V V V V V V -0 -w 4r w w. W. W w ' w a a 4B y p 4,12013/The Statement ednes eptember 4, 2013 // The Statement 5B COALITION FOR TUIT IO N AEQUALITY H OW A SM A LL G ROUP OF ST UDENTS UT BEHIND FRINGE ISSUE AND CHANGED UNIVERSITY POLICY By Sam Grin glas tion's member organizations such as the Col- lege Democrats and the ACLU, held up signs as Morales spoke. Then, the students walked out. "We had no idea what we were doing. It was the first direct action any of us had ever done," Lieberman said. At the time, granting in-state tuition costs to Michigan's undocumented residents was a virtually unknown issue on campus. But with sharp focus on a singular goal - securing in- state tuition fees for undocumented students - CTE soon packed regents meetings so tightly they were moved from a small room inside the Administration Building to one of the Union's ballrooms. CTE, and what they stood for, became unavoidable. However powerful the coalition's strategy, its platform was not void of controversy. Tuition equality, as the issue became branded by advo- cates, is complicated; it is an issue that tested the University's ability to respond to student griev- ances and forced a community to take a hard look at ideas of citizenship and scholarship. At the July2013 regentsmeeting, after consis- tent protests and months spent pouring over the issue in a task force, regents passed new tuition equality guidelines bya 6-2vote fromthe regents. Set to take affect in January2014,undocumented students who graduated from and attended three years of a Michigan high school and two preced- ing years of middle school at a Michigan school will receive in-state tuition. Under the new guidelines, military veteranswill also receive in- state tuition fees, regardless of residency. In a matter of two years, a small group of students took on what had been a fringe issue, rallied support, built their case and ultimately changed University policy. So how did they do it? MAKING A MOVEMENT In February 2011, Mersol-Barg was gearing up to run for president of Central Student Gov- ernment and looking to build a platform that addressed issues of social justice and diversity. After attending an event sponsored by student organization Human Rights through Education, Mersol-Barg found an issue for his platform. At the event, a former student fromAnnArbor spoke about being denied in-state tuition once the University discovered his undocumented status. Shortly after the conference, Mersol- Barg began thinking of ways to engage issues- facing undocumented students on campus. To form CTE, Mersol-Barg laid out three main factors that helped set up a successful movement. First, Mersol-Barg chose a coalition structure, an entity made up of many existing University groups, which today includes 32 member organi- zations. He said the coalition was crucialin involv- ing a large and diverse cross-section of students. Second, Mersol-Barg said the coalition was better able to "harness the power of members" by avoiding leadership hierarchy. By focusing on a singular goal - one where students had a tailored perspective to contrib- ute to the conversation surrounding immigrant rights - members were able to keep the coali- tion together. By June of 2012, it was clear CTE's presence: at regents meetings would not quietly disappear. Students showed up to CTE events in droves, regardless of their relation to undocumented students. Many viewed CTE's platform as an issue perfect for student activism - it was a problem within the larger immigration debate where student voices mattered. After Regent Julia Darlow (D-Ann Arbor) asked the University to explore the issue at the March 2012 regents meeting, then-Provost Phil Hanlon created a task force to examine the Uni- versity's residency guidelines that dictate how the University grants in-state tuition. Led by Lester Monts,Vice Provost of Academic Affairs, the task force included two other admin- istrators and four CTE members: Mersol-Barg, Lieberman, Luz Meza, then an LSA senior and Sanjay Jolly, then a Public Policy senior. With the goalofproducingareport to present to the regents, the task force began meeting twice a month. In interviews with The Michigan Daily, Monts and the student representatives said they viewed the task force as an open, collaborative working environment, while Lieberman and Jolly said its creation was initially a mechanism of deference. "When Phil Hanlon proposed this task force, it was 100 percent a measure for the University to drag their feet," Jolly said. "They didn't want to touch this. They wanted to show the world that they engage our students and we have a task force just for this issue." However, Jolly and Meza said Monts and the other task force administrators were entirely genuine throughout the process. "I don't have words to say how much I appre- ciate them for working with us," Meza said. Jolly said Monts encouraged the task force to leave no stone unturned and to take a meaning- ful look at the University's undocumented popu- lation in realms such as campus life, financial aid and admissions. In a recent statement to the Daily, Monts lauded the work of the student committee mem- bers. "Given the nature of the issues at hand, there were often differences of opinion regarding the interpretation of data and itsimplications for the creation of a new policy regardingctuition equal- ity," Monts said. "However, I'm pleased to say that the report is a product of a consensus build- ing process that was pervasive in our delibera- tions." But throughout much of 2012, University President Mary Sue Coleman avoided any public position on tuition equality while the task force investigated the issue. In a January 2013 interview with The Michi- gan Daily, Coleman emphasized the importance of immigration reform at a state and federal level, rather than through University gover- nance. "It would be so helpful if we could change things at the state level and do it as a comprehen- sive plan because I feel it's just an issue this coun- try has stuck its head in the sand about forever, and it's not right," Coleman said. Republican Regent Andrea Fischer Newman, who voted against the final measure granting in- state tuition fees along with Republican Regent Andrew Richner in July, expressed reluctance similar to Coleman's January 2013 stance. I's possible that the Coalition for Tuition Equality's defining moment was neither in a University Board of Regents meeting nor inside the Fleming Administration Building. At his decisive junction, there were no micro- phones, yellow shiA or senior University offi- cials -instead, just two guys at a table in a quiet section of the Shapiro Undergraduate Library. At nearly four in the morning, Kevin Mersol- Barg, then a Public Policy junior, and Yonah Lieberman, an LSA junior at the time, were up late studying like they did most Sunday nights. "We'd be in the UGLi talking about stuff, and Kevin mentions, totally offhand, 'Dan Morales was speaking at the regents meeting on Thurs- Ictober 26 - I e Loalition for Tuition -quality is established. day,' " Lieberman said in an August interview. It was February 2012, and Morales, a then LSA freshman and a current CTE spokesman, was set to share his experience struggling to afford a University education before he gained U.S. residency. Lieberman, ruminating on class readings on the Civil Rights Movement, suggested CTE allies hold up signs to represent the University student organizations that composed the coali- tion during the speech. CTE had 12 members, and Mersol-Barg had founded CTE only a few months prior to the regents meeting. About 30 students, representing the coali- January24 - Lentral Student Government unanimously passes a resolution supporting tuition equality. February16 - First CTE protest. During the public comments section at the University Board of Regents meeting, CTE member Daniel Morales reflects on the challenges of being an undocumented student before he achieved Michigan residency. Then, 30 sup- porters carrying signs representing members of the coalition walk out of the meeting. March 15 - CTE protests at the Regents meeting for the second time. CTE member Luz Meza discusses how the University's residency guidelines have affected undocumented students in her Southwest Detroit neighborhood. Students walk out after her speech. Regent Darlow requests then-Provost Phil Hanlon provide further information on a potential plan for tuition equality. April 19 - CTE protests at a Regents meeting for the third time. CTE assembled a large outdoor rally and nearly 200 students march to the Regents meeting to support multiple CTE speakers. I ne 2012 - The task force officially forms to examine residency guidelines and the experience of undocumented students on campus. The task force is nmnosed of students and administrators. september 20 - Lit protestsfor the tifth time at the Board of Kegents meeting. January 31- In an interview with The Michigan Daily, President Mary Sue Coleman says reforms related to immigration should be enacted at the state and federal level, rather than through University governance. March - The task force presents their report to the Regents. April17- CTE participates in a protest sponsored by One Michigan, a Detroit-based organization of undocumented students. Protestors march fromthe Michigan Union to President Coleman's house chanting "Education, not segregation!" Later, eight students are arrested when protestors block traffic on State Street and South University. April18 - At the April Regents meeting, President Coleman announces the University will have a"positive recommendation" on tuition equal- ity in the coming months. CTE holds a"study-in" at the meeting. July18- The Board of Regents pass new guidelines which grant in-state tuition to military veterans and students who graduated and attended three years of aMichigan high school and two yearsof a Michigan middle school,granting tuition equality to undocumented students. October 25 - Protest outside the Fleming Administration Building. More than one hundred students form a circle around the building to raise awareness among administrators. To show willingness to collaborate with the University, CTE hands out coffee and bagels to staff and officials entering the building.