Daring to Dream: Sustaining Support for Undocumented Students at The Evergreen State College
The election of President Donald Trump has heightened fears among undocumented immigrants. While Plyler v. Doe protects students at the K-12 level, accessibility and resources for undocumented students wishing to pursue higher education are limited. Student organizers across the country have been demanding higher education institutions to declare their position as sanctuary campuses. Such a designation entails that the university will protect its undocumented immigrants through refusing cooperation with ICE agents and allocating funds to support undocumented students. The Evergreen State College (TESC) located in Washington State, is one of the few state schools in the nation that provides in-state tuition and state-funded financial aid to undocumented students. Various student, faculty, and staff coalitions at TESC drafted a petition to encourage the university to designate itself as a sanctuary campus. The university president declared TESC a sanctuary campus and established institutional services such as university-wide training on supporting undocumented students, revising of application materials, creating an Undocumented Student Task Force, support group, and funding a Student Retention Program (SRP) to ensure the academic success of undocumented students. Despite its notable success, funding and support to sustain these programs are needed. (Immigrant Integration Lab at Boston College)
Huerta, G. & Ocampo, C. (2017). Daring to Dream: Sustaining Support for Undocumented Students at The Evergreen State College. Learning Communities Research and Practice, 5(1), Article 6.