Immigrants, politicians and public interest groups represent the key faces protesting the new immigration law that Arizona’s governor signed last month. And now college students—and professors—are entering the fray.
In its current version, the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act (also referred to as Arizona SB 1070) will permit police to ask for documentation proving U.S. citizenship or legal resident status following a police stop, detention or arrest and where “reasonable suspicion” exists that the individual may be present illegally. As of now, the law is set to go into effect on July 29.
Already, 15 to 20 candidates for faculty positions at Arizona State University have withdrawn their applications citing the law, says a university spokesperson. At the University of Arizona (UA), up to a dozen incoming and current undergraduate students – most on the honor roll – have informed the university that they will not attend next year.
This is a miniscule number compared with the nearly 30,000 undergraduate students enrolled at UA, but some say it could be just the beginning. “We’ve seen the early signs of what could be a significant erosion of both of our faculty base and the qualitative loss of elite students, and if those numbers grow it could become a real detriment to our brand value and to our enterprise,” says Fred DuVal, vice president of Arizona’s Board of Regents, the governing body of Arizona’s public universities.
What’s more, if boycotts against Arizona persist — Los Angeles is boycotting contracts to companies based in Arizona — that could lead to lower state revenues and result in an even greater uptick in tuition down the road, says Daniel Hurley, director of state relations and policy analysis at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. A spokesperson for Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer’s office says that an economic blockade is “likely unconstitutional…so jumping several steps to potential revenue impacts to higher education institutions as a result of SB1070 is a major stretch.”
Here are four ways the Arizona immigration law will impact colleges and students.
Students canceling enrollment
So far, a small number of students have informed Arizona’s public universities that they won’t be attending. But their decisions were likely based on other factors as well, with the law serving as a scapegoat, says Paul Kohn, dean of admissions at UA. He says it’s normal for the university to get hundreds of cancellations from students each year.
However, should this law get enacted, Kohn expects the number of students leaving the Arizona university system to rise. That would especially be the case for out-of-state students who wouldn’t have to deal with this scrutiny elsewhere. And it could even include in-state students opting to leave, says Kohn.
A spokesperson for Brewer’s office says that SB1070 shouldn’t have such a major impact on college enrollment. “The vast majority of Americans, and an even stronger majority of Arizonans who are victims of the federal government’s border security failures, strongly support both the legislation and the principles contained within it,” says the spokesperson.
Similar Posts:
- Should kids pay own college costs?
- Bank Failure Friday: Four Banks in Four States Bite the Dust
- Best Auto Insurance Company
- Sorry, Junior: Parents Pull Back on College Spending
- Today you can get an online degree from anywhere
