STUDENTS IN THE SHADOWS: THE ROLE OF SOCIAL CAPITAL IN CREATING COLLEGE ACCESS FOR UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS by MICHAEL JEFFREY TRIVETTE (Under the Direction of Erik C. Ness) ABSTRACT This study uses qualitative methods to analyze a non-profit organization that seeks to help undocumented students successfully transition into postsecondary education. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, Freedom University began in 2011 as a response to an admissions ban restricting undocumented students from being able to attend Georgia's most selective public institutions. By using theories related to social capital and college choice, this dissertation seeks to explain how Freedom University works to assist undocumented students fulfill their dreams of attending a postsecondary institution. INDEX WORDS: Undocumented students, college access, social capital, college choice, higher education, postsecondary education STUDENTS IN THE SHADOWS: THE ROLE OF SOCIAL CAPITAL IN CREATING COLLEGE ACCESS FOR UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS by MICHAEL JEFFREY TRIVETTE B.S., Appalachian State University, 2006 M.A., Appalachian State University, 2008 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2015 © 2015 Michael Jeffrey Trivette All Rights Reserved STUDENTS IN THE SHADOWS: THE ROLE OF SOCIAL CAPITAL IN CREATING COLLEGE ACCESS FOR UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS by MICHAEL JEFFREY TRIVETTE Major Professor: Erik C. Ness Committee: Sheila Slaughter Manuel S. González Canché Electronic Version Approved: Julie Coffield Interim Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2015 DEDICATION To my family and all of the undocumented students that I have been fortunate to meet. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I first need to thank Dr. Erik Ness. Dr. Ness, you’ve been a big help for me since I first stepped into this program. I have always appreciated your guidance and the confidence you’ve had in my abilities, even when I wasn’t confident in myself. In many ways, I credit you for helping me reach this point and you are one of the best mentors I’ve ever had. I truly can’t thank you enough. I also want to express my appreciation to Dr. Sheila Slaughter. Dr. Slaughter, your name alone scared everyone in my cohort when we first entered the program. We all delayed taking social theory until the final semester of our coursework, but your course was the foundation of this study. Thank you for pushing me to pursue this topic. Your support and encouragement has been instrumental in reaching this point. Thanks also to Dr. Manuel González-Canché. You have also been a strong advocate for this work and I will always value the conversations we’ve had concerning college access for undocumented students and other first-generation populations. Your access class still remains one of my most favorite courses in my entire college career. Thank you for your contributions to such an important topic and for pushing students like myself to develop their “sociological imagination.” I would be remiss to not acknowledge the late Dr. Doug Toma. Dr. Toma’s research focusing on intercollegiate athletics led me to the Institute of Higher Education and we shared great conversations about college athletics and the role they play in higher education. Although we only knew each other for a short period of time, he made a lasting impact on my life and made me realize what a special place the Institute is for its students. I also need to acknowledge a few others for helping me reach this point. Justin Stritch has been my best friend for a long time and due to the fact that we were roommates for four years during our Ph.D. programs, we’ve definitely been a huge help for one another. Justin, you’re the brother I never had growing up and I thank you for your friendship through all the years, as well as the advice and support during our graduate programs. Finally, the wolfpack – Andrew Belasco, Jimmy Byars, Doug Chadwick, and Jeffrey Harding. You guys are awesome. I hope every cohort of doctoral students is as fortunate as we were to have such a close and fun group. I have benefited from having each of you in my life and I look forward to staying close with each of you as we move into our careers. Oh, and we should make it a point to continue honoring T-Haus Wednesdays at least several times per year. Dawgs on top. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES......................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1 Context.....................................................................................................................2 The Spark that Ignited Controversy.........................................................................5 Statement of the Problem.........................................................................................9 Purpose of the Study and Research Questions.......................................................11 Significance of the Study.......................................................................................12 Organization of the Study ......................................................................................13 2 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .............................................................................14 Major Court Rulings ..............................................................................................14 Changing Attitudes on Unauthorized Immigration................................................18 Federal Policies Affecting Access .........................................................................19 States Redefining Residency & Promoting Access ...............................................21 States Restricting Access .......................................................................................24 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals................................................................26 Previous Studies on Undocumented Students........................................................29 Theoretical Framework..........................................................................................30 Social Movement Theory.......................................................................................31 vi Social Capital.........................................................................................................33 College Choice.......................................................................................................37 The Importance of College Counseling .................................................................39 3 RESEARCH DESIGN.................................................................................................41 Gaining Access to Freedom University .................................................................43 Sample Selection....................................................................................................44 Data Collection ......................................................................................................46 Interviews...............................................................................................................47 Data Analysis.........................................................................................................49 Triangulation..........................................................................................................50 Validity and Reliability..........................................................................................50 Ethnical Considerations .........................................................................................52 Study Limitations...................................................................................................52 Researcher’s Position.............................................................................................53 Pro Bono Work ......................................................................................................55 4 BACKGROUND OF FREEDOM UNIVERSITY ......................................................57 The Beginning of Freedom University ..................................................................57 My Introduction to Freedom University................................................................63 Freedom University’s Transition to Atlanta ..........................................................67 A New Project in Athens .......................................................................................69 Why I Decided to Help Freedom University and U-Lead .....................................71 5 FINDINGS...................................................................................................................72 Main Objectives of Freedom University................................................................72 vii Creating College Access........................................................................................81 Activism Affecting College Applications..............................................................86 Motivation for Attending Freedom University......................................................89 Importance of High School Counseling.................................................................93