Supporting Our Students and Reaffirming Our University Values During the Emerging DACA Concerns

Dear Members of the Adelphi Community,

At Adelphi, one of our key institutional values is to promote student success and education. We recently celebrated the return of our students—representing 40 states and over 49 countries—to campus. In what should be a happy and exciting time, we share your concern that the White House decision to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) threatens the safety and security of some members of this vibrant and diverse community.

Fairness and inclusivity for all members of our community are important values at Adelphi. While there are many differing viewpoints expressed in the ongoing public debate over immigration, we join the more than 350 top executives and 600 college and university presidents supporting DACA.

Additionally, we will continue to tirelessly advocate with Congress on behalf of the nearly 800,000 young people protected by this program.

We remain committed to the protection of our students’ rights and privacy. Our actions, which can be read in full here, include:

• Reaching out personally in support of students affected by the change in DACA,
• Providing protocols for contact from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other governmental agencies inquiring about immigration status,
• Not maintaining records that would identify students as undocumented,
• Not voluntarily reporting or sharing information about undocumented immigrants to any governmental agency or authority.

Most recently, our DACA International and Immigration Task Force has proposed the launch of a Confidential Allies initiative, which would identify a small group of trusted and empathetic campus members available to vulnerable students as guides and resources. We will provide more information as that initiative is developed.

We remind anyone in our community affected by these changes to review our policies and available resources or contact Jeff Kessler, assistant vice president and dean of student affairs, at kessler@adelphi.edu for personalized assistance.

We remain personally engaged in making sure our students, faculty and staff are able to study and live here without fear of harassment, intimidation or discrimination, and we know you stand with us in keeping Adelphi a welcoming and supportive community for all.

All the best,

Christine M. Riordan, Ph.D.
President

Perry E. Greene, Ph.D.
Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion