OU revoked a policy allowing some immigrant students lacking permanent legal status to pay in-state tuition, according to a GoFundMe set up in support of an affected student.
The removal of the university’s policy is in accordance with an Aug. 29 ruling on a state law, which deemed the in-state tuition waivers unconstitutional and in violation of the Supremacy Clause.
Oklahoma state Capitol on Feb. 6.
The law has been in effect for nearly two decades in Oklahoma, providing in-state tuition benefits to students without an immigration status as long as they applied for permanent residency in the state.
Miracle Mindset, an outreach program that aims to serve first-generation and low-income students, posted a GoFundMe Monday to help an unnamed student reportedly pay $15,000 within the next week so they can stay enrolled. According to the fundraiser description, the student’s in-state tuition waiver was rescinded with a short amount of time to make up the difference.
As of Tuesday evening, the GoFundMe has raised over $7,000, with hundreds in donations coming in per hour.
In an Instagram post, the student wrote he was not eligible for federal aid or most scholarships, so he relied on the in-state tuition waiver to attend OU. He confirmed in the post he was given two weeks to either pay out-of-state tuition or withdraw from the university.
“My parents brought me to the U.S. at age one, sacrificing everything so I could have an education. As a first-generation student, I’ve always seen this as a privilege, which is why I give back through organizations like Miracle Mindset, …” the student wrote. “Unfortunately, now I am the one in need of help.”
The student expressed his thanks for the community’s support.
“Every donation truly means the world—it’s not just helping me stay in school, but also allowing me to continue uplifting others like me,” the student wrote.
The fundraiser’s description states that the student highly values education and is deeply involved in OU and Norman’s community.
“He’s someone who believes deeply in education as a pathway to giving back,” the GoFundMe description reads. “Losing this opportunity would mean more than just stepping away from school — it would mean putting his dreams on hold and losing years of work and dedication.”
Miracle Mindset did not immediately respond to the Daily’s request for comment.
A GoFundMe set up by senior Karen Meza, a close friend of another student who reportedly lost her in-state tuition waiver, states her friend was given two weeks' notice.
“Due to recent changes in state law, a close friend has been faced with the daunting task of paying out-of-state tuition or withdrawing from her program at OU with a two weeks’ notice,” Meza wrote in the GoFundMe description.
OU Daily contacted Meza Tuesday, but she did not immediately respond for comment.
The Daily reached out to OU Marketing and Communications Sept. 23 for more information and a statement on the policy removal. Marketing and Communications responded the following day with the title of the Oklahoma statue that was overturned but did not elaborate. The Daily sent a follow-up email later that day asking for more information about the revoked funding, but did not receive a response.
OU SJP, OU Student Socialist League and president of Latinos Unidos at OU — who were tagged in Miracle Mindset’s post — did not immediately respond to the Daily’s request for comment.
Background
In August, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Oklahoma over the statute, arguing the law extended eligibility for in-state tuition to some immigrants while not extending that treatment to U.S. citizens living outside of Oklahoma.
Gentner Drummond wins the Oklahoma attorney general election.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond subsequently filed a motion in support of the lawsuit.
“This unequal treatment of Americans is squarely prohibited and preempted by federal law, which expressly provides that ‘an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible on the basis of residence within a State . . . for any postsecondary education benefit unless a citizen or national of the United States is eligible for such a benefit . . . without regard to whether the citizen or national is such a resident,’” the lawsuit reads.
Under the law, Oklahoma public universities were allowed to offer in-state tuition to any student who graduated high school in the state and has lived in Oklahoma for at least two years prior to graduation.
This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure and Thomas Pablo. Sophie Hemker copy edited this story.
