A Catholic alternative

I certainly sympathize with the educational plight of Alicia Trujillo, who wrote “I don’t want to stop now; I want to be educated and give back” in the March 25 Denver Catholic Register.  She is a 19-year-old, U.S.-reared Mexican national who lacks immigration papers necessary to qualify for in-state tuition at Colorado’s state-run institutions of higher education.  I also understand the Church’s motivation in supporting Colorado State Senate Bill 170, the “Tuition Equity Bill” that would have granted in-state tuition to people like Alicia.

I am sorry, however, that neither Alicia nor the Register mentioned another strategy for coping with high out-of-state tuition assessments.  Rather than pay out-of-state tuition at a public school, why not apply to authentically Catholic colleges and universities such as Thomas Aquinas College in California, Wyoming Catholic College, Ave Maria University in Florida, Christendom College in Virginia and Franciscan University at Steubenville, Ohio?  The cost of these schools is generally less than the price to attend four-year state schools that assess out-of-state tuition.  With generous financial aid available at these Catholic schools, the cost is often much less than at state schools.  Not only could Alicia get a fine academic education for less money at these Catholic institutions, but she would receive human, religious and moral formation that she would never obtain at a state school. 

Let’s work hard to eliminate religious and other forms of discrimination from state-run educational institutions, but let’s also remember to always promote their Catholic alternatives.
 
Richard J. Wall Jr.
Cheyenne, Wyo.