Marquette University leaders show support for students affected by DACA announcement

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

Dear members of the Marquette community,

Last week, Marquette University issued a statement in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In light of Tuesday’s announcement by the Trump administration, we write to you today to express our unwavering support for students and families who are affected by the decision to rescind DACA.

Furthermore, we urge our political leaders to find it in their hearts to do what’s right for these students who add so much to our campus, our community and our country. We believe Congress should, and can, come together to find a permanent solution that allows these students to pursue their dreams. Over the past several years, we have actively lobbied as a university to support the DREAM Act and bipartisan BRIDGE Act.

Our university mission calls us to offer personal attention and care to each member of the Marquette community. In difficult times such as this, the way we respond to people in our community who are concerned, frightened or otherwise affected by this issue is a fundamental measure of our commitment to that mission.

We urge our students who are directly affected by this announcement to come talk to us, through our Center for Intercultural Engagement, our Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, Campus Ministryor any number of related resources.

Members of the Marquette community who are not directly affected by this can still help. The first step is to take care of one another. If you have a friend or classmate who is affected by this, be there for them. If they need support from our Counseling Center, walk there with them. Also, please take the time to understand your obligation to uphold our students’ privacy.

For those of us who work with students affected by DACA, this is not a theoretical policy debate. This is about real people who have done nothing wrong and deserve the chance to succeed — to walk across the stage with their classmates at Commencement and go on to contribute so much more to our community and our country.

We are Marquette.

Dr. Michael R. Lovell
President

Dr. Daniel J. Myers
Provost

Dr. Xavier A. Cole
Vice President for Student Affairs

Dr. William C. Welburn
Executive Director, Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion