First and foremost, it is a piece of legislation that was reintroduced in the United States Senate, and the United States House of Representatives on March 26, 2009. This act, if passed, would give undocumented immigrant youth who were brought to the U.S. as children, graduated from high school here and completed two years of college or military service a path to permanent citizenship.

Let’s go into further detail.

“Qualified” students would be given a six-year temporary residency in which they could study at a university, serve in the military, and/or work. Within this period, the student must have “acquired a degree from an institution of higher education in the United States or [have] completed at least 2 years, in good standing, in a program for a bachelor’s degree or higher degree in the United States. Or served in the uniformed services for at least 2 years, and if discharged, [have] received an honorable discharge.” Any alien resident whose permanent resident status is terminated will have their status returned to the immigration status they had prior to receiving conditional permanent resident status under this act.

What constitutes a qualified student? According to the 2009 version of the senate bill, DREAM Act beneficiaries must:
• Have proof of having arrived in the United States before age 16.
• Have proof of residence in the United State for at least five consecutive years since their date of arrival, compliance with Selective Service.
• Be between the ages of 12 and 35 at the time of bill enactment.
• Have graduated from an American high school or obtained a GED.
• Be of “good moral character.”

Here are some more details.

Alien minors in the United States can ONLY obtain this permanent status through their parents. There is NO independent method to accomplish this. Also, if the minor child were brought into the country without immigration visas there is no method for becoming a documented resident and returning to their country of birth would not guarantee a path to documented status. Students under this act would not be allowed to receive federal or state grants for their education, but it would allow qualified students to be able to apply for student loans and work-study.

To wrap up all the legislative talk...

This bill would provide certain illegal immigrant students who graduate from US high schools, who are of good moral character, arrived in the U.S. as minor, and have been in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill’s enactment, the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency.
There have been similar versions of the bill that have been introduced in the House and Senate, but to no success.

As with any bill or legislative propaganda, there is support and opposition.

Recently, the “Long Island Immigrant Students Association” (LIISA) rallied in the New York area and initiated their support for the DREAM Act. One of the founders of LIISA, Osman Canales, who is a legal resident, gave his support to the act and stated that “I have the opportunity to go to college, and I want other students to have the same right.” LIISA is “a group of students, parents, religious leaders and pro-immigrant organizations [that] have joined forces to educate the community about the DREAM Act.”

Numerous other support groups have rallied together across the nation, including on my own Ohio State campus. A forum was held in the beginning of June at OSU’s Multicultural Center to educate students and faculty of the DREAM Act and the recent Arizona immigration law. A current student also lobbied to students to sign a petition for the DREAM Act.

Above: Some of the Ohio State students who rallied outside of Thompson Library in support of the DREAM Act.

Above: The "Arizona: Why Should We Care?" Forum was held in the Multicultural Center at the Ohio Union

Support for the DREAM Act comes from many who believe that aliens should have the right to stay in the United States and work or study. Many of these aliens immigrated to the states at very young ages. They consider themselves American, having been going to school since they remember. These “aliens” want the chance to honor the country they have studied in and consider their homes.

Some arguments against the DREAM Act include the opposition against alien students qualified for the act.
The first argument states that providing in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens amounts to giving them taxpayer-financed education; compared to out-of-state students who pay the full cost of their education. This opposing viewpoint argues that giving illegal aliens this gift of education costs taxpayers money, especially in the present when tuition rates are steadily rising across the nation.

Another argument asserts that states would be encouraging aliens to violate federal immigration law. An alien is eligible for in-state tuition rates “only if he/she remains in the state in violation of federal law and evades federal law enforcement.”

One last argument I will discuss: Not only are such federal immigration laws unfair to those aliens who do abide by the law, but also they hurt the “law-abiding American citizens.” An American student who goes to an out-of-state university would be paying upwards to three times the tuition an alien would pay going to an in-state university.

Whether you are supporting or opposing the DREAM Act, it would open up many opportunities for alien minors and allow them to become a citizen.

So. Where do you stand?

(There is so much about the DREAM Act, but I didn’t want to bore my readers by going into too much detail. Browse my sources below for more information. Feel free to email me at vigorlam.2012@gmail.com too if you have any thoughts or opinions!)

-Veegor.

*Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DREAM_Act
http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/just-facts/dream-act
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2010/08/26/2010-08-26_youths_d...
http://www.scribd.com/doc/16092058/Arguments-Against-the-DREAM-Act
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2007/09/A-Sleeper-Amnesty-Time-...

*Photo Credits go to Judy Sun! :)

To start a blog off normally, the blogger introduces himself and explains what his intentions for the blog are, what his hopes, dreams, and fantasies for the blog are; hoping that one day, this blog will be read by millions and billions and zillions of people. Alright. That may a stretch, but it’s ok to dream isn’t it? But yes, the blogger wants to be heard by the mass public and have their thoughts, feelings, and perspectives understood.

Enter Blogger.

Hello! My name is Vigor Lam and I am the Advocacy Chair for the Midwest Asian American Students Union during the 2010-2011 year. As the Advocacy Chair, it is my job to “advocate” about Asian American Issues and blog about them! First off, let’s get some introductions going.

To put my name with a face...
Here, I am attempting to post at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California!

I am going to be a junior this fall at THE Ohio State University. (Yes, I do have a pompous pride for the university. Please don’t judge me haha. It will not show in this blog though, I promise.) I am majoring in Landscape Architecture and hoping to minor in Entrepreneurship. I'm involved on campus with various organizations. I am Co-President of the Asian American Association with fellow MAASU ECC Member Teresa Lai! I'm also involved with Asian American InterVarsity, Chimes Junior Class Honorary, Golden Key International Honors Society, Habitat for Humanity, the Students Chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects, and SERVitecture.

People usually gasp or go “Oooo!” when they hear me say my major, but they don’t really know what it is. So I will explain it. No, I don’t only plant trees and do landscaping in your yard. Landscape architecture is so much more! In a nutshell, the major emphasizes design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve sustainable and environmental outcomes. Landscape architects design parks ranging from large to small scale. Oh, and I get to doodle, sketch, and build a lot of cool models.

To talk more about myself, I enjoy hanging out with my family and going out with friends. I am not a picky eater. I eat. Everything. I love to eat. Food is my weakness for sure. Other tidbits about me include my love for the Asian community and the culture. I am Cantonese, and can speak it fluently! I can also speak basic Mandarin and should be fluent in German. Verrückt stimmt?! I love to learn languages and I REALLY want to learn Korean! I enjoy swimming, working out, and playing sports whenever. Snowboarding is one of my favorite pastimes. I also strive to play guitar well and play piano. I am a Christian and as I said, I’m currently in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship on campus and also attend church to learn more about the religion.

Enough about me though! This blog is about advocacy and that is exactly what I am going to do. Even though it's normal for a blogger to include his perspective, the main purpose of this blog is to inform the general public on issues that are relevant to APIA issues. I will NOT include my stance or debate on very controversial topics, nor will I attempt to persuade you, my readers, to think a certain way. The biggest thing I want you to get out of reading this blog is to understand the issues that Asian Americans and Americans are currently facing.

If you have any questions or suggestions for this blog, please don’t hesitate to email me at vigorlam.2012@gmail.com!

My first entry on a topic will be about the DREAM Act. Look out for that in the near future! Thanks for reading! Until then, toodles!

-Veegor.

End Blogger.

The United States Coast Guard is a proud sponsor of MAASU and present to you this opportunity for free tuition to students:

They will be at the career fair at the upcoming MAASU 2010 Spring Conference, so be sure to check out their table to find out more information.

Dear MAASU readers,

SC is a little over a week away and if you haven't noticed already, registration is now closed! I'm very excited to meet you all and wanted to include some information for those of you interested in becoming more involved with MAASU with the upcoming year :)

First of all, I want to encourage those of you who have registered to apply for ECC! You will need to submit an electronic application to be by this Sunday, April 4th and prepare a brief 2-minute speech during Elections at SC! This is a great opportunity for you to develop your leadership skills and give your school a voice in MAASU. By working with other passionate Asian American leadership across the Midwest, you'll be able to obtain valuable experience to bring back to your campus and apply with your respective organizations. You can read about our roles and contact us directly to learn more about how you can contribute :)

Secondly, if your school is interested in bidding for the 2010 Fall Leadership Retreat or 2011 Spring Conference, please e-mail me if you haven't done so already or else your school will not receive a slot to present your bid! Bids are due to me by next Wednesday, April 7th and your school will be expected to give a 10-minute Powerpoint presentation to present your bid and have 5-minutes of Q&A.

Lastly, each member school has an M-Rep each academic year that serves as the liason between their schools and MAASU. You can read more about the M-Rep role and what having a voice in our general assembly means here. If you have interest in serving as the M-Rep for your school next year, please e-mail communications@maasu.org!

Thanks so much for supporting MAASU and I look forward to seeing you all soon on our campus!

Judy Sun
MAASU Chairwoman
The Ohio State University
judy.sun@maasu.org

Feel like you have what it takes to be a leader in the Midwest Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) movement? Apply for the MAASU 2010-2011 Executive Coordinating Committee!

The objectives of the Midwest Asian American Students Union are:

• To serve as a resource for schools interested in the establishment of APIA student organizations, APIA cultural centers and/or Asian American Studies programs.
• To promote leadership among APIA students through programs including, but not limited to, the Fall Leadership Retreat, and Spring Conference.
• To address the educational needs and rights of the APIA community.
• To develop and maintain a channel of communication for APIA student organizations in the Midwest through e-mails, monthly newsletters, and networking opportunities.
• To assist and encourage APIA students to work toward social change, by providing a forum for social consciousness.
• To unite the APIA community across multiple identities.

Throughout the year we serve as a resource for schools across the Midwest region, acting on advocacy issues, creating programs to unite our campuses over a common cause, offering career and higher education opportunities, and enabling schools to network with one another.

As members of MAASU ECC, you will be expected to be:

• Students first, prioritizing your studies over your involvement
• Professional in representing MAASU
• Effective and responsive in communicating with others
• Present at bi-weekly conference calls, meetings, and conferences
• Committed advocates to serving the APIA community

Please download the application here and e-mail the completed application to judy.sun@maasu.org by April 4th for the next steps!

STATE OF ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICA HOUSE PARTY 2010
On Sunday, May 2nd, please join Asian Pacific Americans for Progress as we host our annual State of Asian Pacific America House Party. Last year, attendees at house parties all across the country got to hear from such noted guests as Barack Obama's brother-in-law, Konrad Ng; the White House's Tina Tchen; Assistant Secretary for Veterans Affairs Tammy Duckworth and Congress members Judy Chu and Joe Sestak. We are currently lining up an equally impressive line-up so start preparing to host your party now!

WHAT: State of Asian Pacific America House Party 2010
WHO: Hosted by Asian Pacific Americans for Progress
DATE: Sunday, May 2, 2010
TIME: 4-6 pm EST, 1-3 pm PST, 10 am - 12 pm Hawaii

HOSTING A PARTY
Consider hosting a party. It's easy. Just gather 12-20 friends, family members or co-workers and call into our conference call. You can even provide snacks or make it a potluck.

On the call, each guest will speak for a few minutes and then take a question or two. Afterwards, we hope you and the attendees at your party will discuss what issues are important to you and then to write up a report and post it on the APAP website with pictures. This will become a record of the issues that AAPI's around the country are talking about. We'll even submit a report to the Obama administration.

ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICANS FOR PROGRESS
Asian Pacific Americans for Progress is a national network of progressive Asian Americans and allies. As a 501(c)4, our main goals are educational including, screenings, townhalls and trainings. Since our founding in 2004, as part of the Howard Dean campaign, we have gone on to host national house parties with Dean, Senator John Kerry, Congressman Mike Honda, Elizabeth Edwards and others. We have also organized trainings, townhalls and community forums around the country. In 2009, we produced our first documentary, "Vincent Who?"

For more information, go to: www.apaforprogress.org

Hope Initiative, Inc.
presents

Since its inception, the Hope Initiative Scholarship Program has upheld the aspiration to promote academic excellence and to provide an opportunity for outstanding students with significant financial need to reach their highest potential. Year after year, Hope Initiative awards scholarships to qualified, full-time attending high school, college, or graduate students in the United States. As a charitable organization, we wish to recognize students with a demonstrated commitment to leadership and assist them in continuing their education. The recipients must be upstanding citizens, role-models for other students, and active members or leaders within their community.

This year, we are proud to announce that Hope Initiative, Inc. will award ten scholarships of $1,500 each to students between the ages of 17 and 25 who demonstrate exemplary dedication to service in their communities. All applicants must be pursuing full-time study at an accredited undergraduate or graduate institution in the U.S. for Fall 2010. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to apply. Please visit our website at http://www.hionline.org/scholarship.aspx for more information regarding instructions for the application process.
Instructions:

1. Download all documents from our website: http://www.hionline.org/scholarship.aspx
2. Read all instructions and requirements on our website carefully
3. Fill out the application form online, submit your personal essay online, and have your letter of recommendation emailed directly by your recommender to Jacqueline.Dan@hionline.org
4. Make sure HI will receive all the application materials by May 1st, 2010, CST.

HI will begin receiving applications for the scholarship on January 15th, 2010. We look forward to reading your stories and offering you the possibility to further your educational dreams.

Click on the picture to get the latest news!
Read more about the details for this year's Spring Conference in Columbus, OH. Also included in this article are the MAASU 2010 awards news, Capal Internships and exciting news about Kollaboration!