SAIC's Continued Support for Undocumented Students

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Yesterday, we learned of the Trump administration’s decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, thereby jeopardizing the education and livelihoods of thousands of residents who cannot recall any home other than the United States. Today, I want to reiterate SAIC’s unequivocal support for all of our students, regardless of citizenship status.

Please know that we continue to offer assistance, resources, and other support for our students affected by this governmental action. Director of Academic Affairs for Diversity and Inclusion Christina Gómez is available to consult with any of our undocumented students.

As I wrote recently, we believe the best learning environments are ones of mutual respect that contain a plurality of perspectives. SAIC supports the DACA program, which provides certain protections for eligible undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children, and we remain committed to seeking and welcoming the best artists, designers, and scholars, regardless of where they, or their parents, were born.

As we exercise our intellectual and creative freedom in the classroom and studio, it is incumbent on us as citizen artists to also exemplify these freedoms in the larger world, working together to increase justice and equality for our shared society.

Sincerely,

Elissa Tenny
President