Hello my friends!

I am excited to see more people joining our site, even from as far out as Guatemala and India! Indeed there are many committed young men and women in every corner of the globe seeking better opportunities through education. It is a humbling reminder of the shared struggles of first generation students and a great motivation to support and encourage each other.

As I mentioned last month, in this blog we will be talking mostly about the plight of undocumented or AB-540 students in the California and the U.S. I think it will be a good idea to share what Assembly Bill 540 states for undocumented students in California.

According to MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), AB 540 allows qualified undocumented students to be exempt from paying significantly higher out-of-state tuition at public colleges and universities in California. By making college more affordable, AB 540 has had a significant impact on the lives of many undocumented students who have dreams of attending college.

Students are eligible for the AB 540 exemption if they meet ALL of the following requirements:
· Attend a California high school for 3 or more years.

· Graduate from a California high school or receive the equivalent, such as a GED.

· Submit an affidavit (a written promise) to the California public college or university where they are attending or
plan to attend. In this statement students declare that they meet all AB 540 requirements and if they are
undocumented, that they have filed an application to adjust their immigration status or will do so as soon as
they are eligible to do so.

As you can see, this bill is a great opportunity for those who otherwise would not have an opportunity to obtain a higher level of education. So if you read this and this situation applies to you, please know that you are not alone and that there are options for you out there.

Here are some websites with information about AB-540 and also about scholarships available for AB-540 students. Good luck!


Support Groups
Maldef: http://maldef.org/education/public_policy/ab540/
Educators for Fair Consideration (E4FC): http://e4fc.org/images/E4FC_Scholarships_NOSSN_090823.doc

UNIVERSITY CENTERS/ COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
-University of Southern California - Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis (CHEPA)
o http://www.usc.edu/dept/chepa or e-mail: chepa@usc.edu
-Orange County DREAM Team Coalition
o http://istillhaveadream.org
-CHIRLA’s California Dream Network - statewide effort to organize AB 540 groups
o e-mail: ab540network@yahoo.com

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
-Public Counsel (www.publiccounsel.org) - For up-to-date information on state/federal legislation
-National Immigration Law Center (www.nilc.org) - For up-to-date information on state/federal legislation
-Pew Hispanic Center (www.pewhispanic.org


CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE (CCC)
-East Los Angeles College – SER
o www.elac.cc.ca.us
-Glendale Community College - Voces del Mañana
o e-mail: ydanzer1@yahoo.com
-Los Angeles City College – Action in Higher Education Against Discrimination (AHEAD)
o e-mail: aheadlacc@gmail.com
Oxnard College – EOPS
o http://www.oxnardcollege.edu/studentservices/extendedopp/index.asp
-Riverside Community College - MEChA
o e-mail: mechadercc@yahoo.com
-Santa Barbara City College - Cal SOAP
o http://www.sbcalsoap.org/resources.htm
-Santa Monica College - Association of Latin American Students (ALAS)
o http://www.smc.edu/eops

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY (CSU)
-Cal Poly Pomona – Demanda estudiantil para Igualdad Educacional (De Pie)
o Depie_calpolypomona@yahoogroups.com
-CSU Dominguez Hills - Espiritu de Nuestro Futuro
o e-mail: espiritudenuestrofuturo@yahoo.com
-CSU Fresno - DIAS
o e-mail: csudias@yahoo.com
-CSU Long Beach - FUEL
o e-mail: emacias@csulb.edu
-CSU Los Angeles - Students United to Reach Goals in Education Project
o http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/csula_surge
-San Francisco State University- Improving Dreams, Equality, Access and Success (IDEAS)
o e-mail: ideas.sfsu@live.org
-San Jose State University - Student Advocates for Higher Education (SAHE)
o http://www.geocities.com/ab540students
-Chico State
o chicostateequaleducation@yahoo.com

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA (UC)
-UC Berkeley - Rising Immigrant Scholars through Education (RISE)
o brenda@uclink.berkeley.edu
-UC Davis - Improving Dreams, Equality, Access and Success (IDEAS)
o e-mail: ucdequaleducation@yahoo.com
-UC Irvine - Improving Dreams, Equality, Access and Success (IDEAS)
o e-mail: Contact Maria Rodriguez (CHIRLA) at ab540network@yahoo.com
-UC Los Angeles - Improving Dreams, Equality, Access and Success (IDEAS)
o http://www.studentgroups.ucla.edu/ideas
-UC Riverside – PODER
o e-mail: drshark26@yahoo.com
-UC San Diego
o glima@ucsd.edu
-UC Santa Barbara - Improving Dreams, Equality, Access and Success (IDEAS)
o e-mail: ideasatucsb@yahoo.com
-UC Santa Cruz - Students Informing Now (SIN) Verguenza
o e-mail: porlacausadelosestudiantes@yahoo.com