. It simply makes sense to educate the largest possible number of people. Let us prepare community colleges to embrace previously undocumented immigrants by putting put in place programs that increase graduation rates. #
Eduardo Marti, former Vice Chancellor for Community Colleges at CUNY, President Emeritus, Queensborough Community College, serves as Trustee at Teachers College and the Council for Aid to Education. Most recently, he served on NY Governor Cuomo's Commission on Reform of Education.
