As the national debate on immigration and deportation leaves some undocumented students questioning their place on college campuses, groups at the University of Oregon are trying to reassure them that they are safe.
Ellen Hawley McWhirter presented an overview of the challenges that undocumented and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals students are facing at UO. The UO Dreamer’s Working Group hosted the information session.
About 40 people, mostly staff and faculty members, met in the Spruce and Cedar rooms in the EMU Tuesday afternoon.
“This is not going to make you an ally,” McWhirter said. “One of the goals of this presentation is to give you a little bit of information and then access to resources so we can be better allies.”
McWhirter and her colleagues plan to provide longer sessions throughout the year that will help equip community members to become allies.
UO President Michael Schill has not committed to using the term “Sanctuary Campus,” but the university has committed to supporting undocumented students. Administration has said that it will not facilitate immigration enforcement on campus, nor share the immigration status of any of its students unless required by a court order.
Jane Irungu, assistant Vice President for student engagement, said that the university knows the approximate number of DACA students but that it will not share the number, saying the university is “100 percent” committed to protecting its students.