WHEREAS Tufts University’s core values emphasize “a commitment to equal opportunity and inclusion”;1

WHEREAS in President Monaco’s 2011 inaugural address he declared that "Diversity remains one of Tufts' proudest traditions, a defining characteristic of this university";

WHEREAS the University announced in its T10 Strategic Plan: “Over the next ten years, Tufts will demonstrate unprecedented institutional commitment to diversity, inclusion and cultural competency...The future viability of higher education will hinge on reckoning openly with the challenges and opportunities of accessibility, diversity and inclusion”;

WHEREAS the National Immigration Law Center defines undocumented immigrants as “foreign nationals who entered the US without inspection; with fraudulent documents; or legally as nonimmigrants” whose Visas have expired;

WHEREAS College Board states that “There is no federal or state law that prohibits the admission of undocumented immigrants to U.S. colleges, public or private”;

WHEREAS Tufts administration currently considers the applications and financial aid awards of undocumented students under the category of international students, which is an inaccurate representation of their experiences;

 

WHEREAS the aforementioned policy bars undocumented students from receiving financial aid awards which necessarily meet their demonstrated need, thereby effectively prohibiting many or most undocumented students from attending Tufts;

 

WHEREAS the Tufts administration is considering including students with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status under the category of domestic students for admissions and financial aid purposes;

 

WHEREAS DACA is not available to all or most undocumented students given its restrictive eligibility requirements and multiple barriers to application;

 

WHEREAS DACA is a policy which “will likely end after one renewal with President Obama's presidency, as it represents only a temporary exercise of discretionary executive power”;

 

WHEREAS Tufts leadership has demonstrated political support for undocumented students in the past, as when former President Bacow endorsed the DREAM Act, a federal proposal that would allow undocumented college students a pathway to permanent residency and U.S. citizenship;

 

WHEREAS universities and colleges including Dartmouth, Stanford, Harvard, Notre Dame, Whitman College, University of Chicago, Emerson College, and more have explicitly stated that they welcome undocumented students' applications, admit and enroll students regardless of citizenship, and use non-governmental resources to grant undocumented students financial support;

 

BE IT RESOLVED that the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate, on behalf of United for Immigrant Justice (UIJ), urges Tufts University to consider all undocumented students as domestic students, including, but not limited to, those with DACA status;

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the TCU Senate urges Tufts University to establish and follow an explicit, uniform admissions policy and a need-based financial aid policy regarding the review of applications and financial aid awards for undocumented students;

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the TCU Senate urges that the official University admissions policy for undocumented students be clearly presented and easily accessible online to prospective students, enrolled students, parents, staff, and faculty;

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the TCU Senate urges the University administration to actively pursue strategies to encourage undocumented students to apply to and attend Tufts; and to support undocumented students during and after their time at Tufts.

Cynthia Guerra A‘15, Blaine Dzwonczyk A‘17, Edgar Pedroza A‘16, Jessica Dimas A‘16, Taylor McGinnis A‘16, Joanna Dimas A‘17, Miriam Priven A‘17, Zobella Vinik A’15, Emma Kahn A’18, Wayne Yeh A’16, Andrew Wofford A’17, Olivia Dehm A’17