ACLU fights for fairness in Indiana scholarships

Hopes are high for Indiana students who are natural-born U.S. citizens but whose parents are not, thanks to one proposed settlement made between the ACLU of Indiana and the 21st Century Scholars program about state scholarships. \nThe settlement plan has been made because of an incident with a high-school senior who applied for the 21st Century Scholars Program -- for which any student is eligible based on a family's low- or middle-class income, a 2.0 GPA and good citizenship -- but was denied a state scholarship for the lack of a parent's Social Security number. The student's parents were not U.S. residents. \nJared Sloane, the 2004-06 executive director of the IU Civil Liberties Union, said he believes the issue comes down to a U.S. citizen's rights being denied. He said he feels positive about the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana pushing the legal action.\n"It's a proxy issue for illegal immigration," Sloane said. "This is an issue about the students, not the parents. Sometimes to change rules, you have to change the law." \nBased on the application, students as old as 20 can apply for the scholarship if they had never received aid before, whether or not their parents are U.S. citizens. \n"I am on a state scholarship this year, but I didn't apply," said freshman Ben Delgado. "It's a good thing because it is about the students, but people can abuse these advantages."\nDelgado, whose parents are from Mexico, is a U.S. citizen and receives state scholarship money.\nIU political science professor Russell Hanson also said the case is an issue with the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.\n"The students themselves are under the law and they are entitled to equal protection under the law," Hanson said. "If it was the parents, it would be a different issue. (One) must take action against the parents that are illegally here."\nHanson said the issue with the scholarships is also based on a need for "education improvement."\n"In Indiana, there is a need for education improvement, upgraded skills in the work force, and this requires greater investment, even in those that are legally here but whose parents are not."\nHanson called it a victory for the ACLU, saying it shows the importance and effects of the 14th Amendment in cases involving equal protection of the law.\nThe Monroe County Public Library, 303 E. Kirkwood Ave., will hold a program titled "Civil Liberties and Immigration" at 7 p.m. in the library's auditorium about the issue. The event is free.