Student Union
- By Esha Sarai
Virginia School Offers Scholarships to DACA Recipients
When Irma Becerra took over as president of Marymount University in 2018, one of the first tasks presented to her was finding funding for some of the nearly 80 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients on campus.
“I think I was a president for a week when the students were sitting around my table and saying this has to happen,” Becerra recounts of her first meeting with the Marymount Dreamer’s Club.
“One of the things that the club really needed was resources,” Charlene McCall, president of the Dreamer’s Club, told VOA. “A lot of undocumented students had a lot of trouble finding scholarships, because you've got an application, it says, 'Are you a citizen? Are you an international student? Where do I fit in the box?' ”
Recipients of DACA have legal protections in the United States, though they were brought into the country illegally as children. They’re able to go to school and pursue higher education in the country, but they are not eligible for federal financial aid.
Whether they are eligible for in-state tuition is determined state by state, and most available funding is through private scholarships such as TheDream.US.
Roughly 25 universities are registered as recipients of this fund, which provides incoming students with $7,000 — the equivalent of a Pell Grant.
As soon as the Dreamer’s Club presented information on this scholarship to Becerra in late 2018, she began working on it. By fall 2019, Marymount welcomed seven incoming freshmen and transfer students on TheDream.US scholarship.
Ashly Trejo Mejia chose to attend Marymount after she was offered the scholarship. But she said the search for a school that could offer her any financial help was daunting.
“It was scary,” she said, noting how her experience was different from most of her classmates.
“I applied to many schools. I applied out of state, in state, just to see wherever I would get any help. I would call the schools and see if they offered any help or not. That’s how I would try to figure everything out.”
Though Becerra is happy her school was able to provide these incoming students with scholarships, she is still pushing for a bigger fund to provide tuition assistance for more, if not all, of the school’s DACA recipients.
“For me, it’s personal,” she explained. “My family left Cuba when I was eight months old, so I understand what it is like to have to leave your country with no assets, with nothing,” she said.
Becerra points out that her experience as a political refugee was different.
“I was able to get a Pell Grant, get work, get loans. I put myself through college. And my heart really aches for students [that] have so much merit, because our DACA students are top of their class. They’re such hard workers, they're top performers, and they want to get a degree.”
Universities like Marymount are working on a school-by-school basis to help fund the education of DACA recipients, but a wider solution across the country rests in the hands of the Supreme Court.
In 2017, President Donald Trump canceled the DACA program, arguing that the previous administration established the program “without proper statutory authority."
His decision was challenged by lower courts. The Supreme Court heard arguments for either side late last year.
The Court will release its decision on the case by June, but some think the decision could come as early as February.
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Trump administration opens antisemitism inquiries at 5 colleges, including Columbia and Berkeley
The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.
It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.
In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.
Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.
An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."
House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."
Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.
Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.
The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.
"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."
- By VOA News
STEM, business top subjects for international students
The Times of India breaks down the most popular subjects for international students to study in the U.S.
STEM and business lead the pack. Read the full story here. (January 2025)
- By VOA News
Safety and visa difficulties among misconceptions about US colleges
U.S. News & World report addresses some of the misconceptions about U.S. colleges and universities, including the difficulty of getting a visa.
Read the full story here. (January 2025)
- By VOA News
Work opportunities help draw international students to US schools
US News & World Report details the three top factors in foreign students' decision to study in the U.S. They include research opportunities and the reputation of U.S. degrees. Read the full story here. (December 2024)
- By VOA News
British student talks about her culture shock in Ohio
A British student who did a year abroad at Bowling Green State University in Ohio talks about adjusting to life in America in a TikTok video, Newsweek magazine reports.
Among the biggest surprises? Portion sizes, jaywalking laws and dorm room beds.
Read the full story here. (December 2024)
