2008 Woodie Awards
Permanent residents deserve equal rights
The Editorial Board
Issue date: 3/17/04 Section: Opinions
As page 1's, "Permanent residents forced to jump hurdles," indicates, MTSU has a rather backward policy of dealing with permanent residents.
Permanent residents - not to be confused with international students who receive a student visa to study in the United States - are being forced to go through the same process as applicants who have never stepped foot on U.S. soil.
These hassles include paying a much higher application fee (nearly $100, as opposed to $15), having to take a test called the Test of English as a Foreign Language and tuberculosis shots.
These residents - who have generally lived in the United States for most of their lives - are treated as fully international students, as opposed to most other colleges and universities, which treat permanent residents as citizens in regards to the application process.
It should be noted that permanent residents have almost the same rights as a citizen, including the right to be employed by whomever wants to hire them.
We believe this is an issue that should be addressed immediately by the administration.
First of all, it's inconsistent with most other schools as well as the system the federal government set up. If a resident can jump through the hoops necessary to receive permanent resident status, he or she shouldn't have to deal with extra hassles. There's no obvious reason for the extra steps, and it could discourage some students from attending MTSU.
Permanent residents must pay the same taxes as U.S. citizens, yet they don't reap the benefits as other taxpayers do.
Why, then, does the administration treat these prospective students as international applicants?
Permanent residents live in this country legally. They possess green cards. That's why they're called permanent residents.
Treating these individuals in this manner and making them pay higher fees is a blight on this institution.
Permanent residents - not to be confused with international students who receive a student visa to study in the United States - are being forced to go through the same process as applicants who have never stepped foot on U.S. soil.
These hassles include paying a much higher application fee (nearly $100, as opposed to $15), having to take a test called the Test of English as a Foreign Language and tuberculosis shots.
These residents - who have generally lived in the United States for most of their lives - are treated as fully international students, as opposed to most other colleges and universities, which treat permanent residents as citizens in regards to the application process.
It should be noted that permanent residents have almost the same rights as a citizen, including the right to be employed by whomever wants to hire them.
We believe this is an issue that should be addressed immediately by the administration.
First of all, it's inconsistent with most other schools as well as the system the federal government set up. If a resident can jump through the hoops necessary to receive permanent resident status, he or she shouldn't have to deal with extra hassles. There's no obvious reason for the extra steps, and it could discourage some students from attending MTSU.
Permanent residents must pay the same taxes as U.S. citizens, yet they don't reap the benefits as other taxpayers do.
Why, then, does the administration treat these prospective students as international applicants?
Permanent residents live in this country legally. They possess green cards. That's why they're called permanent residents.
Treating these individuals in this manner and making them pay higher fees is a blight on this institution.
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