We Just Leave It as "Other”: Undocumented Student Policy and Practice in Hispanic-Serving Institutions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/1cjyhn28Keywords:
undocumented, HSIs, EHSIs, policy, practiceAbstract
This pilot study uses a mixed-method convergent design to explore what formal policy and informal practices exist at Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) and emerging Hispanic-serving institutions (eHSIs) in states with restrictive, ambiguous, or no undocumented student legislation. These policies and practices can be used to increase equity access in a biased political environment. Data was collected in two phases. Student-facing staff and administration at HSIs and eHSIs in states with restrictive/ambiguous or no policies completed a mixed-methods survey. Individuals could then choose to participate in a semi-structured interview. Initial results reveal that formal policies are limited to clarifying federal or state legislation. In contrast, informal practices provide ways to provide information and support, professional development, or ways to manage student disclosure of status. Of special interest are “don’t ask, don’t tell” practices that exist when a student’s status is disclosed and the number of respondents who believe no undocumented students are enrolled at their institution. Recommendations include policy and professional development considerations.
References
Ballerini, V., & Feldblum, M. (2021). Immigration status and postsecondary opportunity: Barriers to affordability, access, and success for undocumented students, and policy solutions. American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 80(1), 161-186. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajes.12380
Ballysingh, T. A., Zerquera, D. D., Turner, C. S., & Sáenz, V. B. (2017). Answering the call: Hispanic-serving institutions as leaders in the quest for access, excellence, and equity in American higher education. Association of Mexican American Educators, 11(3), 6-28. https://doi.org/10.24974/amae.11.3.359
Bell, D. A. A. (n.d.). Who’s afraid of critical race theory? University of Illinois Law Review, 1995(4), 893-910. https://doi.org/info:doi/
Castrellón, L. E. (2021). "As soon as they hear 'undocumented,' they stop advising": Theorizing a (sub)conscious evasion of responsibility from institutional agents to undocumented students. Educational Studies, 57(3), 269-286. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2021.1892680
Creswell, J. W. & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
Darolia, R., & Potochnick, S. (2015). Educational ‘when’, ‘where’, and ‘how’: Implications of in-state resident tuition policies for Latino undocumented immigrants. Review of Higher Education, 38(4), 507–535.
Delgado, V. (2022). Can universities counteract immigrant illegality? Examining the impact of university-based institutional support on undocumented college students. Socius, 8. https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231221089390
Enyioha, J.C. (2019). College access for undocumented students and law. Educational Considerations, 45(1). https://doi.org/10.4148/0146-9282.2168
Excelencia in Education. (2022) Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs): 2020-2021. https://www.edexcelencia.org/research/publications/hsis-2020-21
Feldblum, M., Hubbard, S., Lim, A., Penichet-Paul, C., & Siegel, H. (2020, April). Undocumented students in higher education. How many students are in U.S. colleges and universities, and who are they? New American Economy & Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. https://www.presidentsimmigrationalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Undocumented-Students-in-Higher-Education-April-2020.pdf
Flores, S. M. (2010). The first state dream act: In-state resident tuition and immigration in Texas. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 32(4), 435-455. http://doi.org/10.3102/0002831216669779
Garcia, G. A. (2017). Defined by outcomes or culture? Constructing an organizational identity for Hispanic-serving institutions. American Educational Research Journal, 54(18), 111s-134s. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831216669779
Garcia, G. A., Núñez, A., & Sansone, V. A. (2019). Toward a multidimensional conceptual framework for understanding “servingness” in Hispanic-serving institutions: A synthesis of the research. Review of Educational Research, 89(5), 745-784. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654319864591
Garcia, N. M., Salinas, C., Jr., & Cisneros, J. (Ed.). (2021). Studying Latinx/a/o students in higher education: A critical analysis of concepts, theory, and methodologies. Routledge.
Gildersleeves, R.E. & Ranero, J.J. (2010). Precollege Contexts of undocumented students: Implications for student affairs professionals. New Directions for Student Services, 131, 19-33. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.365
Gildersleeve, R. E. & Vigil, D. (2015). Institutionalizing support for undocumented Latino/a students in American higher education. New Directions in Higher Education, 172, 39-48. https://doi.org/10.1002/h.20151
Golash-Boza, T. & Valdez, Z. (2018). Nested contexts of reception: Undocumented students at the University of California, Central. Sociological Perspectives, 61(4)Sociological Perspectives, 61(4), 535-552. https://doi.org/10.1177/0731121417743728
Gonzalez, L. M. (2015). Barriers to college access for Latino/a adolescents: A comparison of theoretical frameworks. Journal of Latinos and Education, 14(4), 320-335. DOI: 10.1080/15348431.2015.1091315
Grosz, M., & Hines, A. (2022). In-state tuition policies and the college decisions of undocumented students: Evidence from Colorado. Education Finance and Policy, 17(2), 232-254. https://doi.org/10.1162/edfp_a_00331https://doi.org/10.1162/edfp_a_00331
Harrington, B. (2020). https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46510
Harvey, L. J. & Palmer-Asemota, J. L. (2022). Navigating intersectional failures: The role of college interventionists in undocumented student support. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2022.2123711
Higher Ed Immigration Portal. (2023). Tuition and Financial Aid Equity for Undocumented Students. https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/states/
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. (2022). 2022 Hispanic Higher Education and HSI’s Facts. https://www.hacu.net/hacu/HSI_Fact_Sheet.asp
Holzman, B. (2016). Cultivating the next generation: Three studies of college access among the children of immigrants. (Doctoral dissertation, Stanford University).
Johnson, R. B. & Christensen, L. (2020). Educational reasearch: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches (7th ed.). Sage Publications, Inc.
Kamarck, E. & Stenglein, C. (2019, November 12). How Many Undocumented Immigrants are in the United States and Who are They? Brookings Institute. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-many-undocumented-immigrants-are-in-the-united-states-and-who-are-they/
Laden, B. V. (2004). Hispanic-serving institutions: What are they? Where are they? Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 28, 181-198. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668920490256381
Lynn, M., & Dixson, A. D. (Eds.). (2022). Handbook of critical race theory in education (Second edition.). Routledge.
Marin, P. (2019). Is "Business as usual" Enough to be Hispanic-serving? Becoming a Hispanic-serving research institution. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 18(2), 165-181. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192719832250
Martinez Hoy, Z. R. (2014). The lived experience of higher education service providers working with undocumented students: A phenomenological inquiry [Doctoral dissertation, Indiana University]. Proquest.
Martinez Hoy, Z. R. & Nguyen, D. H. K. (2019). Higher education professionals navigating anti-immigration policy for undocumented students. Educational Policy, 35(7). https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904819857823
Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
Migration Policy Institute. (n.d.). Profile of the Unauthorized Population: United States. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/data/unauthorized-immigrant-population/state/US
Moreman, S. T. (2019). Wicked problems forum: Hispanic serving institutions' promise and challenge for higher education. Communication Education, 68(4), 509-533. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2019.1646429
National Conference of State Legislatures. (2021a, March 1). Tuition Benefits for Immigrants. https://www.ncsl.org/immigration/tuition-benefits-for-immigrants
National Conference of State Legislatures. (2021b). Undocumented Student Tuition: Overview. https://www.ncsl.org/research/education/undocumented-student-tuition-overview.aspx
National Immigration Law Center. (2022). Basic Facts About In-State Tuition for Undocumented Immigrant Students. https://www.nilc.org/issues/education/basic-facts-instate/
Ngo, F., & Astudillo, S. (2018). California DREAM: The impact of financial aid for undocumented community college students. Educational Researcher, 48(1). https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X18800047
Ngo, F. & Hinojosa, J. K. (2021). Supporting undocumented community college students. New Directions for Community Colleges, 57-68. https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.20483
Nienhusser, H. K. (2014). Role of community colleges in the implementation of postsecondary education enrollment policies for undocumented students. Community College Review, 42(1), 3-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091552113509837
Nienhusser, H. K. & Connery, C. (2021). Examining the undocumented college student policy implementation environment through a contextual interaction theory lens. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 43(4), 615-646. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737211009240
Núñez, A. & Holthaus, G. (2017). In-state tuition for undocumented students: A policy analysis. Journal of the Student Personnel Association at Indiana University, 47-63.
Perez Huber, L., Benavides Lopez, C., Malagon, M. C., Velez, V., & Solorzano, D. G. (2008). Getting beyond the 'symptom,' acknowledging the disease: Theorizing racist nativism. Contemporary Justice Review, 11(1), 39-51. https://doi.org/10.1080/10282580701850397
Person, D., Gutierrez Keeton, R., Medina, N., Gonzalez, J., & Minero, L. P. (2017). Effectively serving AB 540 and undocumented students at a Hispanic serving institution. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 16(3), 256-272. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192716628956
Petrov, L. A., & Garcia, G. A. (2021). Becoming a racially just Hispanic-serving institution (HSI): Leveraging HSI grants for organizational identity change. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 14(4), 463-467. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000356
Pew Research Center. (2009, April 14). A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States. https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/2009/04/14/a-portrait-of-unauthorized-immigrants-in- the-united-states/
Reed, H. E., Aptekar, S., & Hsin, A. (2022). Managing illegality on campus: Undocumented mismatch between students and staff. Harvard Educational Review, 92(1), 32-54. https://doi.org/10.17763/1943-5045-92.1.32
Reyna, J. C. (2021). Promising practices, policies, and systems of support that enhance the experience and outcomes of undocumented Latina/o/x student in community college [Doctoral dissertation, San Diego State University]. Proquest Dissertations Publishing.
Rudick, C. K. & Dannels, D. P. (2019). “Yes, and...”: Continuing the scholarly conversation about Hispanic serving institutions. Communication Education, 68(4), 528-533.
Salazar, C., Alderete Puig, P., Morales Rojas, P., & Zúñiga, A. J. (2022). Undocufriendly ≠ undocuserving: Undocumented college students' perceptions of institutional support. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education.
Saldana, J. (2016). The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers (3rd ed.). London: Sage Publications.
Salinas, C., Jr., Malave, R., Torrens, O.D. & Swingle, E. C. (2019). "It is who we are. We are undocumented": The narrative of two undocumented Latino male students attending a community college. Community College Review, 47(3), 295-317. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091552119850888
Samayoa, A. C. (2018). “People around me here, they know the struggle”: Students’ experiences with faculty member’s mentorship at three Hispanic serving institutions. Education Sciences, 8(49). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8020049
Serrano, U., Vazquez, A. D. C., Meneses Samperio, R., & Mattheis, A. (2018). Symbolic sanctuary and discursive dissonance: Limitations of policy and practice to support undocumented students at Hispanic serving institutions. Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, 12(3), 169-190. https://doi.org/10.24974/amae.12.3.411
Solorzano, D. G., & Yosso, T. J. (2001). Maintaining social justice hopes within academic realities: Freirean approach to critical race/latcrit pedagogy. Denver University Law Review, 78(4), 595-622.
Solorzano, D. G. & Yosso, T. J. (2002). Critical race methodology: Counter-storytelling as an analytical framework for education research. Qualitative Inquiry, 8(1), 23-44. https://doi.org/10.1177/107780040200800103
Suárez-Orozco, C., Katsiaficas, D., Birchall, O., Alcantar, C.M., Hernandez, E., Garcia, Y., Michikyan, M., Cerda, J., & Teranishi, R. T. (2015). Undocumented undergraduates on college campuses: Understanding their challenges and assets and what it takes to make an undocufriendly campus. Harvard Educational Review 85(3), 427-463. https://doi.org/10.17763/0017-8055.85.3.427
Tapia-Fuselier, N. (2023). “We do it all”: Understanding the experiences of undocumented student resource center professionals. Innovative Higher Education,48, 457-475. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-022-09627-4
United States Department of Education. (2022). Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics. https://sites.ed.gov/hispanic-initiative/hispanic-serving-institutions-hsis/
Valdez, Z. & Golash-Boza, T. (2020). Master status or intersectional identity? Undocumented students' sense of belonging on a college campus. Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, 27(4), 481-499. https://doi.org/10.1080/1070289X.2018.1534452
Valenzuela, J. I., Perez, W., Perez, I., Montiel, G. I., & Chaparro, G. (2015). Undocumented students at the community college: Creating institutional capacity. New Directions for Community Colleges, 172, 87-96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cc.20166
