Dear Members of the Oglethorpe Community,

Moments ago, United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that President Trump will end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The announcement included a six-month delay to allow Congress to take legislative action to protect the nearly 800,000 immigrants affected by this change.

Established by President Obama in 2012, DACA provides protection from deportation and a two-year, renewable work authorization to people who were brought to the United States illegally as children. Most of them, known as Dreamers, have only known lives as Americans. To qualify for DACA, individuals must meet rigorous requirements, including a background check and documentation, to prove that they have graduated from high school, are enrolled in college or have been honorably discharged by the U.S. military.

Dreamers are among our most accomplished students and young alumni. Oglethorpe stands firmly in support of DACA and will be taking all possible steps to protect and support our Dreamer students.  We have provided private scholarship aid to qualified Dreamers and those scholarships will continue. I have advocated for DACA through outreach to elected officials, including President Trump, and joined more than 600 other college and universities to express support for extending DACA.

Dean Hall and I will meet with affected students soon to determine the best ways for the university to support them.  In the meantime, please reach out to me or Dean Hall with any immediate questions or concerns.

I encourage those members of the university community who want to advocate for our Dreamers to call or write your Senator or Congressional representative and urge them to take legislative action.  You can find the link to contact your representative here: contactingcongress.org. For information about current legislative proposals and their co-sponsors, please see oglethor.pe/2xLVfA7.

While this is certainly a time of fear and uncertainty for our Dreamers and their families, please know that I and the entire Oglethorpe community are here for you.

President Schall