Colleges prepare for DREAM Act

Tacvbo · 06-18-2011, 08:47 AM

The DREAM Act may soon be put on hold by a statewide petition effort, but community colleges are making plans for the law to go into effect as planned on July 1.
Find Us On Facebook
AP VIDEO more>>

At Anne Arundel Community College, officials don't expect too many illegal immigrant students will try to take advantage of the lower tuition rates established by the DREAM Act.

"I don't think it's going to be that terribly difficult to administer," said John Grabowski, assistant dean for enrollment services at AACC. "I'm guessing there will not be hundreds of individuals. There will be a few."

The DREAM Act was one of the most controversial bills approved by state lawmakers during their 90-day General Assembly session earlier this year.

It passed by a narrow margin and was signed into law by Gov. Martin O'Malley.

Almost immediately, opponents started a petition drive to put the DREAM Act to a statewide vote during the 2012 election. If they are successful in forcing the referendum, the law will be put on hold until its fate is decided during the election.

But colleges have to prepare anyway to implement the law on July 1.

"We're preparing guidelines and procedures that align with the law - the law goes into effect July 1 - so we'll be able to provide this to individuals who are interested," Grabowski said.

The DREAM Act allows students who do not have documented legal residency to pay in-state tuition rates if they meet a series of requirements.

For example, they must be graduates of a Maryland high school, they or their parent must have paid state taxes for at least three years, they must continue to pay taxes while enrolled, male students must register for the Selective Service.

At first, DREAM Act students only would be eligible for paying in-state tuition at community colleges. After two years at a community college, they would be eligible for in-state rates at a four-year state college or university if they are admitted.

All community colleges in Maryland have been busy nailing down the details of how to determine who is eligible for the DREAM Act.

Grabowski said AACC has set up paperwork and a review system in the registration office for potential DREAM Act students. The staff has tried to make the forms as clear and student-friendly as possible.

He said setting up the DREAM Act paperwork hasn't been too difficult, noting that community colleges often must adjust to changes, such as Veterans Affairs programs or financial aid rules.

"There are hundreds of changes a year, some bigger, some smaller. We just respond," Grabowski said.

It's the same case with the DREAM Act, he said: "The legislature laid it out, the governor signed it into law and we're prepared to implement it as the law states. There's not a lot of discretion at this level."

The college has gotten help from the Maryland Association of Community Colleges.

Jody Kallis, the association's legislative liaison, has been coordinating with all Maryland community colleges.

"We were trying to make this as uniform as possible across the 16 community colleges in following the letter of the law, to make sure the documentation is the same from one institution to the next," Kallis said.

The colleges do face a bit of a dilemma, however, Kallis said.

The DREAM Act goes into effect July 1. Meanwhile, petitioners will turn in their final signatures on June 30 - although they won't be reviewed and counted by elections officials until later in July.

That leaves colleges with a possibility that the DREAM Act will be the law of the land and then be put on hold just a few weeks later.

The colleges have been working with the Office of the Attorney General and the Maryland Higher Education Commission to figure out the best legal path to take in that situation, Kallis said.

"We're trying to figure out what to do there," Kallis said.

As of yesterday afternoon, elections officials had verified more than 47,000 signatures from Maryland voters submitted by petition organizers. The petitioners will need a total of 55,736 signatures to get the measure on the 2012 ballot.

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/new...DREAM-Act.html