Veto threat ends drive on tuition

05/20/2005

Norman Draper, Star Tribune
May 20, 2005


Should a student who’s not a legal U.S. citizen, but who has lived in Minnesota for years, be considered a Minnesotan when it comes to paying college tuition?

The question of whether undocumented students should pay in-state or out-of-state tuition to Minnesota public colleges erupted at the State Capitol late Wednesday as a Senate and House conference committee wrapped up deliberations on a bill that would give $213 million in additional funding for the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU).

Measures designed to allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition if they met certain conditions were thwarted by what two legislators said was a veto threat from Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

“The governor’s office got ahold of us and said it was a deal breaker,” said Rep. Ray Cox, R-Northfield, and the House author of the tuition measure. Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, author of a similar measure in the Senate, said she heard the same thing. Because of that and concerns that the bill might not pass on a House floor vote, Pappas reluctantly withdrew her amendment to the higher-education funding bill.

Pawlenty’s office could not be reached for comment.

Those on both sides of the issue say it’s all about fairness.

“The truth is they were brought here as children,” Pappas said. “I think it’s unfair to say we’re rewarding illegal behavior. It’s their parents who were here illegally. ...These are Minnesota kids.”

But Sen. David Gaither, R-Plymouth, an opponent of the measure, said the fairness issue cuts the other way.

“I find it upsetting and concerning giving them an advantage over other U.S. citizens who are not paying in-state tuition,” Gaither said. “If they choose and want to become U.S. citizens, that’s fine. If they want to be here as undocumented aliens and get an advantage over other U.S. citizens who don’t receive it, that to me is over the line.”

Cox and Pappas worry that the big gap between in-state and out-of-state tuition can determine whether some of these teens go to college.

“It just raises the bar so high,” Cox said. For instance, in-state tuition for MnSCU students is $3,000 a year for a two-year college, and $4,500 to $5,000 a year for a four-year institution. Out-of-state tuition is double that. At the University of Minnesota, it’s $8,230 for in-state tuition and fees, and $19,860 for out-of-state.

Proponents for the in-state tuition side say about 500 Minnesota students a year would be affected. They say other states have enacted similar measures.

As far as Minnesota’s public colleges and universities are concerned, there aren’t any hard and fast rules concerning tuition for undocumented aliens, said John Ostrem, MnSCU director of government relations. Cox and others vowed to bring the issue up again next year.