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AZ college fee benefits undocumented students

Posted at 11:04 PM, Apr 04, 2016
and last updated 2016-04-05 09:56:50-04

A new, mandatory fee at an Arizona college will pay for a scholarship for undocumented immigrants.

The $30 fee at Prescott College will be required this fall for all students attending class on its campus about 100 miles northwest of Phoenix.

More than 50 percent of students at the private school signed a petition supporting the proposal, according to the organizer of the effort, Miriel Manning.

"It's a challenging conversation sometimes with students," Manning, a graduate student, said when asked whether there was any campus opposition to the effort.

"Overall, I'm really impressed by the way we've come together," Manning said.

This is only the second such fee at a college nationwide, according to a news release from the school.

The money from the fee, plus additional support from the school, will provide one full-tuition scholarship for an undocumented student beginning with the 2016-17 academic year.

"We're committed to broadening access to higher education for a diverse group of students and mobilize our resources towards social justice," President John Flicker said in the release.