January 29, 2017

Colleagues:

This has obviously been a rather tumultuous weekend across our nation as we strive to understand and respond to the impact of President Trump’s Executive Order on Travel Restrictions. We have been actively engaged with the three CSU students we know have been caught up in returning from their home countries to continue their studies at CSU. We are connecting them with legal services as needed, and I’ll add that Senators Gardner and Bennet and Representative Polis have been actively engaged on behalf of our students and are tremendously supportive in terms of the assistance they are offering. We will, of course, monitor these students’ situations very closely, as well as assisting with any other cases that may come to our attention over the coming days.

In a broader sense than these three cases, but in strong support of them, we are also actively engaged with our national organizations such as APLU, providing them the data needed to help make the broader case in support of all of our international, DACA, and ASSET students. Our collective voices have great strength, and we intend to harness that strength for our students. We are also tracking statements made by other universities across this country on this topic. I have been in close communication with our Board’s leadership, and we will all be discussing this issue and its legal implications at our Board meeting next week. On this front, I would stress our unwavering support for our students, but I’d also note that no formal action has been taken by the federal government to address DACA (and thus there is, as yet, no impact on Colorado’s ASSET legislation). Having noted both of those things, and while noting that declaring responses to hypothetical future situations does not seem wise to me, there are things we have, can, and will continue to state and affirm without hesitation or reservation.

We will remain in close communication with our impacted students to assure they and their families have the most current information available.

Our International Student and Scholar Services staff is working closely with all students impacted by this executive order. Please contact ISSS within the Office of International Programs at (970) 491-5917 or at Isss@colostate.edu to meet with an adviser if you have questions about the travel ban. They will post new information as soon as it becomes available at http://isss.colostate.edu/.

We will continue to connect any of our impacted or concerned students with legal resources, either through CSU or through independent entities.

Student Legal Services (http://sls.colostate.edu/) has contracted with an immigration attorney and will start offering consultations soon. More information about this new service will be provided soon via ISSSnews and other campus sources. Several non-CSU organizations are also providing ongoing analysis including the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Immigration Law Center, and the Council on Islamic American Relations. None of this constitutes legal advice – for that you need to consult a licensed immigration attorney – but these resources may be useful to impacted students.

Our CSUPD officers will continue to focus their limited time and efforts on principles of community policing and keeping our campus and community safe.

Students with safety concerns can directly contact CSUPD – either 911 for emergencies or 970-491-6425 for non-emergencies. CSUPD also provides the free SAFEWalk program (970-491-1155) from dusk to dawn to escort people from any point on campus to another campus location or anywhere within a three block radius.

CSU Police Chief Scott Harris and the CSUPD officers are always happy to meet with student groups and organizations that wish to discuss issues related to personal and campus safety.

Tell Someone is a confidential reporting line for anyone with concerns about safety or mental health issues – either your own or someone else’s. This includes concerns about discrimination and harassment. You can reach the Tell Someone phone line during working hours (or leave a message after hours) at (970) 491-1350 or use the online referral form.

Counseling services for students are available through the Student Health Network.

The Office of the Ombuds and Employee Assistance Program is a free service for employees to assist with resolving concerns and problems in the workplace, along with offering resources to address personal issues and concerns.

People with specific concerns about discrimination and harassment are encouraged to contact our Office of Equal Opportunity at (970) 491-5836, OEO@colostate.edu, for assistance.

We will continue to protect the privacy of our students to the fullest possible extent and to examine every possible alternative to assure that our students can complete their studies.

We will continue to monitor this situation closely and actively as it evolves, and we will not lose our focus on our foundational underpinnings as a Land Grant University: that people with the talent and motivation to earn a degree from a world-class university, regardless of their background, race, gender, social status, religion, or beliefs, deserve that opportunity; and that by providing this opportunity, we allow them to improve not simply their lives and those of their families, but – through the ripples their lives will create – to also improve and strengthen our society as a whole. Advocating for our students is a privilege we inherit from those who built this university, a role in which we take great pride, and a responsibility from which we shall not turn away despite the complexity of any situation that may face us.

Be well and take care of each other,

– tony

Dr. Tony Frank
President