An emotional national issue spilled into Texas A&M this week as student senators debated whether to oppose giving in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants.
College students in Texas who are here illegally can qualify for in-state tuition, which is significantly lower than that paid by out-of-state residents.
This year, Texas A&M has 317 of the roughly 12,000 students statewide who benefited under Texas H.B. 1403, passed in 2001, and S.B. 1528, which passed in 2005, according to university and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board officials.
Less than 1 percent of the Lone Star State's 1.2 million higher-education students are covered under the legislation.
"This isn't a financial issue. This is about what's right and what's fair," said Justin Pulliam, one of 10 co-sponsors of the bill, at Tuesday's student senate meeting. "It isn't fair to out-of-state citizens who are here legally."
Others disagreed, and some didn't think the issue was appropriate.
"This is an immigration issue," said student senator Taylor Barron. "It does not belong in the student senate."
After nearly two hours of debate during the first official meeting of the body's 63rd session, the senate voted 34 to 19 to send the bill back to the body's external affairs committee. Senators decided to put off the issue until the fall and spend the summer gathering more student input.
The 2001 law didn't specifically mention illegal immigrants, but it defined eligibility for in-state tuition with conditions that some undocumented citizens could satisfy, such as living in Texas the three years leading up to high school graduation and signing an affidavit indicating intent to apply for permanent resident status.
Proponents of the current law argue that it does not favor non-citizens over citizens, given that it would only take citizens a year to establish residency without having to graduate from a Texas high school.
It's rare for more than a few people to attend student senate meetings, but about 100 people packed the meeting room Tuesday, many holding signs such as "Equal Rights for All," "We're all Aggies," and "What happened to Vision 2020?"
"I've never seen this many students here in three years," said student senator Mark Womack.
Bianca Manago, Class of 2011, was one of more than a dozen audience members to voiced an opinion during the allotted minute.
"They've been here for three or more years going to school. I think they're more like legal Texas citizens than I am," the Kansas native said. "I don't mind having to pay out-of-state tuition if this allows more equality for everyone."
Audience member Clayton Graham, a political science major, also said he was for equality.
"You're saying it's equal for all. How's it equal if someone that's an illegal resident is getting in-state tuition when an out-of-state resident has to pay [more]," he said. "It's not equal. We're simply trying to make it equal for all Aggies."
The dialogue comes as a national immigration debate intensifies.
The Texas A&M student senate's vote would be largely symbolic and have no impact on the law, but it represents the official stance of the student body. Student Government Association interacts with state lawmakers and has a lobbying team, a legislative relations team and an external affairs committee.
In-state tuition at Texas A&M costs roughly $5,200, while out-of-state tuition runs $19,600.
"I think the student senate is finally working on issues that matter to students," said Pulliam, who is also the chairman of the Texas A&M Young Conservatives.
It was an issue that history associate professor Armando Alonzo wishes the body didn't take up. He said many undocumented students had no choice in their parents' decision to come to Texas and contribute to society, and that giving them affordable education is the right thing to do.
A nationwide culture of intense rhetoric needs to be toned down, he said.
"It's just so intense that it makes people very emotional," Alonzo said. "They're not able to see the broader picture."
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