Poet Students Protection Policy

The Board of Trustees of Whittier College pledges its continued unconditional support of its students, including our international, refugee, and undocumented community members, and those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.

We stand in solidarity with all of our students who seek sanctuary, as a reaffirmation of our commitment to the values upon which Whittier was founded: respect for the individual regardless of gender, national origin, religion, or ethnicity; inclusion and community service; social justice and responsibility; tolerance; and integrity. We stand for the core values of our Quaker founders, and are keenly aware of the role played by Quakers in assisting abolitionists by establishing “safe houses” for black women and men fleeing slavery and as early advocates for women’s suffrage, as well as the role played by this College in protesting the internment of Asian Americans and offering a place of refuge for those protesting the Vietnam War. We recognize our responsibility to stand against oppression and tyranny in all forms.

To fulfill these important responsibilities and express our solidarity with our international, refugee, and other community members who seek protection and sanctuary at a time of great vulnerability, the Board of Trustees adopts the following Poet Student Sanctuary Protections Policy:

• All Whittier students shall have equal access to the College’s educational resources, including financial aid and study abroad opportunities. No decisions concerning any person who is or wishes to become a member of the Whittier student community shall be based on the individual’s international, refugee, or immigration status.
• The President shall ensure that all administrative staff, including all staff in the Office of Financial Aid, receive any training needed to meet the particular challenges facing our undocumented and DACA students. In particular, the Office of Financial Aid shall receive the training and resources needed to identify sources of aid for undocumented and DACA students, to the extent any modifications to their financial aid awards become necessary.
• The President is directed to consult with the faculty to determine how best to ensure that all individuals who teach at Whittier have received any training or information that is needed to enable our faculty to fully understand and address the particular challenges facing our DACA and undocumented students.
• The Office of Equity and Inclusion shall continue to be the primary resource for assisting members of the Whittier College community who have undocumented and DACA immigration status. The Office of Equity and Inclusion is directed to continue to disseminate to the campus community information concerning resources and forms of support, to enable all members to be excellent stewards of our students.
• To the full extent permitted by law, Whittier College faculty, administrators, and staff, including Campus Safety personnel and the Registrar, will not knowingly assist Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Border Patrol authorities in information gathering, deportation, immigration raids or individual targeting or intimidation of Whittier College students or any other members of the Whittier College community.
• If Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Border Patrol officials are known to be present on campus for a purpose related in any way to the mission of those agencies, the Whittier College community will be alerted as soon as feasible via mass text or email.