As the Oregon Students of Color Coalition, we would like to express our appreciation to the Emerald for its article on tuition equity (“RESIDENCY REQUIRED: Oregon’s barrier to higher education,” ODE, Feb. 21) and the ODE editorial board for its editorial (“Illegal Immigrants pay taxes, benefit state,” ODE, Feb. 27). As students on a university campus, we need to realize and accept what is best not only for students but what is also best for our state.
Currently, Oregon prices some of our brightest and most talented high school graduates out of a higher education by denying them in-state tuition rates because of their documentation status. These are students who grew up in Oregon, worked hard to overcome many obstacles to graduate from our high schools and will continue to live and work here.
Other states have realized that opening doors to higher education for all their youth is best for their state. Ten other states, including Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, have passed tuition equity legislation. Oregon remains the only state on the west coast that has yet to commit to graduating more students from college through tuition equity.
As college students, tuition equity stands to benefit us by keeping some of the best and brightest students on Oregon’s campuses and by diversifying our student body. Get involved: stop by the ASUO office in the Erb Memorial Union to sign up to write letters, send e-mails or testify and tell our legislators why tuition equity is best for a stronger Oregon.
Lorena Landeros
Board member, Oregon Students of Color Coalition