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By T. JIMMY MUNOZ Daily Texan Staff The president of the UT Council of Foreign Students is opposed to a bill that would allow the University and other state colleges and universities to create a foreign student services fee. “It’s very unfair to just single out foreign students and tell them that be cause they don’t pay taxes they should not receive those services,” said Gil bert Amine, an engineering junior. Amine’s statements came in re sponse to a bill filed March 1 by House Appropriations Committee Chairman. Bill Presnal, D-Bryan. Presnal said that he intends the bill as a means of re couping the costs of providing foreign student services. Presnal said money is being diverted from the general budget of state col leges and universities to pay for for eign student services and that foreign students, many of whom do not pay taxes or who do not have parents who are U.S. taxpayers, should share the cost of providing those services. Presnal’s bill has been assigned to the House Committee on Higher Edu- ‘it’s very unfair to just single out foreign stu dents and tell them that because they don’t pay taxes they should not receive those ser vices.’ cation, which is chaired by state Rep. Wilhemina Delco, D-Austin. Amine said the bill would discrimi nate against the University’s 3,004 for eign students while ignoring other groups of students, such as the dis abled, whose special needs cost the state additional money. “I'm sure the taxes their parents have paid will not pay even a small proportion of it,”” Amine said. ‘But that’s the way it is — you are not sell ing services.” Joe Neal, director of the UT Office of International Students, said foreign students are already “administratively discriminated against’ and added that he has questions about Presnal’s bill. Although a scholarship fund is avail able to Texas and non-state residents ,Gilbert Amine from state tuition, Neal said, foreign students are not offered a similar schol arship program. Neal said he would like to see a pro vision included in the bill that would provide a waiver for foreign students who show they cannot afford to pay the proposed fee. He also said he would like to see a scholarship pro gram for foreign students, many of whom are already facing financial hardships. Neal said the definition of the “‘inter national student” in the bill would mean that if the bill is passed Texas residents who have lived in the state all their lives but who do not have a U.S. citizenship will have to pay a for eign student services fee.
Newspaper Details
Austin Daily Texan
Austin, Texas, US
Wed, Mar 23, 1983
Page 16
Full Page
Clipped by
Gilbert A.
USA 13 Jul 2026
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