Saba Nafees, a mathematical biology graduate student, is the Texas Tech University Student Government Association graduate vice president, a member of the national White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and hopes to be a doctor. She said all of her accomplishments were made possible because of one Texas bill.
According to the Texas Tribune, the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors, or DREAM Act, allows undocumented students who graduated from a Texas high school to pay in-state tuition at any Texas public university. Texas was the first state to institute the DREAM Act in 2001. Since then, eight other states have adopted similar laws. In 2011, the Immigration Policy Center estimated 12 percent of Texans could qualify for the DREAM Act. According to the Texas Tribune, there are currently 61 students at Texas Tech benefiting from the DREAM Act.
Nafees said she is unsure of how many Texas Tech students have benefitted from the act, but she knows she is one of them. Nafees is originally from Lahore, Pakistan, and moved to Fort Worth, Texas, with her family when she was about 10 years old. Nafees graduated from a Texas high school and then came to Texas Tech.
Saba Nafees is one of many students who benefit from the DREAM Act. Picture by Jordann Fowler.
“I had no chance of pursuing higher education if it wasn’t for this bill,” Nafees said, “because I would have to pay so much money, and I couldn’t afford any of that. So, I was lucky to come here to Texas Tech and obtain that.”
Nafees explained Texas Senator Donna Campbell(R-New Braunfels) recently proposed Senate Bill 1819. If passed, the bill would require undocumented students to pay out-of-state tuition. The Texas Senate Veteran Affairs and Military Installations Committee passed the bill on to the next step April 8 with a 4-3 vote in favor.
The decision came after 11 hours of testimonials, some from immigrants who benefitted from the DREAM Act. Nafees said she was proud Texas Tech was represented during the hearing.
“When I was watching it, I saw a Red Raider there,” Nafees recalled. “She said, ‘I’m a Red Raider, and I went to Texas Tech because of this bill that you’re trying to repeal.’ So, it was really neat to see that.”
Nafees said Campbell’s logic of repealing the current DREAM Act is because state universities can only take so many students. Although the logic is true, Nafees said, undocumented students have worked just as hard as others to get accepted into college.
“She believes that those spots are taken up unjustly by those undocumented students,” Nafees said. “But, actually, that’s not true. Those spots have been earned by those students because they compete exactly with their peers that they went to high school with, middle school with, elementary school with, because they grew up here.”
Picture by Allison Terry.
In a Texas Tech press release, Miguel Levario, associate professor of history at Texas Tech, said the Republican majority currently controlling Texas government has not done much to improve conditions for immigrant residents. He said the repeal of the DREAM Act only furthers the cause.
“We are witnessing a Republican Party in Texas that is doing a 180-degree turn when it comes to protecting undocumented Texas residents,” Levario said. “The stand against undocumented Texas residents is becoming harsher, especially by newly elected officials, despite the fact that Texas is home to the second largest undocumented community in the country.”
Levario went on to say diverse student bodies benefit universities.
“Excluding undocumented Texas residents from higher education does not improve the overall quality of higher education,” Levario said. “In fact, as many universities have demonstrated, a diverse student population greatly enhances the overall university experience and value, especially in a globalized economy and society.”
Nafees said Texas Tech Chancellor Robert Duncan is currently in Austin fighting for student rights — like the DREAM Act. At a Texas Tribune higher education debate at Texas Tech in January, Duncan said making higher education available to everyone was a top priority for him. He said it is in the university’s interest to have a diverse student body.
From left to right: Evan Smith, Robert Duncan, Juliet Garcia. Texas Tech Chancellor Robert Duncan hopes everyone can pursue higher education.
“Because, higher education generally is an industry in this state that requires investment,” Duncan said, “and so we believe what benefits others, as long as we look at the general formulas and the research areas, benefits us as well.”
Even if the DREAM Act is repealed, Nafees said, there are other ways for undocumented students to afford a college education.
“If they do get scholarships, they will qualify to pay in-state tuition instead of out-of-state,” Nafees said, “because that’s what international students do. If they receive even one single scholarship from their respective institution, then they are able to pay in-state tuition.”
Nafees said she hopes the current debate does not deter undocumented students from pursuing their dreams.
“I just want to express that all of these students who would be affected in the future if this bill were to pass, they should not lose hope,” Nafees said. “They should continue to pursue higher education and continue to try to reach for scholarships and fellowships.”
About Sarah Self-Walbrick
