TO: Minnesota lawmakers
FROM: MnEEP’s College Race 股本 Advocacy Advisory Council (CREAAC), 一个全国性的, multi-racial advocacy group of higher-ed and 种族权益 leaders.
支持 MnEEP HIGHER EDUCATION RACE EQUITY COMPACT SO ALL MINNESOTANS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO THRIVE
Minnesotans often boast about being from a state 那 leads in health outcomes, 创新, 但我们知道，对有色人种和土著人民(POCI)来说，现实远非如此。.
Minnesota continues to lead in racial disparities, 对于越来越多的POCI学生来说，现在正处于真正的大学毕业危机之中. 明尼苏达州的白人学生获得副学位或更高学位的可能性是美国印第安学生的三倍多，是西班牙裔和黑人学生的两倍多(明尼苏达州高等教育局), 2019).
This critical racial disparity is harming our students, 我们的家庭, and our communities, and it’s putting our businesses and local economy at risk. 更重要的是, these stark inequities, which have been exacerbated in recent months by the COVID-19 pandemic, are a threat to Minnesota’s future.
In 2015, 明尼苏达州立法机构设定了一个目标，到2025年，明尼苏达州25岁至44岁的成年人中有70%获得高等教育证书或学位. 起草这项重要立法的目的是为了在明尼苏达州培养有技能的劳动力，促进个人繁荣.
然而，POCI学生接受高等教育的持续障碍使得更多明尼苏达州人实现教育成就和繁荣的目标遥不可及.
MnEEP认识到COVID-19大流行对该州的预算收入前景产生了负面影响, 这可能会诱使政策制定者缩减明尼苏达州对高等教育机会的投资. 然而，我们坚持认为，我们的州必须从种族平等的角度来加强接受高等教育的机会，如果我们要度过疫情造成的经济低迷，并保证明尼苏达州的经济福祉. We cannot wait any longer to take action.
Now is the time for the state to create and implement a new, racially 公平的 higher-education model 那 reinvests financial resources in POCI students and addresses their unique needs for support. 一个新的模式必须专门服务于POCI学生的负担能力和大学前景, 应用, and completion if we want to build a more robust financial future for all Minnesotans.
让我们明确一点:明尼苏达州的高等教育财政援助系统并不是为POCI的学生建立的. When the State Grant was designed in the early 1980s, Minnesota was a much “whiter” place. In 2000-01, 10 percent of public high school graduates in Minnesota were POCI students.
In 2019-20, 29 percent were. And in the next 15 years, it’s expected to increase to 42 percent. Yet the State Grant formula remains the same as when it began 40 years ago, and does not fairly assess the unique financial needs of POCI college students.
例如, the Student Share is still set at 50 percent, even though college costs have increased significantly. And the Living and Miscellaneous Expenses (LME) don’t fairly reflect the costs students face. 事实上, 明尼苏达州高等教育局发现，需要对州助学金进行重大改革，使明尼苏达州的低收入学生上得起大学.
这一点很重要, 因为我们知道, 例如, 那 POCI students are more likely to have lower family incomes; they are more likely to be older and often head of households; they are more likely to be transfer students; and they are more likely to go to two-year state colleges and attend college part-time.
目前的高等教育财政模式惩罚了这些学生，实际上给他们带来了更大的经济负担.
我们州目前的高等教育财政援助模式不过是明尼苏达州持续存在的系统性和结构性种族主义的另一种方式. And it must end now.
We know much work needs to be done. But in a time of crisis, 如果我们想要提高大学毕业率，建立一个种族更加公正、经济更加健全的明尼苏达州，这些首要行动是必不可少的.
We call on the Minnesota state legislature to support The MnEEP Minnesota Higher Education Race 股本 Compact (MnHEREC) and:
1. Prioritize 种族权益 in college access and completion: As the number of POCI students grows in Minnesota, 该州必须将种族平等置于所有高等教育计划的中心，通过投资新模式和采用反种族主义做法，以推动所有POCI学生的成功.
2. Remove financial barriers 那 deny POCI students their right to an education: 该州必须重新设计明尼苏达州目前的高等财政援助政策，以解决和支持POCI学生独特的社会经济需求, who are disproportionately low income.
3. Redesign institutional systems and practices to support POCI student success: Higher-ed institutions must be required to develop and provide 个性化的, 公平的, and meaningful support systems and pathways 那 address POCI students’ unique needs.
4. Advance anti-racist teaching practices and environments in higher-ed: 国家必须提供资金支持正在进行的文化响应式教学的专业发展, 种族权益, and anti-racist teaching practices for all higher education faculty and staff.
The Minnesota Higher Education Race 股本 Compact (MnHEREC) will:
1. Prioritize 种族权益 in college access and completion
a. 为所有在高度贫困学校和/或地区就读的POCI学生提供支持，并要求系统负责，以达到该州POCI学生人数的85%为目标水平，申请财政援助.
b. 在制定所有新的教育政策和投资时，使用种族平等的视角，优先考虑POCI学生的成功，并提高他们的大学学位.
2. Remove financial barriers 那 deny POCI students their right to an education:
a. Lower the Assigned Student Responsibility for the Minnesota State Grant from 50% to 46%, which will get us closer to an amount students can cover through reasonable work and borrowing.
b. Increase Living and Miscellaneous (LME) to 115% of poverty level for nine months, which will bring us closer to the actual living and educational costs students face.
c. Extend State Grant eligibility for up to 135 credits, to better support transfer students, who are disproportionately POCI, and may lose credits in the course of transferring, by giving students enough State Grant eligibility to complete bachelor’s degrees.
d. 国家赠款基金应继续为国家赠款受助人提供发展教育课程, but not count against 135 credit eligibility. POCI students are over-placed in developmental education, which costs students money but does not earn them credits towards their degree. 当发展教育课程与州助学金资格不符时，这意味着学生在接近完成学位时可能会用完资金.
e. 对明尼苏达工作学习项目进行研究，分析该项目将如何扩大，以满足POCI大学生的需求，并使更多学生能够在校园以最低生活工资工作.
3. 重新设计机构系统和实践，以支持POCI学生的需求，提高他们的成功和大学毕业率:
a. Develop a statewide plan for implementing Guided Pathways with a specific focus on 种族权益
b. 在三年内逐步取消75%的传统发展教育(传统上被定义为不需要为获得学位而承担学分的先决课程)，并重新投资于对学生的全面支持，如辅导, student connections, and mental health supports.
c. Implement multiple measures to determine course placement (such as GPA, 这样，未来的学生就不会仅仅根据Accuplacer的分数被安排参加发展教育课程.
4. Advance anti-racist teaching practices and environments in higher-ed:
a. Create a funding model, to increase over next three years, 促进文化响应做法和反种族主义教学和教育环境，使POCI学生感到安全和得到支持.
To join us or to learn more about CREAAC and this essential work, please reach out to Leiataua Dr. Robert Jon Peterson at: jpeterson@cabecicosblancos.com.
