President’s Letter

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

September 5, 2017

Dear Campus Community,

As many of you know, President Trump has issued an executive order that in the coming months may end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA allows young immigrants who came to the United States with their parents illegally to remain in the country as outlined in the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act.

I am very disappointed by this action, which could harm hundreds of thousands of young people who are and will be making vital contributions to our economy and our civil society. While I know not everyone endorses the DACA program, it has received bipartisan support by leaders in government, industry, and academia.

I look forward to working with our leaders in Ohio and Washington to support and promote a legislative solution. To that end, I have joined with the other presidents of Ohio Five institutions, and we have sent a letter to Senator Brown and Senator Portman requesting that they act to protect DACA students. I share this letter to inform you of actions we are taking as a unified group. I also discussed the issue at length with Congressman Tiberi in my office last week.

Please note that if students have questions about DACA, they should contact Dwayne Todd, Vice President for Student Engagement and Success, at (740) 368-3135 or dktodd@owu.edu. Also, if you are contacted by an official for information about any student or any student records, please direct them to Dwayne. As I have shared previously, Ohio Wesleyan is firmly committed to maintaining student privacy and will do so to the extent permitted by law.

We are unshakeable in our commitment to helping all academically qualified students achieve the dream of a college education. To that end, we will do everything possible to advocate for a permanent legislative solution that extends the promises, opportunities, and benefits to our economy and society now provided by DACA.

Rock Jones
President
Ohio Wesleyan University