A proposed bill would allow undocumented Oregon students fulfilling certain requirements to attend and pay resident tuition at Oregon universities.

Senate Bill 742 is sponsored by several Oregon senators and representatives and outlines a system to allow students who are not citizens of the United States, and students whose guardians are not citizens of the United States, to pay resident tuition at Oregon institutes of higher education.

To qualify, students must have received a diploma from an Oregon high school no more than three years before applying to college, and attended an Oregon school at least three years immediately preceding the receipt of diploma.

The bill proposes that such students be exempt from nonresident tuition for a maximum of five years, and that the policy go into effect beginning in fall term 2012.

Similar initiatives have been proposed for the last several years, said Jock Mills, OSU director of Government Relations. Mills said the bill would allow students to receive an education that could change their lives.

“Universities don’t just exist to give people the tools to get better jobs … the university I attended did a lot more than prepare me for the working world, it prepared me for a life that goes far beyond that, in terms of understanding different cultures; appreciating the arts and just being aware of what’s going on in the world, that makes me a better citizen regardless of what my job is,” Mills said.

OSU President Ed Ray said he has supported charging undocumented students resident tuition since he came to OSU in 2003, and that undocumented students who are unable to attend college because they must pay non-resident tuition represent a lost opportunity.

“The university exists to benefit the people of Oregon through educational opportunities and economic and social contributions,” Ray said. “Providing these young people with the tools they need to be productive tax-paying and community-leading citizens in the future seems appropriate to me. … We should not risk losing another generation of young and talented high school graduates who, through no fault of their own, are now being priced out of realizing their full potential.”

According to Kate Peterson, assistant provost for Enrollment Management, while undocumented students are not strictly allowed to attend OSU, every student’s application is not necessarily verified. Peterson said undocumented students who provided false information to attend OSU would not be able to access financial aid.

“It’s not something that we go checking on; you don’t have to show a copy of your birth certificate to be admitted, but the problem is even if a student got in through an erroneous application, what are they going to do when they graduate without a social security card?” Peterson said. “They’re not allowed to use the education they just got legally.”

Peterson said the impact of SB 742 could be enhanced by the passing of the DREAM act, which would allow undocumented residents to work legally in the United States after receiving a degree.

Without the DREAM act, Peterson said, SB 742 could allow students to obtain an education and pay resident tuition, but following college students would not be able to take advantage of the credentials they earned.

According to Mills, the bill has failed to pass in past sessions, as has the DREAM act.

Controversy surrounds the idea of allowing undocumented residents exemption from nonresident tuition, but Mills said offering resident tuition to undocumented students is not likely to increase the number of immigrants in Oregon, and that those who are already living and working in Oregon are a part of the state’s economy.

“It’s not like these people aren’t tax-paying citizens; they do pay taxes on the wages that they earn and the houses that they live in, they pay property taxes whether it’s through their rent or their mortgage, so it’s not like these people are nonentities to the state; they are contributing to the state right now and as a result they should be allowed to take advantage of the state investments that are intended to help people like them,” Mills said.

According to the Oregon State Legislature’s bill tracking site, http://www.leg.state.or.us/11reg/pubs/senmh.html, SB 742 was submitted Feb. 17 and was referred to the Senate Committee on Education and Workforce Development Feb. 22. Mills said the Senate will have until mid-April to move the bill before it is effectively dead.