In a Feb. 20 email to the UP community, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Colin Stewart and Vice President for Student Affairs and Inclusive Excellence Alvin Sturdivant announced the launch of a new university website titled “Support for Immigrant and Undocumented Members of the University of Portland Community.”
The website includes immigration resources, guidance for on-campus encounters with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Campus Safety’s protocol for engaging with federal agents.
The page is accessible through the PilotsUP portal on the “Student Affairs and Inclusive Excellence” page.
Sturdivant says the website is a culmination of a “longstanding” conversation between staff, faculty and students about how the university might best support its community members.
“Our Holy Cross mission is to value the human dignity of all people,” Sturdivant said. “What's most paramount for us is the safety and security of our community, and ensuring that everyone has the ability to engage with the university in healthy, safe and productive ways.”
Several on-campus resources are listed on the website, including the university’s Campus Ministry, which provides “pastoral care” and “spiritual support” for students. Others include the Department of Campus Safety and Emergency Management, the Health and Counseling Center and the Moreau Center for Service and Justice.
Sturdivant describes the site as a “living website.” As other resources are made known to the university and vetted accordingly, they will update the site with that information.
Additionally, the university will host an immigration “teach-in” event on April 7. The event will be held from 2:30-3:30 p.m. in Buckley Center 102 as part of the weekly “Tuesday Tea” series, according to Sturdivant.
Sturdivant, who will speak at the event, says the purpose of the “teach-in” is for community members to ask questions about university policies and resources to staff and faculty.
Claire McIlwain, the director of the Moreau Center for Service and Justice, serves as the university’s “connect” with community-serving organizations in Portland. She emphasizes the importance of comprehensive and consistent resources being made available to the immigrant and undocumented communities.
The Moreau Center has recently created a “resource room” for students to anonymously access off-campus assistance. Located in St. Mary’s Student Center, the room offers aid ranging from food security to housing instability, legal services and other immigration-related resources.
“It’s a destigmatized, safe space,” McIlwain said. “No one's going to know what you're doing in that room or what resources you're grabbing.”
Still, there are some students who feel that UP is not doing enough for these communities.
Junior social work major Michelle Fugon was one of several students asking that the university better communicate resources and emergency ICE updates with students.
“The community is being affected,” Fugon said. “People have families that are being deported and detained. And we’ve been putting up posters around the school for ‘Know Your Rights’ stuff, but those were students’ actions and not the university’s. They haven’t done much to support us.”
Sturdivant says that the university is “staying out of the spotlight” to shield the community from harm.
“We are paying attention,” Sturdivant said. “But if we push too much in ways that are counter to the government, then it could result in ICE presence [on campus] and more pressure being put on the community, and we’re trying to ensure that doesn’t happen.”
While there has been no indication of ICE activity at UP, Campus Safety is responsible for responding to any event involving federal law enforcement on campus, according to the website.
Michael McNerney, the director of campus safety, says that ICE cannot enter university premises without a judicial warrant signed by a judge or magistrate.
“Because the university is not only private property but the home of many students, [ICE] can't simply barge in,” McNerney said. “Even if they have a lawful warrant, we will bring them back to Campus Safety to make sure they're in compliance with state, local and federal laws.”
Stewart and Sturdivant urge students to contact Campus Safety immediately at 503-943-7161 if they encounter federal agents on campus.
Additional legal support, health services and scholarship opportunities for undocumented students are provided on the main UP website.
Brady McCracken is a News Reporter at The Beacon. He can be reached at mccracke27@up.edu.
