Dear University of Colorado students, facultyÌýand staff:
For years, the University of Colorado has welcomed DACA recipients to our campuses. DACA students enrich our community, inspire us with their commitment to their education and their futures, and add to the diversity of perspectives that makes colleges and universities in the United States unique. As the leaders of the University of Colorado, we cherish our DACA students and add our voices urging Congress to quickly find a pathway that will allow current and future undocumented students, all of whom have spent years being educated in the United States, to complete their studies without fear for their futures.Ìý
We don’t know what changes will occur in the DACA program in the near future, and we will continue to communicate with you as we learn more. But we do know that DACA recipients will remain welcome on University of Colorado campuses, and we will advocate on your behalf. Colorado grants many undocumented students the ability to receive in-state tuition, and we will continue to admit students without regard to their immigration status.
We will communicate that we expect undocumented students and workers to be treated with respect and dignity in our classrooms and our campus community. We will not release any student’s information or employee’s information to federal officials or anyone else, as this information is protected by state and federal laws, unless we receive a lawful subpoena or warrant that requires us to do so. We have created programs to provide financial assistance to undocumented students, which we will try to grow, and we plan to employ DACA recipients on our campuses for as long as we are able.
We will engage Colorado’s senators and representatives and offer our support. We will work with national educational organizations that are communicating their concerns for your futures to Congress and the White House. It’s important for you to know where we stand—and our message to the DACA recipients in our community is simple—we stand with you.
Bruce Benson
President, University of Colorado
Philip DiStefano
Chancellor, University of Colorado Boulder
Don Elliman
Chancellor, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Dorothy Horrell
Chancellor, University of Colorado Denver
Venkat Reddy
Chancellor, University of Colorado Colorado Springs
