- Need to do more to help students/faculty in need, conversations about specific communities/departments, what can should be done at local level(s)
- Especially focus on Muslim ban/DACA/transgender rights/restrictions
- Disappointed with responses from USC admin; should have been low-hanging fruit; things did get done, but quietly
- 2 task forces dealing with immigration issues at large (didn't remember full name/acronym); lots to do with mental health & stress of students; pushing for more public statements (re: lawsuits, etc.) --> have asked for mass expansion of naturalization communities/assistance with process (classes, legal advice, loans for fees, etc.); no other (major) universities have asked for this (progress?)
- Still waiting on Dream Center (guarantees of financial support, summer help, etc.)
- What can/needs to be done immediately?
- Get word out to staff about naturalization classes; lots of faculty (janitors, food services workers, etc.) haven't gotten direct communication about resources available
- DACA renewals; forms in next 25 days (October 5 deadline); potential funds service emerging --> assume 200,000 people need renewals, organizations will be swamped over next 6 months, we want to provide help on campus, open up services
- Issue: lots of services actually available, but no point person/centralized responsibility for getting word out, no accountability, primary point of reference; "typical USC"--lots of resources floating around, hard to actually pinpoint/get hands on; USC response always short and late, ought to be able to do better with vast amount of resources available
- How do we keep putting pressure on USC admin to keep up with constantly changing government policies?
- Associate Dean of Religious Life (Vanessa?) - also point person for immigration issues, acting as case manager at the moment, closest thing to USC expert for these issues
- Continue outside pressure; good to focus on students, but remember staff as well
- Pople connected to USC/Bovard College scholars, high school local students ~ up to 40% undocumented ~ who is reaching out to them? No one responsible at the moment
- USC Neighborhood Active Initiative (NAI) - 6th graders support to secondary/higher education, lots of pro bono services from previous grads/now attorneys (JEP? partnerships)
- Most correspondence in English, not enough translations among flyers and circulating material
- USC has plenty of language departments--why not get involved in process of getting information out? Internships?
- Translation services should be constantly available (websites should be translatable)
- There is Dean's Committee for these issues but unclear what they're actually doing
- Need for realistic, achievable short-term goals
- Space in offices (this [A&E] building?) for pop-up Dream Center, could be done in a week; lead to permanent place for information/translations, office hours, etc.
- Engagement grants/stipends? To keep working with these centers/departments - emergency funds
- Idea: study abroad California program (for students who've been advised not to/cannot leave country)
- Want departments/units to be creative with ways to open opportunities
- Concern about language used by administration, i.e., "will not give out student info without judicial order" --> so what happens with a judicial order then? Want admin to show backbone, would like better sense of actual legal actions, make sure everyone knows their rights
- Worst case scenario: list already circulating of faculty/grad students willing to take students into homes
- Fate of campus church? Other campus/local sanctuaries? (Mosque is already)
- USC church ownership in state of flux; collaborate with other religious establishments in the neighborhood; need to find out which are already sanctuaries, make contact with leaders
- Make public the ways you are helping people
- Is there a comprehensive list of resources?
- Food pantry resource expanding --> best advice: do something (helping) until they force you to stop (ask forgiveness, not permission)
- Admin PSA? New profile/series on groups like NAI and community of immigrant/DACA students -- Annenberg? Get some new videos made, wary of maintaining student anonymity, not just singing praises
- One stop shop/website that is translatable --> vanessagb@usc.edu - email with resources)
- Currently most things accessible from Provost website, memos from admin as they've come, still hard to get to if you don't know where to look
- Worried about extinguishing hope, need to combat that, provide something more hopeful about purpose of education for students now anxious (DACA announcement comes right at beginning of school year, some students now thinking 'What's the point of continuing going to class/school if I'll be out in six months?'); every department should have funding set aside for undocumented students who want to go on to USC grad school, motivation to keep them coming to class
- Continue pressure on CA government to fund Dreamer grants, etc., maintain active relationship with CA legislature
(Sorry if these aren't super clear, I was writing as fast as I could to keep up with the conversation but definitely missed some important details like names of people/groups/places, but this is the general idea of how the meeting went and the major talking points. I also bolded the points that seemed most important/discussed/memorable. - Sasha)
Thank you for attending the meeting Sasha, these notes are really great! I don't know if this is too much of a goal, but I really like the idea of asking (and encouraging other students to ask) the administration for solidarity with undocumented students. Specifically your bullet item "Concern about language used by administration, i.e., "will not give out student info without judicial order" --> so what happens with a judicial order then? Want admin to show backbone, would like better sense of actual legal actions, make sure everyone knows their rights." And in terms of more accomplishable goals I like the idea of making sure students (and others) know their rights, as well as helping people meet the upcoming deadline.
ReplyDeleteSasha, thanks so much for posting your clear notes! Here are mine from the hour that I attended, similarly cleaned up (but still a little unclear). I second the idea of mounting a push to get the word out about the OCT 5th deadline for all possible DACA renewals.
ReplyDeleteAmerican Studies and Ethnicity DACA Meeting (9/7 - 2pmish to 3pmish):
- DACA Student funding over the summer for housing.
- Need to get word out to staff about naturalization classes
○ Service people (and faculty) have access to these
- Undocumented people must submit "their form" (DACA renewal) by OCT 5TH
○ 200,000 people need to get daca forms in IMMEDIATELY, within 25 days
○ Legal teams will be swamped, so earlier better -- outreach needed.
- PROBLEM (ASE prof. George [Sanchez?]) lack of DREAMER center: no centralized person who can be held accountable for getting the word out or commitment that can be made.
- Usc response is always short and insufficient.
- PRESSURE is crucial!
○ Crucial and we can do it - pressure the administration for a point person to get the word out.
§ And serve in that role going forward.
○ Call these people (administrators)
○ NAI - college bound 1st gen students from 6th grade on.
§ (neighborhood academic institute?)
- We need other language fliers
○ SPANISH, of course, but other languages as well
§ Possibility of working with language departments toward these translation goals.
○ Translation services for sites and fliers
○ There is a deans committee on DACA; perhaps this is one avenue for seeking this translation goal
- 25 days action timeline:
○ ASE department is plotting out a popup dream center for:
○ Potential office hours
○ Intern hiring for translation of information/materials
○ Give email to George if interested
§ DACA members have been told not to get on a plane, but story of undocumented sister/family not being able to fly to their sister's PhD graduation at Harvard
□ George wants to see if there is some way to get them there.
○ EMPLOYMENT IDEA: Engagement grants as a substitute for current daca/undocumented employees - stipends
§ Study Abroad in CA idea for those advised not to travel - "California Dreaming"
§ Every department can release a statement on DACA
□ One easy grassroots effort.
○ What happens if usc does receive a judicial order?
§ Need to know the stand the University is willing to take?
○ Faculty (and grad students!) willing to take on students if needed
§ Give George (and maybe Vanessa?) email.
□ [footnote: Paul Spicard mentioned something useful he does in this vein: providing DACA students with his garage-door code to use as a place of refuge in an emergency.]
○ USC Church
§ Because it is shifting to a non-university building…
Need to see if sanctuary status is possible.