UCCIR Undocumented Students

To President Robert Zimmer and the Administration:

An urgent problem is hindering bright students from attaining their dreams and contributing to the critical exchange of ideas that is the cornerstone of our University community. Each year about 65,000 students graduate from American high schools without the realistic possibility of attending college. There are over 2 million undocumented minors in the U.S.; 2 million minds that will be prevented from attending college solely on the basis of legal status. Many of these students have grown up in the U.S. The decision to immigrate was not theirs to make and they should not suffer for itnor should we. At the University of Chicago, we deserve to be challenged by the brightest of our peers, while undocumented students deserve the opportunity to define themselves by their accomplishments, not their status. It is the moral duty of this and every university to help to make these students dreams a reality, in any way we can.

According to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, no discrimination should be made on the basis of international status (Article 2) and acceptance to higher level education should be accessible to all on the basis of merit (Article 26). However, even beyond the human rights argument, it is in the Universitys interest to support a pathway for legalization of, and aid for, undocumented students. Making it feasible for more undocumented students to attend would not only augment the diversity of backgrounds, but, more importantly, the diversity of ideasthe essence of a University of Chicago education.

We believe that if the University fails to act now, it will become less competitive as a result. Already, elite universities such as Harvard have implemented status-blind policies. Harvards president has also publicly announced support for undocumented students. As such, our demands are compatible with what peer universities have accomplished and include but are not limited to:

1. Setting up (a) merit-based scholarship(s) for undocumented students to be able to realistically attend. We are aware of the politics behind federal aid and, as such, demand that the University set aside at least two merit scholarships for undocumented students, and only undocumented students. The perspectives brought to critical discourse by undocumented students who have attended high school in the U.S., versus those of the international students with whom they currently compete for merit-based aid, are valuable insofar as they are distinct and they should be treated as such.

2. Publicly stating the Universitys support of a pathway for legalization of undocumented students that have attended high school in the U.S. We demand that the University use its resources in Washington and relations with other universities to lobby Congress for legalization of undocumented students. President Zimmer should also write a letter of support to Congress, in a show of leadership. The University of Chicagos public support is indispensable to the effort of encouraging all universities across the country to do the same.

It is central to our demands that the University maintains and promotes the meritocracy of our higher education system. We the undersigned support a pathway for the legalization of undocumented students who have attended high school in the U.S. and who merit the opportunity to continue their education. We trust that the University will respect the views of its students and faculty by fulfilling these demands.