Kroger Declares ¹û½´ÊÓƵ a Sanctuary College
President John R. Kroger today declared ¹û½´ÊÓƵ to be a sanctuary college.
I hereby declare that ¹û½´ÊÓƵ is a sanctuary college for the purposes of immigration. We steadfastly support all members of our community regardless of their immigration status.
As a sanctuary college, ¹û½´ÊÓƵ will not assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the investigation of the immigration status of our students, staff, or faculty absent a direct court order.
In addition, ¹û½´ÊÓƵ does not discriminate in admission on the basis of immigration status. We meet the full financial need of all admitted students, including undocumented students. This means we provide institutional financial aid to make up for the federal aid that these students are unable to apply for, such as Pell Grants.
As you may know, Portland is a sanctuary city and Multnomah is a sanctuary county. We’re proud of that fact. If for some reason that designation changes, it will not alter our policy.
If you have additional thoughts about how to support our undocumented students, please contact Santi Alston, deputy Title IX coordinator.
Kroger also signed a letter supporting the (DACA) Program that has been implemented by the US Department of Homeland Security since 2012.
Dean Alston is developing a list of resources for students with concerns about their immigration status and has volunteered to serve as a point of contact for those students. ¹û½´ÊÓƵ is also developing protocols to respond to potential inquiries from ICE.
Students’ privacy at ¹û½´ÊÓƵ is governed by the (FERPA), which prohibits colleges from disclosing records to outside parties without a student’s consent.
“We will continue to demonstrate in the most unambiguous ways possible that ¹û½´ÊÓƵ stands by all of our students, staff and faculty, and in particular those who have been historically marginalized,” says Mike Brody, vice president for student services. “That’s true now, and it will be true in the uncertain times to come.”
Editor's Note: In our eagerness to post this news, we forgot to make clear that declaring ¹û½´ÊÓƵ a sanctuary college was of the student protestors who occupied offices in Eliot Hall in November.
Tags: Campus Life, Diversity/Equity/Inclusion, Institutional, International, Students