Continuing Education

The Board of Trustees of Metro Sate College of Denver has agreed by a vote of 7-1 to cut tuition rates for illegal immigrants. That's right, illegal immigrants.

With absolutely no sense of irony, the Denver Post reports and the principals in the story comment:

"We all deserve the chance at a higher education and to become productive members and give back to our community," she said. ("She"is an illegal immigrant. Which community?)

Three criteria must be met to qualify for the new category of tuition. A student must:

• Have attended a Colorado high school for the past three years. (What about the newly arriving illegal immigrant? Is that fair to them?)

• Have graduated from a Colorado high school or gotten a general equivalency diploma in the state. (What about the illegal immigrant who illegally immigrated not just, say, from Mexico, but from another state?)

• Provide proof they are in good legal standing, other than their undocumented status, and that they plan to seek lawful status when eligible. ("Good legal standing"? If the immigration laws are not applicable, why would any others be? How does the Board distinguish?)

Trustee Jack Pogge, the only member of the board to vote against the plan, wondered whether the benefit derived by Metro State from implementing the new rate was great enough, particularly in light of the failure of the state legislature to pass the ASSET bill. ("Great enough"? Surely the Trustees will offer grants for those illegal immigrants unable to pay the lower rates?)

ALL the italicized snarky questions are mine. Imagine me shaking my head as I typed.

BTW, I can't for the life of me figure out why this section is highlighed in white.  A little help maybe?