DU Prof Wants Sanctuary Status On Campus

 (above) DU Assistant Professor Armond Towns wants to ban the Feds from looking for Illegal Aliens on Campus

   
Sanctuary Campus Letter (December, 2016)

From: On behalf of Armond Towns
Date: Friday, January 6, 2017 at 9:36 AM

The nationwide sanctuary campus movement has gained momentum since the presidential election and the DU community is looking forward to the start of winter quarter to continue our own efforts to create a sanctuary campus.

All members of the community are invited to a meeting to discuss the movement, ways to ensure our campus remains safe for all of its community members, and plans for a march to the Chancellor's office to ask that the administration support our efforts.

The meeting will take place January 6 at 5:30 at Sie International Relations Complex 1108. The tentative date for the march is January 19. More details to come.

Please mark your calendars and help us spread the word.

Below is a letter sent to the chancellor that details the steps necessary for DU to become a sanctuary campus. We have compiled this list drawing on actions and efforts recently adopted by public and private universities around the country.



December 29, 2016
Dear Chancellor Chopp,

In the wake of the presidential election, we, University of Denver Community Members, strongly urge you to immediately investigate the possibility of our campus serving as a sanctuary for students, staff, faculty and their family members who face deportation under President-elect Donald J. Trump’s proposed policies. We understand the current controversial nature of using the term “sanctuary.” Yet, we believe that our shared commitments and efforts to vigorously protect the privacy and civil rights of all of our undocumented and persecuted community members are intended to establish and affirm our University campus as a safe and inclusive space in these uncertain times.

Faculty members have raised concrete actions that the University of Denver can take to support and protect valued members of our community. We write in support of their suggestion. The following is a list of actions that we would like the University of Denver to implement in order to demonstrate our commitment to inclusive excellence as well as the safety and well-being of our undocumented community.

· The University of Denver should not voluntarily participate with or allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) / Customs and Border Protection (CBP) / U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on our campus unless required by warrant, subpoena or court order. If they are on campus without a warrant, subpoena, or court order, DU campus security should ask them to leave. Further, DU should not share any information about any undocumented student, staff or faculty with these agencies unless presented with a judicial warrant, subpoena or court order, or unless authorized by the student, staff or faculty or required by law

· Any request by ICE, CBP and/or USCIS for information or to access the University of Denver should be immediately forwarded to the Office of the Chancellor, DU police and the general counsel's office for review. The Office of the Chancellor should create a committee of qualified faculty and staff that can ask for the agent’s credentials, ask the agent why he or she is requesting access, and ask the agent what evidence of reasonable suspicion exists. Immigration personnel should provide written authority from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement unit of DHS and/or the Department of Homeland Security instructing them to enter University of Denver property and for what purpose.

· University of Denver Campus Safety should not assist ICE, CBP and/or USCIS or Denver PD in efforts to identify and deport or otherwise punish undocumented DU students, staff or faculty. And DU campus security should not contact, detain, question or arrest students solely on their suspected or known immigration status.

· The University of Denver should notify the DU community, especially staff who work most directly with students and student data, in the event that immigration officials request or attempt to come to campus.

· The University of Denver should not cooperate with any federal effort to create a registry of individuals based on any protected characteristics such as religion, national origin, race or sexual orientation. This is particularly important considering that the president-elect seeks to surveil and identify Muslim community members.

· The University of Denver and the Office of the Chancellor should reconfirm its commitment to supporting the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and advocate for comprehensive immigration reform.

· If DACA is terminated, as the president-elect has threatened to do, the University of Denver should increase financial aid and other support to undocumented students who stand to lose their ability to continue their education and/or their right to work.

· The University of Denver should continue to admit students consistent with its nondiscrimination policies so that undocumented students should be considered for admission under the same criteria as U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

· The University of Denver should develop/expand resources for undocumented students, staff and faculty and build/enhance partnerships with community and legal organizations with regards to immigration services and support.


It is our responsibility to ensure that DU remains a place that actively protects the rights and safety of its community. We owe it to the most vulnerable members of our community to ensure that it stays that way.

If President-elect Trump implements his promised policies and we do nothing, DU's commitment to diversity, justice, and inclusion will be inconsequential. This is not a moment in which we can afford silence or passivity.

Awaiting your action,


Sincerely,

University of Denver Community Members

Armond R. Towns, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Communication Studies
University of Denver

Student Group Seeks To Ban Boone On DU Campus

(above) Chancellor Chopp & Boone in happier times

A student group most likely organized by the Black Student Alliance at the University of Denver have posted a series of demands online [See document below].  These demands appear to undermine all Academic freedom of expression by students, alumni & staff at the University of Denver.

The "unofficial" Denver Boone mascot, the Greek System, current and future DU employees and student groups who don't subscribe to the "multicultural agenda" appear to be targeted.

DU's Faculty of Color, a multicultural Alumni group and the Black Student Alliance are seeking to ban and prohibit Boone's entry into sporting events & on campus. A fictional cartoon character that was created by the Walt Disney Company in the late Sixties is being labelled "racist" in a well orchestrated campaign.

You can't make this up.

List of Demands for

 The University of Denver Administration

We Demand…

1. An institutional commitment to cultural heritage programming.

1. Extend ONEDU initiatives to support and provide an institutional budget for heritage/history month programs and events by the end of the 2017-2018 academic year.
2. With preference for the following months:

1. February - Black History Month
2. March - Women's History Month
3. May - Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
4. June - LGBT Pride Month
5. September – Latinx Heritage Month
6. October - LGBT History Month
7. November - Native American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month

2. Strictly prohibit organizations with foundations, principles, or affiliations that do not align with the university's current values from existing and becoming a recognized organization on DU’s campus.

1. Remove existing campus affiliated organizations with foundations and/or principles that do not align with the University of Denver’s current values and commitment to inclusive excellence by Fall 2017.
   

3. Mandate Inclusive Excellence workshops, similar to the B.O.S.S. training program.

1. Require all Greek and Non-Greek student organizations on campus to participate in the Inclusive Excellence workshop(s) by the end of the 2017-2018 academic year.
   

4. Hire an external entity to assess and report on current campus climate and inclusion practices and a project manager to oversee the implementation of suggestions.

1. Hire external entity and announce assessment plans by the end of the 2017-2018 academic year.
2. Encourage this external entity to remain transparent and consult with students and staff during assessment process.
3. Offer feedback presentation to all faculty, staff, and students at DU to discuss findings.

5. Create a review committee of diverse constituents, including students, faculty, and staff, to review and improve the university honor code.

1. Revise the honor code to be more explicit and intentional in regards to student and institutional accountability practices in regard to hate speech, implicit bias incidents, etc. by Spring 2017. 

6. Require students to demonstrate commitment to/understanding of Inclusive Excellence during the admissions process to gauge levels of understanding and use that data to inform inclusive excellence initiatives on campus.

1. Require students applying to the university to write an essay articulating their understanding of Inclusive Excellence. This is a productive filtering method to ensure that DU only admits students who believe in/understand the values DU wants to uphold.

1. Implement as an optional essay during the regular decision application period for the 2017-2018 academic year.
2. Implement as a mandatory essay on all future applications, starting with the 2017 early action application for the 2018 – 2019 incoming class.

7. Recruit more full-time psychologists with demonstrated experience in multicultural competence, services and outreach.

1. There is only one postdoctoral fellow (Dr. Erin Unkefer), with a one-year commitment, focused on this area. A full-time psychologist will have more robust historical context of being an underrepresented student at DU, as s/he will be here for several years. Additionally, given the stigma often surrounding mental health services, a full time psychologist can create strong bonds with students over a long period of time. We expect at least one full-time psychologist to be hired or for Dr. Unkefer to be offered a full-time position by Fall 2018.
2. Increase medical and mental health service providers of color and who identify as LGBTIQ. An increase of providers in this field is expected by Fall 2018.

8. Hire new faculty and support existing faculty willing to implement and facilitate Race, Inequality & Social Change (RISC) curriculum.  

1. Create a structure in which RISC curriculum is mandated as a degree requirement by the end of the 2018-2019 academic year.
2. Hire more faculty capable of teaching RISC courses. An increase in faculty is expected by the end of the 2017-2018 academic year.

9. Establish Ethnic Studies department.

1. Courses in Ethnic Studies address that traditionally, the role of Asian Americans, Blacks, Mexicans, Latinos and Native Americans in American history are undervalued and ignored because of Eurocentric bias and hegemonic racial and ethnic prejudice. Ethnic Studies courses also often encompass issues of intersectionality, where gender, class, and sexuality also come into play. Taking into account the racial climate of DU, curriculum like this, be it optional or mandatory is necessary. We would like to see this implemented by the end of the 2018-2019 academic year.

10. Create and implement mandatory online modules on race, similar to Alcohol Edu, to be completed before arriving on campus in order to prepare students to engage in discussions around race relations, inclusivity, and social inequality.

1. Incorporate discussions around race relations, inclusivity, and social inequality into Discoveries Orientation week to be implemented by the 2017-2018 academic year.
2. Create mandatory course similar to FSEM revolving around Inclusive Excellence and the resources offered through Campus Life and Inclusive Excellence to be piloted by the end of the 2017-2018 academic year.

11. Increased transparency from the University of Denver and its administration when it comes to diversity and inclusion.

1. Transparency about current state of diversity and climate (Inclusive Excellence) on campus including:

1. Marketing to prospective students about current student demographics
2. University wide communications about set goals and efforts in progress in pursuit of said goals

2. Establish realistic/tangible short-term and long IE goals
3. Do not "put up a mask" when talking about Inclusive Excellence. Instead, more frequently, acknowledge the issues that DU is facing with Inclusive Excellence, and acknowledge what DU is doing to combat these issues.
4. Put up a poster on the Driscoll Bridge that contains information on crucial initiatives started by the University as well as its progress. This is expected to be updated quarterly.
5. Increased staff, faculty, and administration participation in student-led events pertaining to campus climate.
6. We expect to see progress on these initiatives by the end of the 2017-2018 academic year.

12. Hire more staff to lead and/or assist with diversity and inclusion initiatives.

1. This includes:

1. One new full-time professional hired to work in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to support the work that they do.
2. One new full-time professional hired, preferably a Director, to work specifically on efforts related to domestic and local college access.

1. We would like to see a consolidation of university college access efforts into one centralized office or initiative (I.e. programs offered by VIP and CCESL, Urban Debate, Black Women Lead and Black Male Initiative Summit, Bridge Project, Pio Prep, and Pio visits, etc.)
2. In addition, we would like to see DU make an institutionalized commitment to college access in an effort to help change the perception of DU within the local communities of color in Denver.

3. One new Assistant Director hired specifically for LGBTIQA initiatives and support.

1. LGBTIQA support is currently one of many responsibilities of the professional staff at CME, we believe LGBTIQA support should be prioritized and developed into its own area within the division of Campus Life and Inclusive Excellence.

4. We expect to see progress on these hiring requests by the end of the 2017-2018 academic year.

13. The implementation of more inclusive visual markers and an assessment of current visual markers.

1. Charge MarCom to create and implement a more representative mascot that celebrates inclusion and diversity while acknowledging the history of the university.

1. The term "pioneer" is highly problematic for many, especially our Native American students, as it defined as a person who is among the first to explore or settle a new country or area.

2. Place more paintings, plaques, statues, and other visual markers that represent the histories of different cultures around the campus.
3. Assess and determine where paintings/artwork need to be removed and where plaques need to be installed that acknowledge the individuals and history in which they are named for.
4. We expect to see progress on these initiatives by the end of the 2017-2018 academic year.

14. Strict elimination of Boone's presence at the University of Denver.

1. Prevent Boone (retired in 1998) from appearing at DU events and activities. The University of Denver shall prohibit any office, department or entity utilizing university funds to reproduce, display or support the image or appearance of Boone in conjunction with all University sponsored events.
2. Implement and enforce consequences for anyone allowing Boone in public spaces.
3. We expect to see enforcement by the Fall 2017 quarter.

15. Student meeting with the complete Board of Trustees at least twice during an academic year.

1. This will improve the university's transparency, as well as give students opportunities to voice their concerns.
2. We expect these meetings to start during the Fall 2017 quarter.