<p>It has been a while since my last post here, considering that S1 decided for the other school in the state…</p>
<p>Anyway, S2 is a sophmore and considering to go to engineering and Alabama is part of his list. I would like to hear your impressions on Alabama’s new immigration law and how you see afecting Hispanics enrollment. </p>
<p>You see, S1 could pass as a white anywhere but S2 is very Hispanic looking. We hear on the news some horror stories on how people are driving the new law to the extreme across the state. A Benz executive was arrested, WalMart cashiers refusing to sell to Hispanics that don’t have an ID, etc… I don’t want S2 to experience these kind of situations while at college. I hope you understand.</p>
<p>Alabama dropped their NHRP scholarship full ride in 2011, and Auburn is on its way too in 2012. When I checked Oira for Alabama I noticed that Hispanics freshmen enrollment dropped 27% from 2010 to 2011. Auburn numbers still show a modest increase but I expect a huge drop this fall too.</p>
<p>I’m concerned that with the new state legislation combined with having the bigger universities in the dropping their scholarships for Hispanics that the state is sending a strong message about Hispanics not welcomed. I said this not only to those working minimum salary in farms, but also talented young individuals that could be considering colleges in Alabama.</p>
<p>Has anybody heard the school officials expressing about this situation? What is their point of view? Do they even care? Any mitigation plans?</p>
<p>Well, I’m not Hispanic, but I am brown, and I’m a life-long resident of Alabama. To date, I haven’t felt any difference between the “way things were” [supposedly] and the way they are now. I never understood the hoopla the led to the law because Alabama has always been stringent in immigration matters. (I have my thoughts on why the politicians pushed through the law, but this is not a political discussion.) Even before the law passed, I personally saw an international student denied the opportunity to take the driver’s license test because the state trooper could not understand his English. It’s just the way things are here.</p>
<p>I understand your concern for your son, but consider the circumstances of those arrests. In at least the case of the Mercedes executive arrest, it was as much a case of the Tuscaloosa police department trying to make a political point to the state by following the letter of the law as much as anything else. I have no information about the Wal-mart cashiers, but I would hope they were reprimanded for their behavior. (Wal-mart needs the Hispanic market because nobody else would touch their goods with a ten-foot pole.)</p>
<p>I have no idea about the scholarship situation. You’d have to contact Dr. Bonner about that.</p>
<p>I doubt that the immigration policy had any affect on Hispanic registration. Very few who would be affected by that would have enrolled because of affordability. </p>
<p>The drop in enrollment was likely due to changes and the eventual drop of the NHRP program. At one time, Bama didn’t have an ACT/SAT req’t for NHRP and it enrolled a very large unaffordable number of NHRP students…those kids likely graduated around that time when the drop occurred.</p>
<p>NHRP recognizes the top 5%, while NA and NMF program recognizes the top 1%. Giving that large scholarship to the top 5% was essentially the same as giving it to Commended NM. </p>
<p>If NHRP followed the same guidelines as NA and NMF (recognizing the top 1%), schools might start reoffering that scholarship. </p>
<p>This is my own opinion, but I think if NHRP required that the student be 50% Hispanic (instead of only 25%) that would also make a difference. Personally, too many kids who were only 25% Hispanic, who didn’t identify with the Hispanic ethnicity, were qualifying for a large scholarship and weren’t adding diversity to the school.</p>
<p>I highly doubt Hispanic-looking people are really being abused or mistreated here in the state. The Walmart situation sounds unusual…certainly not the norm. Do you have a link for that story?</p>
<p>edited to add:</p>
<p>If below is the “story”…who the heck knows if this is true…</p>
<p>"A woman called Carolina complains that clerks at Wal-Mart refused to give her money that her mother had transferred to her—money she used to get just by showing ID and typing in a PIN number—unless she proved she was in the country legally. She also said the Wal-Mart cashiers refused to sell her groceries without proof of her legal status. "</p>
<p>From your message:<br>
“It has been a while since my last post here, considering that S1 decided for the other school in the state…”</p>
<p>“We hear on the news some horror stories on how people are driving the new law to the extreme across the state.”</p>
<p>“I’m concerned that with the new state legislation combined with having the bigger universities in the dropping their scholarships for Hispanics that the state is sending a strong message about Hispanics not welcomed.”</p>
<p>“Has anybody heard the school officials expressing about this situation? What is their point of view? Do they even care? Any mitigation plans?”
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Since your older son is attending Auburn, I would refer to whether he feels welcome. I would suspect this is a personal opinion. As for how the UA feels about this, this would not be the proper forum to ask this question since the posters here would not be able to comment for The University of Alabama or its leadership.</p>
<p>^ I think the OP’s question is not about whether officials care individually, but whether they’ve expressed concern on behalf of the university that demonstrates a sense of caring. The older son wouldn’t have the same perspective as the younger one because he doesn’t have an Hispanic appearance.</p>
<p>That question would be best answered by the university. I would think his/her son would still be familiar with whether the environment was “welcoming” to hispanic students and of any “horror stories” occurring there since it is also in Alabama.</p>
<p>I think any “horror stories” are either exaggerated for political purposes and/or occured in the more rural parts of the state. I highly doubt that a college-bound young person in Tuscaloosa or any other non-rural city is going to be asked to verify his legal status or be hassled at all. My younger son’s apt-mate is 100% Cuban and looks very Hispanic…he’s never been bothered at all. </p>
<p>I believe that the major universities in this state do not have many Hispanic students simply because this isn’t a state with a high Hispanic population. The Hispanics that have more recently moved to the state may not have college-aged/bound kids or those kids may be commuting to their local state school to save on costs. Most kids do not “go away” to school…that is a luxury…and that’s true in all states.</p>
<p>That said…I agree with BamaGirls…we can’t speak for the University…and the University can’t speak for the state and its policies.</p>
<p>I suggest that Lapagan bring her son for a visit and take him around, and see if he feels unwelcomed. I’d be surprised if he rec’d any poor treatment.</p>
<p>From my understanding of the new law, it only restricts the ability of illegal immigrants to work in the state. Why that would worry a legal Latino or any other legal resident is beyond me. With that said, of course there are racists out there, but again, why should a legal person worry about this law? Try Europe if you want to see really draconian immigration laws.</p>
<p>Feenotype- Lots of Hispanics would not touch Walmart junk either, and I have seen plenty of white non-Hispanic folks in Walmart buying the goods. However, I do agree that the stuff there is not to be touched with a 10-foot pole.</p>
<p>Thanks everybody for the replies. MC2K, I can always count on you. Thanks again</p>
<p>A couple of comment on son of the responses:
"NHRP recognizes the top 5%, while NA and NMF program recognizes the top 1%. Giving that large scholarship to the top 5% was essentially the same as giving it to Commended NM. </p>
<p>If NHRP followed the same guidelines as NA and NMF (recognizing the top 1%), schools might start reoffering that scholarship. "</p>
<p>Top 5% NHRPP is still a much lower number than 1% of NA or NMF. I think that the slippery slope happens by allowing those only 25% hispanic to qualify for NHRP. That needs to be corrected. Also consider that much of the Hispanic population doesn’t have access to good schools or if a family is a migrant they would be moving quite often and this affect school continuity. My wife works for Head Start and it is amazing how often these families have to move. It becomes very difficult for many latino kids to ace the PSAT or ACT for that matter.</p>
<p>gadad hit it in the nail. S1 and S2 won’t have the same experiences. My posting was about how visible this is in school officials ranks, if they have manifested around this topic.</p>
<p>Atlanta68, I agree that legal latinos should not worry. The point here is the harrasment that could happen by just being part of of a somewhat targeted ethnic group.</p>
<p>I think that UA has done a tremendous work on increasing diversty during the last few years, but this has the potential to greatly affect those goals.</p>
<p>BTW, when time is right we will visit UA as we did with S1. At the is about where the kid feels he matches the best. As parents we worry about a lot of other things that are necessary in the kids minds…</p>
<p>Tuscaloosa has become a melting pot of sorts…the community is used to seeing people from everywhere. When I’m in the stores there, there are Muslim women with headscarves, Indian women with Saris, etc. I highly doubt anyone is going to hassle a Hispanic-looking college student.</p>
<p>I’m from Calif where the Hispanic pop is very high. I don’t want to offend anyone, but this is the reality. Hispanics who speak English fluently or at least rather well will be assumed to be here legally…that’s the assumption in Calif…right or wrong…that’s the way it is. Hispanics who can’t speak any English (or very, very little) are often assumed to be in Calif illegally. Additionally (and unfortunately) the way a person dresses can also give the perception of being here illegally. Again, sorry, but that’s the perception. Laws or whatever won’t change that perception. When I drive into a California Home Depot parking lot and there are hard-working Hispanic men hoping to be picked up to do hard labor for various people, I think many assume that these men are in Calif illegally. I don’t think that’s a far-out or racist assumption…it’s just a deduction from the realities of life.</p>
<p>I imagine the same perceptions happen elsewhere in the country. Since Lapagan’s son obviously speaks English fluently, why would anyone think he’s here illegally?? Again, I’m not saying that fluency should be the litmus test for good manners towards anyone, but my point is that Americans generally do not assume a person to be here illegally when they speak English at least rather well. (again, right or wrong, that’s the situation here in the US).</p>
<p>I do think these “stories” that certain groups like to publicize do not tell the whole story or are often exaggerated (or even fabricated!) in order to put forth a political agenda. And, even if they did happen, they are outliers…and certainly there are extreme situations that happen EVERYWHERE…including areas where the Hispanic pop is very high. I’m often asked for ID when getting “cash back” or whatever at various stores. They’re not really checking to see if I’m here legally…they’re checking to see if I’m really the person I’m claiming to be. </p>
<p>Lapagan…what kind of response are you getting from the same question on the Auburn forums?</p>
<p>Personally, I think M2CK is the one who hit the nail on the head.</p>
<p>And, if a person goes looking for issues of this sort or expecting them of others, they are likely to find them…regardless of where they look. So what is the deal at Auburn? If the hispanic population is as you indicated, I would think one could get a good feel for the state by posting this thread there as well.</p>
<p>I don’t believe any student would find the UA to be unwelcoming. For the record, I personally support legislation to curb illegal immigration, but my friends include those of many different nationalities and religious beliefs. I’m not sure what that or the store mentioned above have to do with the college search. I hope you will visit and wait until then to form an opinion.</p>
<p>I’m very certain that your S2 would be welcomed at UA with open arms. As it stands now, the law is being used to prove political points more than going out and making sure that every person in Alabama (the state) is there legally.</p>
<p>Lapagan quote: "Top 5% NHRPP is still a much lower number than 1% of NA or NMF. "</p>
<p>==============</p>
<p>No…ONLY 1300 Black students are named NAFs…and that’s out of 160,000 Black entrants. </p>
<p>There are 5,000 Hispanic students named to NHRP…and that’s out of 124,000 students. </p>
<p>So, for the NHRP program to be proportional to NAF, then only about 1000 should be named. In other words, 80% should not be named.</p>
<p>As for NMFs…you can’t compare those numbers. There are 1.5 million entrants…yet only 15,000 make NMF (which is ONLY 3 times the number of NHRP students named). </p>
<p>================</p>
<p>“I think that the slippery slope happens by allowing those only 25% hispanic to qualify for NHRP. That needs to be corrected”</p>
<p>I totally agree. If the students had to be 100% or at least 50%, then the NHRP winners would truly be adding ethnic diversity to a campus…and then schools could more easily justify the cost of these large awards. </p>
<p>I know that some schools still award large NHRP scholarships, and maybe all they care about is “checking a box” that they have X Hispanics…but are they adding diversity to their campuses and are they helping those who have been disadvantaged because of their skin color? Not if many of these kids do not identify with the Hispanic culture.</p>
<p>S1 hasn’t experienced any issues at Auburn or at any other places in Alabama. I would not expect him to have any neither for the reasons I mentioned in the original posting. </p>
<p>In terms of contacting AU, I have not done that yet because I don’t think this is in radar screen yet. They are reducing the scholarship for 2012. If I call, I’m sure they will refer to a good hispanic enrollment rating in 2011. In the other hand Alabama has gone thru the process of eliminating the scholarship in 2011 and significant decline in hispanic freshment enrolled. Since this board is much more involved and knowledgeable of things at the university I thought it was a good idea to ask.</p>
<p>I will be asking Auburn too in the future (fall 2012) once they post their statistics.</p>
<p>Anyway, my questions were about if anybody have heard any comments. Obviously not. That’s all I wanted to know.</p>
<p>One thing about the NHR program. The 5,000 kids named to NHRP are divided into Honorable Mention and Finalists. The most recent figure I got is this is out of 235,000 hispanic/latino juniors (with the fuzzy, at least 1/4 latino mix…). I don’t know the ratio between finalists and HM’s but in one site they refer to the top 0.5-1% PSAT scorers.
Likewise in the National Achievement program about 4,700 out of 160,000 are honored with about 1,300 making NAF’s. Consistent too with the NMSP. At the end of the day all programs subscribe to recognize the top 0.5%-1% which is consistent with any major scholarship program in the country.</p>
<p>As always, thanks a lot for your responses. I think that Alabama have one of the top boards in CC and you will always get somebody to shed some light to anybody questions. That’s why you get all my respect.</p>
<p>There is no set number of how many will make Scholar and how many only make Honorable Mention.</p>
<p>The only difference between those who are named Scholars and Honorable Mention is their GPAs. Those who don’t have the needed GPA just get HM. Since the kids who make the NH cutoffs are the stronger students anyway…most will likely make Scholar. </p>
<p>Only a 3.5 weighted GPA is needed to make Scholar once you’re one of the 5,000 identified.</p>
<hr>
<p>I do feel that the title of this thread is very harsh and rather baiting.</p>
<p>With or without any legislation, illegal aliens would unlikely be attending a major public university simply because they would be paying OOS costs…which very few illegal aliens would be able to pay. that’s true in many, many states. Now you may argue that these students should get instate rates, but that’s another issue. The decision not to give instate rates to illegal aliens (or to those with legal visas) is not related to race, racism, etc.</p>