California State University, Dominguez Hills Being An Ally: Supporting the Needs of Undocumented Students Thursday, October 22, 2015

Agenda Policies impacting undocumented students’ access to higher education Best practices for supporting undocumented students on your campus CSUDH campus resources Financial Aid processes Student voices

“…just to know that people actually care and want to see you make a difference and be successful… that means a lot.” -CSUDH Undocumented Student

Who are Undocumented Students? Born outside the U.S Many have lived in U.S. for significant portion of their lives Some enter U.S. with tourist visa and chose to stay after visa expired Some reside without any form of documentation They pass through our classrooms and offices every day without us knowing it

What challenges do undocumented students face due to their status? Not eligible for federal financial aid programs and federally funded programs No drivers license (for some) No SSN, therefore limited in qualifying for anything that requires this form of identification (ID) Limited work authorization, paid internships & fellowships Limited travel when official ID is required May not be eligible to work in chosen profession after graduation

Policies/Legislation AB 540 Allows eligible CA high school graduates to pay in state tuition regardless of immigration status. AB 130 &131 Allows eligible AB 540 students access to some types of CA financial aid and scholarships. DACA Allows some undocumented youth who are “in school” or who have a high school equivalency to receive a temporary deferral from deportation and be eligible to work and travel. Other opportunities for driving privileges, professional licensure, and credentialing vary by state.

Best Practices: AB540 AB540 – Ally Best Practices Be knowledgeable about AB540 eligibility requirements Be knowledge about AB540 benefits and negatives Be knowledgeable about completion of Non- Resident Tuition Exemption Form (a.k.a., AB540 Affidavit) Be able to assist students with completion of AB540 Affidavit and proof of residency paperwork, as needed.

Best Practices: CA Dream Act CA Dream Act – Ally Best Practices Be knowledgeable about CA Dream Act benefits and negatives (AB130 & AB131) Be knowledgeable about CA Dream Act application process Be able to refer students to on-campus (financial aid office) or off-campus (community organizations) partners that can assist students with CA Dream Act application.

Best Practices: DACA DACA – Ally Best Practices Be knowledgeable about DACA benefits and negatives Be knowledgeable about DACA application process Refer students to community agencies that assist students with DACA applications. Write letters of support for students to include in DACA application. Consider contributing to DACA scholarship programs.

Best Practices Identify other allies on your campus and build a coalition that includes undocumented students Identify resources such as scholarships, support groups Inform the campus community by providing trainings Keep abreast of policy updates/changes Advocate for campus policies that support undocumented students Advocate for the inclusion of AB540 and CA Dream Act information in all campus resources (outreach, admissions, financial aid, student support programs, departments, etc.) Support your campus’ undocumented student group or help create one

Best Practices: CSU Dominguez Hills Undocumented Student Group- Espiritu de Nuestro Futuro Undocumented Student Allies Coalition (USAC) Undocumented Student Allies Training Displaying the DREAMer Ally Decal The decal should be displayed in an area belonging solely to the individual who has received it. This will alleviate confusion for a student entering the office at large and allow them to confidently reveal their status to an ally. Ally Contract Dream Center Task Force Dreamer Focus Groups Dreamer Testimonials Film Dream Center Proposal

Financial aid Process

The CA Dream Act Application Students without lawful immigration status, who qualify for an AB540 nonresident tuition exemption: CA Dream Application is completed instead of FAFSA (dream.csac.ca.gov) Used to determine eligibility for state and institutional need based scholarships and grants Non-SSN Cal Grant GPA verification form is still required, in addition to the Dream Application, for Cal Grant consideration The Admission application fee waiver is also available to students without lawful immigration status, who will qualify for an AB540 nonresident tuition exemption & meet the income guidelines csudh

The CA Dream Act Application Gift Aid Scholarships Students should check with the institution’s website if they need to complete a separate application Grants Self-help Aid Private Loans Employment opportunities csudh

What Happens After the Application is Complete? After successfully completing the Dream application the student will be able to see the Confirmation and CalSAR Comments. Students should: Check for errors and make sure that the college or university the student plans on attending is listed in the School Section. Students can be selected for verification and may need to submit additional documentation. Submit to the school any requested documents needed to verify eligibility. Once eligibility is determined the student will be notified regarding their award. Students must review their award and respond by accepting or declining the awards. csudh

Types of Gift Aid (Scholarships) Applying for Scholarships may require different applications and there may be different deadlines and requirements. Read all scholarship applications carefully. Scholarship information is available on our website at www.csudh.edu/scholarships. Be sure to use the “Search for More Scholarships” tab for tips and outside scholarship information. csudh

Types of Gift Aid (Grants) Cal Grants (A & B) Chafee Grant (www.chafee.csac.ca.gov) Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) CSU - State University Grant (SUG) CSU - Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) csudh

csudh Types of Self-help Aid Dream Loan Program New Student loan program for California Dream Act students. Private Loans Apply with co-signer Jewish Free Loan Association – Interest Free! www.jfla.org Employment Opportunities Student assistant employment on campus for students with authorization to work (DACA) csudh

csudh Things To Remember Complete a new CA Dream Act Application every academic year between January 1 and March 2 Submit all required documents as soon as possible or by specified deadlines Follow up with college or university regarding financial aid award Ask questions csudh

Resources Policy/Legislation Advocacy Immigrant Legal Resource Center www.ilrc.org National Immigration Law Center www.nilc.org Educators for Fair Consideration www.ef4c.org United We Dream www.unitedwedream.org

Q & A Pull out evaluation and complete it. If you wish to become an Ally, complete it and leave both at the registration Desk. Your contract will be returned to you.

Thank You Mayra Soriano masoriano@csudh.edu Student Speakers: Paloma Granados & Maria Villar Marcela Vega mvega@csudh.edu ADD: Allies Network Info, Espiritu info, Dreamers Journal, other DH efforts.