Loyola University • New Orleans • Volume 94 • Issue 13 • December 4, 2015
THE MAROON FOR A GREATER LOYOLA
the pursuit of education
By Rebeca Trejo rdtrejo@loyno.edu @rtrejo_maroon
It seemed like the blinding yellow flame from the shattered gas lamp had engulfed her bedroom. Maritza Contreras buried her face in her hands as a hot, blistering sensation pinched the nerves on her face. She jolted at first, but then there was nothing. Just silence. She went numb. Upon regaining conscious from the explosion, the 17-year-old Honduran soon discovered third-degree burns that covered her entire face. This unexpected incident set in motion a chain of events that would forever change her life. Contreras later met an American doctor, months after the accident, who worked with a humanitarian organization and promised to help her. “Before I could stop myself to think about the decision I was making at such a young age, or even discuss it with my parents, I snatched three dresses from my closet and threw them inside a tiny suitcase, found a bus and hopped on,” Contreras said. Contreras, a custodian at Loyola University New Orleans, obtained a U.S. visa for medical treatment through the International Hospital for Children, a non-profit pediatric community linking surgical resources to critically ill children in developing countries in Central America to receive cost-free reconstructive surgery in New Orleans. “Going by myself scared me, I didn’t know anybody there and I didn’t know the language. But I knew this was a special opportunity,” Contreras said. “I knew my mother would not have been able to go with me because I was the oldest
child in a family of 10. So I took a chance – a new opportunity in life.” After she arrived in Louisiana, the 17-year-old spent the next three years undergoing extensive reconstructive surgery while living inside home-away-from-home support programs, such as the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater New Orleans, which provides housing to seriously ill children. According to Contreras, at 19-years-old, the doctors finished her surgeries and given that she hadn’t faced major difficulties when she previously applied for her medical visa extension, she petitioned to become a green card holder, starting the path to become a permanent resident. She added that even though she longed to see her family, she knew she had to take the opportunity. However, Contreras’ visa renewal experience took an unexpected turn when her application took nine years to arrive. “I became depressed when I saw the days, months and then years passing without any real legal response. But I had no other option but to wait because of my family,” Contreras said. Under those circumstances, Contreras found herself unable to apply for a federal student loan and ultimately dismissed the idea of enrolling in college. Not only was Contreras unable to pursue an education, she could not leave the country, obtain a social security number, apply for governmental health benefits, work under legal employment or even earn a driver’s license. Without her permanent residency, she had to put her education on hold and work low-paying jobs for long hours just to help her family. “Some days I felt like I was living
inside an invisible prison. You can’t really do anything,” Contreras said “After a while you get used to it and start to live under the radar. You keep moving forward because you know that this reality is better than the one back home.” According to the Immigration Policy Center, Contreras is only one out of the 2.2 million young undocumented immigrants who are dealing with this reality everyday. In fact, fewer than 6,500 students without legal status, out of the estimated 65,000 that graduate from high school each year, will go on to attend college, according to the Immigration Policy Center. In contrast, only 5 to 10 percent of undocumented high school graduates go on to college, according to College Board. In 1982, the Supreme Court ruled that the United States is legally required to finance the education of all students in grades K-12, regardless of their immigration status. However, this does not apply to higher education. According to College Board, only 19 states in the country allow undocumented students to pay instate tuition, in most states, they are required to pay out-of-state tuition at public colleges and universities at over 1.4 times the cost of resident tuition. According to a study by RAND, a nonprofit that analyzes data and research, this contributes to the growing 10 percent of students who incorrectly assume they cannot legally attend college in the U.S. Isabel Medina, law professor at Loyola, said there are numerous circumstances affecting this group’s ability to thrive in their surrounding environment.
See CITIZENSHIP, page 4
Wildes to hire chief diversity officer in response to students By Kristen Stewart knstewar@loyno.edu @Kstewart818
Calling for more diversity on campus, Loyola student leaders constructed and presented a petition to the Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J., university president, detailing their push for change. Monday, Nov. 30, Wildes sent the university a campus-wide email with his plan to address these demands. A petition was sent to the Loyola community in November by a group known as The Black Collegians of LOYNO. The petition called to address the issues that affect the multiculturalism and diversity at Loyola. The petition stated that “the University prides itself on celebrating multiculturalism and having
a diverse student body, yet we are served by faculty and administrators that do not reflect us. And when asked about the lack of diversity among faculty, there is no action plan for improvement nor an explanation about why hiring practices have been so limited.” Among the demands in the petition were to better assist students who need financial aid, mandate classes that revolve around diversity and multiculturalism, and hire a chief diversity officer to conduct fairness and equality among faculty hiring processes as well as among the student body. On Nov. 18, Wildes sent out a Financial Equilibrium Plan to faculty which included a section on diversity and inclusiveness and plans to hire a Chief Diversity Officer. “I have asked our provost and
deans to prepare action plans that include the hiring of a diversity officer to lead the university diversity strategy and establish a committee on diversity,” Wildes said in the document. In an email sent out university-wide on Nov. 30, Wildes went into further detail about these plans, including what to expect with the CDO. “The interim and permanent CDOs will be tasked with creating and implementing programs that will design and lead the strategic plan initiatives to create transformational change, increased diversity, tolerance, inclusivity and belonging on campus, develop targeted hiring processes for faculty of color, provide crucial multicultural training, and monitor and gauge progress through metrics and surveys,”
the email read. Students are able to nominate faculty for the position. In order to qualify, the nominee must be able to create a positive and safe space for students to report acts of discrimination and racism, hear further concerns and demands, and identify as a person of color. Shawn Kelly, co-president of the Black Student Union, and Armani Eady, president of the Living Our Vision Everyday Chapter of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, met with Wildes to present these demands. Kelly said he felt Wildes was very open to their demands. “Overall, I think the experience went really well and I think we had a really productive conversation. I’m hopeful that we will continue to see more of this type of discussion on
campus,” Kelly said. Eady said her meeting with Wildes was a positive experience as well. “He was very receptive and actively engaged in the conversation. He was open to hearing our concerns but more focused on finding resolutions. Since our meeting, his offices have reached out to us and wants to follow up. This is a step in the right direction,” Eady said. “The president’s response to our list of demands made me optimistic about the future of Loyola. Our voices have been heard and our problems have been formerly addressed, now it is time for our administration to act.”
See PETITION, page 12