Undocumented students face challenges in gaining access to a variety of social services. The University of California has an obligation to make sure obtaining a UC education is not one of these challenges.
Due to their lack of legal residency, and by extension lack of social security numbers, undocumented graduate students cannot be employed by the UC as teaching assistants.
Though it’s hard to pin down the number, approximately 900 students across the UC are undocumented, said Dianne Klein, a UC spokeswoman.
While most of these undocumented students are undergraduates, the approximately five percent who are pursuing a graduate education face immense difficulty in funding their education. Furthermore, some departments require teaching assistantships as part of the graduate program, meaning undocumented individuals can’t pursue degrees in those fields.
To even the playing field for undocumented students, the UC should implement a teaching fellowship that would allow undocumented students to fund their graduate education. Such a fellowship, which wouldn’t require a social security number, would give undocumented students a fair chance at completing their graduate education.
Funding is particularly important for these students because as undocumented immigrants, they may not have the resources to fund their education that are available to legal residents.
So even in the departments where they are able to pursue degrees without teaching assistant positions, undocumented students have trouble funding their graduate education.
Through external funding, undocumented graduate students would be able to obtain teaching assistant experience for degrees in those departments where such experience is required.
Sayil Camacho, who was formerly undocumented and is currently the head steward at UCLA for the UC Student-Workers Union, United Auto Workers Local 2865, said that many departments assume that all graduate students can work as teaching assistants, so a portion of graduate financial packages often rely on payment for work as a teaching assistant.
In addition to being a requirement to receive a graduate degree from many departments, time as a teaching assistant also serves as valuable life experience for graduate students, especially if they desire to go into academia post graduation.
Although there are legal means for undocumented students seeking these degrees to remain in the United States, they can be barred from pursuing graduate education by a lack of adequate funding. Through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program authorized by President Barack Obama in 2012, immigrants who arrived in the United States before the age of 16 and who were under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012, can apply for a work permit.
This program applies to all undocumented students who are currently enrolled in school, including graduate students. Although Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals provides undocumented students with the opportunity to receive an education, it does not provide them with the funding to do so.
For that reason, the funds must be found elsewhere. Undocumented students have access to state funding through scholarships provided by the UC such as the Blue + Gold Opportunity Plan. Some of these state funds could be set aside to finance teaching fellowships.
UCLA has several programs and student groups geared toward supporting undocumented students, such as the Bruin Resource Center’s Undocumented Student Program and Improving Dreams, Equality, Access and Success, a student group that advocates for undocumented individuals.
Both of these programs provide a safe space and support network for undocumented students as they face both academic and financial issues during their time at UCLA.
Although these programs are also open to graduate students, they do not serve as a substitute for financial compensation for teaching assistants.
The UC Student-Workers Union Local 2865, which represents UC students who work as teaching assistants, tutors and other forms of academic student employees, is currently negotiating with UCLA to create a teaching fellowship, said Jason Ball, a graduate student and the union’s campus chair for UCLA.
The UC as an institution has consistently committed itself to access. In order to adhere to that commitment, the University must find a way to accommodate undocumented graduate students.
By doing so, the UC will reaffirm the priority it puts on providing accessible higher education and celebrating its diverse community.
E-mail Freedman at zfreedman@media.ucla.edu or tweet her @ZoeyFreedman. Send general comments to opinion@media.ucla.edu or tweet us @DBOpinion.
This is outrageous. Undocumented students should be deported immediately, not given financial support from my tax dollars after breaking the law (their parents broke the law? fine, deport the entire family as a deterrent for breaking the law). Stop this left wing nonsense – no other country in the world but us avoids deporting its illegal immigrants.