Running head: C.C. LIT.

REVIEW

WA State Programs and Policies

Literature Review

Jeffrey Eng

SDAD 5590

Dr. Erica Yamamura

Running head: C.C. LIT. REVIEW 2

Background:

A concern that faces many community colleges today is around access and

affordability, in particular on underrepresented and at-risk student populations. In

Washington State two such population that warrants more attention would be the rising

number of Dreamer or undocumented, and Veteran students entering post-secondary

education. For undocumented students there is an estimated total of 5,674 since 2003, and

1,101 in 2013-14 alone. Of the total number of affidavits submitted in 2013-14, 90% are

enrolled at a Community and Technical Colleges (West, 2015). These affidavits that

students must sign promises that they must apply for citizenship when eligible, but no

such pathway currently exists. For veterans, the number of beneficiaries who receive

Post-9/11 GI Bill educational benefit in Washington State in 2013 was 19,966 according

to a report published by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (2013). However,

understanding what those benefits are, and in addition to learning how to transition back

to civilian life is can be challenging for veteran students. What both populations of

students have in common are the numerous barriers into higher education in Washington.

Three themes were identified in the literature for undocumented and veteran

students. 1) Identifying what student support are available to these students receive in

Washington State. 2) Accessing the current higher education environment, and the impact

on student success and outcomes. 3) Providing professional development opportunities

for administrators, faculty and staff on these populations to better support these students.

Student Support:

At the federal level the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors

(DREAM) Act would have created this pathway for these students, but has failed to pass
Running head: C.C. LIT. REVIEW 3

in 2010. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a program created by the

Obama administration to mitigate the lack of immigration reform by allowing

undocumented students attending public education to be considered lawfully present

(Luzer, 2013). One way in which Washington State has addressed financial concerns has

been to pass its own version of the DREAM Act called REAL Hope Act in 2003, which

granted undocumented students access to apply for state-funded financial aid to attend

post-secondary education (Im undocumented, 2016). Qualified undocumented

students can receive state financial aid by applying through the Washington Application

for State Financial Aid (WASFA) (Washington application, 2016). Another piece of

legislation was passed where undocumented students were eligible for in-state tuition so

long as they meet the criteria through WA house bill HB 1079 (West, 2015).

The Running Start Program is part of the Learning by Choice law that was passed

in 1990 in the State of Washington, which allowed Junior and Senior high school students

qualify to attend postsecondary education tuition free. In 2006 the program served 10%

of Junior and Senior, which totals 16,540 students (Running start, 2006). Running Start

is an important access point to higher education for undocumented students as they are

not required to self disclose their status in order to be eligible (Running start

enrollment, 2016). Financial aid is limited for these students, and this program provides

tuition free credit to attend college, thus lowering the total cost of attendance. A study

conducted by Smith (2014) found that 17,704 students participated in Running Start.

However, only 12.5% of those students are identified as African American,

Hispanic/Latino, Native-American and Pacific Islanders compared to the 23.7% Juniors

Running head: C.C. LIT. REVIEW 4

and Seniors students enrolled in public schools, which is a concern for access for

underrepresented students, in particular undocumented students.

Veteran students on the other hand are primarily supported at the federal level

through programs such as the GI Bill. The GI Bill Comparison tool is an online resource

that helps veterans navigate what benefits are available to them by school, for instance

tuition/fees, housing allowance, and book stipend. Additionally it provides information

about the number of veterans on a given campus and their retention/graduation rates

(Learn about education, 2016). In Washington State every college has a veterans resource

center to help them navigate the college environment, and to understand their benefits (I

am a veteran, 2016). With permission from their commanding officer, the Veterans

Industry Education (2015) is a unique program in Washington where they are connected

with career credentials for in-demand jobs during the last six months of service to help

them get a head start on their career discernment. Also in Washington, veterans may

receive ACE credit recommendations, which may award them credit for military

coursework and experiences to apply to transfer degree programs (The ACE credit,

2016).

Higher Education Environment:

Even with the legislations and programs from both federal and state level to

support undocumented students, there is still a pervasive anti-immigration culture that

exists in the State of Washington. Bills such as HB 1079, according to a study conducted

by Contreras (2009), was not as transformative for undocumented student and their

families as it may appear. There is the constant fear of separation from family, financial

concerns, and in addition to experiencing discrimination on college campuses. Students

Running head: C.C. LIT. REVIEW 5

described being discouraged from applying to graduate school because of the perceived

financial barrier, and receiving threatening remarks from financial aid counselors saying

that they were lucky that they were not deported. A lot of misunderstanding still exists

for these undocumented students from student affairs professionals.

On the other side veteran students have a difficult time transitioning from military

to civilian life. The military provides a very structured environment, and moving into

higher education that structured is lost, which can be a struggle for them to receive the

supports and services that they might need to be successful. Places like veterans resource

centers on campuses can provide that structure and centralized service that they may

need. Veterans may also be coming back with various cognitive injuries such as brain

trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (Accommodating student veterans, 2010).

Difficulty getting disability accommodations, and the different levels of maturity between

veterans and younger students are barriers for their transition. A conference ran by the

University of Washington (2009) to address concerns on how to best recruit and retain

veteran students in the computer science field found that more collaboration needed to

exist between disability services, computing faculty, and community partners. This is of

particular interest in Seattle where high tech businesses continue to grow.

Professional Development:

As mentioned before there is a lot of misinformation from higher education

professionals on what laws and regulations exist that helps undocumented students in the

State of Washington pursue post-secondary education. In particular professional

development is needed for staff that do outreach and recruitment (Contreras, 2009). An

example would be informing students that they could fill out either a WASFA or FAFSA
Running head: C.C. LIT. REVIEW 6

to receive financial aid. College campuses can visibly communicate and demonstrate

support by providing services and resources to undocumented students. Students who are

DACAmented can be employed on college campuses, which can help mitigate some of

their financial concerns (Jimenez, 2016). Another way to ensure that colleges and

universities are abiding by state law is by auditing for REAL Hope Act and HB 1079

compliance (Contreras, 2009). Staying informed on how both federal and state

regulations for undocumented student are changing is the best way to support this

vulnerable population of students.

Veterans come in having little knowledge navigating college systems, and are

unsure of what academic field to pursue. One area that needs attention to better support

veteran students would be to provide more training for advisors on how to help with

educational and career planning. For example advisors may not know how to translate

military experiences into to possible career paths. Career discernment needs to happen

sooner for these students because of the time limit placed on GI benefits, and therefore

they cannot afford to make a mistake and start over (Investing in veterans, 2013). Post-

secondary institutions in the state of Washington can apply for Partners for Veteran

Supportive Campuses Certificate. In order to be eligible, an institution must provide

information on how they will satisfy the 8 Keys to Veterans Success, which includes

providing comprehensive professional development for faculty and staff on veterans

issues (Cyrus, 2015).

Bibliography

American Council on Education (n.d.). The ACE credit college and university
Running head: C.C. LIT. REVIEW 7

network. Retrieved February 15, 2016, from https://www.acenet.edu/news-

room/Pages/The-ACE-CREDIT-College-and-University-Network.aspx

Cahill, C. (2010). Investing in veterans: The need for career and education advising.

Retrieved from http://www.cael.org/pdfs/cael-investing-in-veterans-2013

Contreras, F. (2009). Sin papeles y rompiendo barreras: Latino students and the

challenges of persisting in college. Harvard Educational Review, 79(4), 610-

631,781. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/212268376?

accountid=28598

Cyrus, M. (2015, November 6). Washington state partner for veteran supportive

campuses certificate program. Retrieved from https://www.naspa.org/constituent-

groups/posts/washington-state-partner-for-veteran-supportive-campuses-

certificate-progra

Jimenez, Maribel. (2016, January). DREAMers10. In N. Kent (Chair), NACADA Region

8. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the Motif Seattle of Seattle, WA.

Luzer, D. (2013). Dreamers deferred. Washington Monthly, 45(7/8), 9-10. Retrieved

from http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/july_august_2013/ten_miles

_square/dreamers_deferred045634.php

Real Hope Washington. (2016, January 18). Im undocumented can I go to college?.

Retrieved from http://realhopewa.org/

Smith, K. (2014). Access and diversity in the running start program: A comparison of

Washingtons running start program to other state level dual enrollment programs

hosted on a college campus. Retrieved from Eric database. (ED562006).

University of Washington. (2009). AccessComputing: Building capacity for veterans.

Running head: C.C. LIT. REVIEW 8

Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED506548).

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Veterans Benefits Administration. (2013). Benefits

for veterans education. Retrieved from http://www.benefits.va.gov/REPORTS/

abr/ABR-Education-FY13-09262014.pdf

U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. (2016, February 15). Learn about education

programs and compare estimated benefits by school. Retrieved from

https://www.vets.gov/gi-bill-comparison-tool/

Washington Student Achievement Council. (n.d.). Washington application for state

financial aid (WASFA). Retrieved February 15, 2016, from

http://www.readysetgrad.org/wasfa

Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. (2006). Running start:

2005-06 annual progress report. Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED496209).

Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. (2015). Veterans

Industry Education (VIE-25). Retrieved from http://wp.pierce.ctc.edu/blog/

wacareerpaths/files/2015/11/VIE-25-FINAL-1-pager-1.pdf

Washington State Board for Community and Technology Colleges. (2016, February 8). I

am a veteran. Retrieved February 15, 2016, from http://www.sbctc.edu/becoming-

a-student/veterans/default.aspx

Washington State Department of Veteran Affairs. (2016, January 18). Education and

training. Retrieved from http://www.dva.wa.gov/benefits/education-and-training

West, J. (2015). House bill 1079: 2013-14 student enrollment update. Retrieved from

ERIC database. (ED562022)