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Profitable exchange
National program allows Paraguayans to pay in-state tuition
"I know it is unfair for someone who came from another state to pay more than we do to study at KU. But they have to understand that they have good universities in every state here, and we don't."
Story by Mariana Paiva Illustration by Kyle Ramsey
Pilar Peña Asunción, Paraguay, junior
Pilar Peña is one of 1,506 international students at the University of Kansas. Although she came from 5,045 miles
away, when it comes time to pay tuition, she pays the same amount as a Kansas resident.
Peña, Asuncion, Paraguay, junior, came to the University through the Partners of the Americas' agreement. This program allows Latin American students to pursue an education at a U.S. university and pay in-state tuition. The program pays the difference between non-resident fees of $282 per credit hour and resident fees of $68.05 per credit hour.
"It is an advantage for us," Pena said. "I know it is unfair for someone who came from another state to pay more than we do to study at KU. But they have to understand that they have good universities in every state here, and we don't."
Both Pena's brother and cousin are also enrolled at the University.
Twenty-four out of 28 Paraguayan students at the University are involved with the Partners of the Americas program. The remaining four Paraguayans must pay out-of-state tuition because 24 is the limit for the program.
Hays S state and the University of Kansas—joined the partners program and created the resident tuition exchange program between students living in Kansas and Paraguay.
Hector Podesta, Asunción, Paraguay, senior and president of the KU Paraguayan Organization is one of the 24. He said that any Paraguayan student who had graduated high school could pay a fee to join the Partners of the Americas. After joining the program, students are placed on a waiting list. Preference is given first to students pursuing Ph.Ds and master's degrees, next to students seeking undergraduate degrees, and finally to students only wishing to learn English. To come to the United States, students must be accepted by a state university and prove to the U.S. Justice Department that they can pay to live in the U.S. Podesta said many students couldn't come because they couldn't afford the living expenses.
At the University of Kansas, students in the program must maintain a certain grade point average, depending on their year in school to continue paying in-state tuition.
Charles Stansifer, professor of history, helped to establish the partnership between the state of Kansas and Paraguay in 1976. Every country in Latin America has a U.S. state partner. In Kansas, the Regents institutions — Wichita State, Kansas State, Emporia State, Pittsburg State, Fort
Stansifer said the agreement was reciprocal and that University of Kansas students could take classes in the National and Catholic Universities in Paraguay. No University students are studying in Paraguay this year and none have since 1994.
Stansifer said that one of the reasons Paraguay was chosen as Kansas' partner was that both Paraguay and Kansas had large Mennonite communities. But the fact that Paraguay was a military-ruled country, under the command of General Alfredo Stroessner, created tension.
Stansifer made his first trip to Paraguay in 1976. He met with directors of the country's top two universities, Universidad Catolica (Catholic University) and Universidad Nacional (National University).
"I was really shocked when I came back and found that some people judged me and thought that I was pro-dictatorship on the fact that I had gone to Paraguay," Stansifer said. "I had nothing to do with Stroessner and never met him. I was strictly focused on the University exchange relationship when I went there."
Stansifer said he decided to support
Paraguay as Kansas' Partner when a Paraguayan priest came to campus and talked about his country.
"He said, 'Please don't abandon the people in Paraguay just because we have to suffer from a dictatorship,' " Stansifer said. "It really made a difference in my mind because Paraguay was not my highest priority. He persuaded me to try to make a contact with the Paraguayan committee despite the dictatorship."
KU alumnus Mario Ramos-Reyes, Paraguay consul general, who has an office in Kansas City, Mo., said that the dictatorship was the main reason why a stronger exchange between students from the two countries was not fortified.
"In my case, KU has been a blessing: I finished a master's degree and a Ph.D., and I found all the resources for doing research, which was lacking in Paraguay because of Stroessner oppression," he said. "Today I can say that I am privileged in Paraguay, one of the few people of my generation, probably no more than a dozen, who hold a Ph.D. from an American university."
Paraguayans lived under a dictatorship for 35 years — until 1989 when Alfredo Stroessner was deposed in a
PARTNERS HISTORY
In 1962, then-President John F. Kennedy established the Alliance for Progress, a cooperation alliance among governments in the Americas. In 1963, Kennedy sought to involve private citizens in the program. The program expanded to include volunteer programs and eventually, student exchanges. The Partners of the Alliance was established within the Agency for International Development (USAID) in 1964 and in 1970, the program's name changed to Partners of the Americas and the program moved into the private sector, although USAID continues to make financial contributions.
source: Partners of the Americas website:
www.partners.net.
presidential coup. The end of the military rule opened the door for United States students to enhance their academic pursuits by studying in Paraguay. However, 10 years after the end of military rule, the exchange between the partners had not become equal.
Although the KU Office Study Abroad will help students who want
to go to Paraguay, there is no established KU program.
"It is really hard to convince students to study in Paraguay," Hector Podesta said. "First, the universities lack infrastructure. Second, the airfare to Paraguay is too expensive."
Podesta said that most of the Paraguayans who could afford to study abroad usually went to countries close to Paraguay that offered a better academic education.
The Paraguayans who use the Partners of the Americas program pay almost the same price as they would pay for pursuing their degree in a Latin America institution.
Although several universities in Kansas allow Paraguayans to pay resident tuition, Podesta said KU was almost always students' first choice.
Stansifer said that the fact that 24 Paraguayan students paid resident tuition did not hurt the University's budget because the partners' Washington headquarters paid for the difference. The organization receives help from the Agency for International Development, other government agencies and contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations.
When Podesta enrolled at the University three years ago, he was still on the waiting list to become a resident student. He studied economics and political science because those were the urgent and worst problems that Paraguayan society was facing.
"All of the Paraguayans have our country in our hearts," he said. "And we will do whatever it is necessary to return there one day and help to develop our society."
Ramos-Reyes said that he came back to Kansas last year to be the first consul of the Paraguay consulate in Kansas City. He said that his main goal was to promote a stronger relationship between Kansas and Paraguay in all areas. Recently, he has been trying to establish the same deal with other universities and colleges in the state.
"A consulate is crucial in the consolidation of the relationship," Ramos-Reyes said. "It will strengthen the exchange program of students, and I am talking to all officials at Kansas universities to encourage students to go to Paraguay."
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