Last night, I gave a presentation in a Sociology class. The professor invites me to present on the services that my office provides to the campus, as well as current terminology. The students, as usual, had some great questions, including those about the laws surrounding and effects of reparative therapy and legislation regarding bullying. For the most part, the class went really well. But there was one student who was pretty upset that I was there, and confronting some of the teachings of her religion. She was very opposed to what I was teaching, which for me, just reinforced the reason that we have a GLBT office on campus. I don’t doubt her faith. What I have an issue with is questioning our existence on campus.
As I often explain to people who ask, my job is to level the educational playing field for the LGBT students here on campus, giving them an equal opportunity to access their education. A recent article in the New York Times just highlighted one of the many reasons that LGBT centers are still necessary on campus. The article highlighted stories of two students who had difficulties in filling out the FAFSA, and not just because the form is confusing.
The first student was raised by a lesbian couple. However, the FAFSA form only includes a space for a male parent and a female parent. To further complicate the matter, her mothers had separated, and were in relationships with other women. In cases such as these, what is a student to do? There are no instructions on the FAFSA form that would indicate how to handle this situation. Through no fault of her own, this student is dealing with a discriminatory process, as FAFSA relies on the federally-mandated Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), that defines marriage as being between one man and one woman. Because this student cannot fully define her family situation on this form, the amount of financial aid that she receives may be affected.
The other student that the article interviewed faced a different problem. After coming out to his parents, they threw him out of the house, and cut off any kind of financial support, including assistance with his tuition. Because FAFSA normally requires that parents of students under 24 years of age fill out the application, this student was placed into a huge financial dilemma. Luckily, he discovered that FAFSA does allow universities to declare a student independent of their parents, but the process is sometimes long and harrowing.
The Center for American Progress recently published a report titled: “Unequal Aid: Discriminatory Treatment of Gay and Transgender Applicants and Families Headed by Same-Sex Couples in the Higher Education Financial Aid Process.” This report outlines the discrimination faced by LGBT students, and students with LGBT parents. Unfortunately, until the United States decides that all citizens are equal, students will continue to face discrimination based on one facet of their or their parents’ identities. The process of getting a college education is difficult enough. It’s time that we end discrimination in this country. It might put me out of a job, but if that's what it takes, I'm really OK with that.
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ReplyDeleteSteve, thank you for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with you, every student regardless of their background should have access to equal educational opportunities.
Recognition of diversity and inclusion in our communities and our campuses should also be reflected in the legal processes and procedures that federal and state government agencies require. All students should be treated as equals.
The discriminatory experiences that LGBT students in the article have encountered are unacceptable. Thus we need to continue to advocate for inclusion, access and non-discriminatory policies for all.
Hi Steve,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post. I had seen the article about the FAFSA form requiring the male and female parental fields, but had not stopped to consider the second issue and example that you describe. I am familiar with the process for a student to be deemed "independent" for FA purposes, but had not considered this from a discriminatory perspective. Now that I am thinking of that I am struck by the complexity of this issue! On the one hand I can understand the tough situation of the student who has essentially been disowned by parents (for various possible reasons, but the case you describe may unfortunately be a common reason for a parent to do such a thing...). On the other hand, I also recognize the fuzzy line that develops when an institution opens the door wider for students to declare independence.
I also have conflicting feelings about parental income and student aid in a general sense. On one hand, parental income of traditional aged students greatly impacts access for the vast majority of students, and therefore should be a factor in the financial aid formula. However, the relationship between student and parent(s) is not uniform. As we see in this example of the student who has been thrown out of the house b/c of sexual orientation, and in other cases as well. Financial Aid tries to be such a quantifiable resource… but there’s no quotient or variable to insert into the magic formula to quantify a student’s relationship with family.
Back to your post re. discrimination: I do wonder if, in the future, this perspective will force Financial Aid administrators and lawmakers to address the complex issue of emancipated/independent students in simpler ways. Could a single savvy student raise this issue of discrimination do away with the rigidity of dependency status as we now know it?
Steve,
ReplyDeleteNice post. I share your concern regarding roadblocks (intentional or not) for LGBT students as they complete the FAFSA.
I am going to try not to get too political here, but this is precisely the reason why the United States Government should not be dictating who we can love and marry. The Defense of Marriage Act, in this example at least, is not a defense of marriage at all. At the very best, the Defense of Marriage act, in this instance, is unintentionally barring LGBT students from a feeling of inclusiveness when completing college forms. At the very worst, the Defense of Marriage act is intentionally discriminating against LGBT students. While I would like to believe that those who support the Defense of Marriage Act are not smart enough to determine all the ways that they are discriminating against others, I fear that maybe they are and maybe they do.
Is the Defense of Marriage Act really a defense of "traditional" marriage or is a tool for discrimination across all facets of American life? This example, one of many, leads me to believe that quite possibly the latter is true.
Braelin, good comment. Regarding declaring independence, I agree there is no magic formula to determine the validity of the situation that has led to a student decision to claim independence. What worries me most is that because there is no real formula, FA officers are left to use their professional judgement to determine status. I am worried that without proper training regarding the experiences of others, personal bias can play a big part in the decisions that are made. Often, the lack of a magic formula leaves the door open for impropriety and a policing atmosphere that can be detrimental to students.