Among other things...

Illegal immigrant students at Columbia University demand free health care, housing, and sensitivity training for staff

If you illegally enter someone’s house, refuse to leave, and hand them a list of 13 demands, a few things will happen. If you aren’t immediately shot for breaking and entering, you’ll be told to get the hell out. Then, your demands will be mocked, ridiculed, and refused. Finally, the police will be called and you’ll be forcibly removed. You won’t be coddled, indulged, or comforted. You’ll be jettisoned with extreme prejudice. On the other hand, if you illegally enter the United States, you’ll find an army of liberals who are willing to forgive your initial crime, confiscate the wealth of others to support you, and scream “racist” at anyone who would dare point out that your very presence violates the most basic of laws. Then, you can enroll in a left-wing taxpayer-funded college, hand them your list of demands, and they’ll actually take your nonsense seriously.

UndoCU’s list of “demands” That’s what’s happening at Columbia University, where a group of illegal students called “UndocU” presented the school with a list of ridiculous demands. As they posted on their Facebook page, it’s no fun being an illegal alien - so they want their bastion of higher learning to make life easier for them: “This past year, the year of UndoCU’s conception, we have consistently faced issues and problems that the university has, at best, responded to sparingly. Our daily lived experiences are shaped by national and federal forces that we must face with bravery, but the collective university administration’s inaction has worsened these issues. Some of us were on the verge of homelessness. Some, including their families, are at high risk of deportation. That the university is not active in aiding and ameliorating these problems demonstrates Columbia’s lack of intrinsic interest in its undocumented students. We therefore present this list of demands upon which we expect the university to act.” Yes, yes. they’re very “brave” to be in the country illegally, and we’re sure that lefty hearts bleed for their predicament. However, their “demands” are utter nonsense. The list reads more like a hijacker’s note than anything that should be taken seriously.

As Campus Reform writes: One of the more audacious demands calls for “full reimbursement of the health insurance fees,” complaining that the university’s International Students and Scholars Office only refunds “portions of these fees.” Columbia requires all students to be covered by health care while enrolled, which costs roughly $3,000 per year in addition to co-pays and deductibles. UndoCU also demands “specialized fundraising for undocumented students,” in order to create “undocumented student[-]specific scholarships and grants” for illegal immigrant students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. “Need[-]based funding must be available for undocumented students at all Columbia University and affiliate schools,” the ultimatum continues, referring to affiliates such as Barnard College and Union Theological Seminary.

They want cash for housing, cash for healthcare, and the elimination of fees that apply to legal foreign students In other words, “give us money.” They want cash for housing, cash for healthcare, and the elimination of fees that apply to legal foreign students - because they’re “international students only by technical designation.” ...Never mind that the “technical designation” is that they’re “technically” not supposed to be in the United States at all. -International student designation

We are international students only by technical designation, so we are all subject to pay the semesterly $70.00 international services fee. Further, classifying us as international students puts us at risk of having our information exposed to Homeland Security. We want the university to respect and recognize us as domestic students, be clear about the implications of our student status, and have these fee charges refunded to us. We also demand full reimbursement of the health insurance fees. ISSO refunded portions of these fees, but the calculations are inaccurate and leaves graduating students with exorbitant amounts of account balances which potentially hinders their request for academic transcripts and degrees. -Specialized fundraising for undocumented students

We want the university as a whole and individual schools to raise funding to specifically support undocumented students in both undergrad and grad schools with the objective of creating undocumented student specific scholarships and grants. Need based funding must be available for undocumented students at all Columbia University and affiliate schools. Oh, and by the way, they don’t like being called illegals. Such accurate labels hurt their feelings. So they want Columbia to train their employees to ...not be meanies.





In other words, don’t tell them to stop breaking the law. It upsets them “-Sensitivity training for faculty and staff

During the spring semester we published an op-ed in the Columbia Spectator asking that the university provide sensitivity training for professors, TA, and all other staff in terms of immigration language and rhetoric. Much like sexual health training, it is imperative that immigration subjects be treated with the proper language and information. It is unacceptable for students to be called “illegal” in their own classrooms or for professors to tell us to “get legal.”” In other words, don’t tell them to stop breaking the law. It upsets them. In a sane world, the only response this list would generate is a visit from ICE agents. Since we live in a world gone mad, Columbia staff will probably listen to each demand, run an expensive cost-benefit analysis, hold a series of outreach meetings, weigh the merits of each bullet point, and then recommend the University give in to all of it. This is a school which spent millions of taxpayer dollars on fake voicemails from people “dying of climate change,” so we’re sure they’re willing to pony up for this. Since there’s not sign of the gravy train stopping, there’s always more federal cash on the way. Remember, you can view the complete list of demands on the group’s Facebook page here





UndocU | Basic Rules & Vocabulary for Applying to College as an Undocumented Student

Robert Laurie -- Bio and Archives Robert Laurie’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain.com Be sure to “like” Robert Laurie over on Facebook and follow him on Twitter. You’ll be glad you did.

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