| Volume 96, No. 2: June 2017
Professors and students write messages of support for members of the Muslim and Middle Eastern community at in the wake of President Trump's executive order banning immigration from seven nations in the Middle East.
Students, professors, and staff jammed the Hauser Library today in a show of solidarity with Muslim and Middle Eastern members of the community in the wake of President Trump’s executive order banning immigrants from seven nations in the Middle East.
“Look around this room,” Dean for Institutional Diversity Mary James told the crowd. “I want you all to remember that people at care about our community and they care about you.”
currently has no international students with visas from the seven banned nations, but it does have many students, professors, staff, and alumni with deep connections to the region. In addition, many students from all backgrounds feel threatened by the ban.
Scores of people at the rally wrote posters with messages of support:
“We are one people.”
“You belong here.”
“We stand indivisible with you.”
“No human is illegal.”
“‘Resist’ and ‘welcome’ are verbs. So is ‘love.’”
“We are working hard to develop resources for the community, and we’re planning to hold more events in the next few weeks,” said Prof. Kris Anderson, chair of ’s committee on diversity. “This is not just about issuing statements—we need to follow up with action.”
Several professors and administrators have voiced support for Muslim and Middle Eastern students since Friday, when Trump issued the order.
“We reaffirm our commitment to an inclusive and welcoming campus, while we condemn the Trump Administration’s Immigration Ban Executive Order as standing in stark contrast with ’s values,” Dean James and Prof. Anderson wrote.
Students expressed appreciation for the event. "Community solidarity is an incredibly important at right now," said theatre major Aziza Afzal ’17, who is a Muslim and a Pakistani-American. "Students need to know that their community will defend their rights to their safety and education."
But Aziza also emphasized that rallies have their limitations:
In November, President John Kroger declared a and promised that would not assist ICE in investigating the immigration status of our students without a direct order from a court. In addition, does not discriminate in admission on the basis of immigration status and meets the full financial need of all admitted students, including undocumented students.
While the legality and the ramifications of the ban continue to play out in court, is working on ways to support students. has compiled a page on its website listing . The Multicultural Resource Center is scheduling a know-your-rights workshop with local immigration attorneys.
Tags: campus news
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