Read and sign the #PittSanctuaryUniversity letter here:
Please scroll to the bottom to sign, and please sign only once (it may take a couple of days for your name to appear on the petition). If you have trouble scrolling, you can go directly to the letter page here.
And—while you're at it—please also take a moment to read and sign this excellent "University Values Letter" articulating similar requests being circulated by University of Pittsburgh Law Faculty, and affiliates of the Center for Latin American Studies.
You can also follow the progress of the national movement here.
If you have any quesitons or concerns, please use the contact information listed in the letter.
Last week, the Contra Costa College board made their 'Sanctuary' status official! #NoHumanIsIllegal #IAmAnImmigrant Art by: Liliflor Art http://bayareane.ws/2jlqqeS
FILL OUT THIS SURVEY LOCATED IN YOUR EMAIL IF YOU SUPPORT THE IDEA OF MONTCLAIR STATE BECOMING A SANCTUARY CAMPUS ✊🏼✊🏾✊🏽✊🏿✊🏻❤ #sanctuary #sanctuarycampus (at Montclair State University)
Contact Pitt Administrators to Support #PittSanctuaryUniversity
Once you've signed the petition for Pitt to become a Sanctuary University, the next thing you can do is contact University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Gallagher and Provost Beeson to let them know you've signed the petition for Pitt to become a Sanctuary University. Explain why you think this action is necessary if we want our university to truly act as a safe and welcoming space for all people, regardless of immigration status, nationality, or religion.
You can reach Chancellor Gallagher at 412-624-4141, [email protected]. You can reach Provost Beeson at 412-383-9640, [email protected].
If you call the Chancellor or Provost's office and are told they are not available, make sure to leave a message. If it helps, feel free to use this template for your call or email:
Hello! My name is [name]. I am a [Pitt or other affiliation], and one of nearly 1200 signatories to the Pitt Sanctuary University letter.
I'm calling to express my support for the call for Pitt to become a Sanctuary University. I understand that this would be a major step for Pitt to take. But I think the federal government's recent anti-immigrant and refugee actions demand a specific response from Pitt leaders.
At least seventy-five colleges and universities—including Columbia University and the University of California at Berkeley—have issued statements consistent with the requests we make in our enclosed petition letter. And least thirteen of these institutions—including Portland State University, Wesleyan University, and the University of Pennsylvania—have explicitly declared their campuses “sanctuaries” for undocumented students. We owe it to immigrant and refugee members of our own campus community to do the same.
Delivering the #PittSanctuaryUniversityLetter to Provost Beeson's office with over 1,000 signatures.
Letter Delivered to Provost and Chancellor with Pitt Sanctuary University Petition
February 14, 2017
Patrick D. Gallagher, Ph.D., Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer
Patricia E. Beeson, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor
University of Pittsburgh
4200 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
RE: Call for the University of Pittsburgh to Become a Sanctuary University
Dear Chancellor Gallagher and Provost Beeson:
Enclosed please find a petition asking you to “immediately communicate the University of Pittsburgh’s Commitment to the safety of undocumented students of this institution, by issuing a public and procedurally biding statement declaring the University of Pittsburgh a Sanctuary University.” As of this writing, there are over 1000 signatories, the vast majority of whom are Pitt faculty, students, staff, and alumni.
As authors of this petition, we reiterate our support for Pitt administrators’ various statements concerning immigration and related issues following the presidential election this past November. As faculty and graduate employees of the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, we are also grateful for the message of to our students and colleagues who may be affected by the President’s Executive Order of January 27 (“Protecting the Nation”), and for the Chancellor’s decision to sign the February 2, 2017 “Letter from University and College Presidents.”
We understand Chancellor Gallagher’s statement in the University Times that “it’s the people within the institution that take positions, not the institution itself.” But we respectfully suggest that your declaration of University of Pittsburgh policies consistent with our, University of Pittsburgh law faculty, and Pitt student group requests for Pitt to become a Sanctuary University is necessary precisely to counter what is already a clear “chilling effect” on the notion of Pitt—indeed, of any American university—as an institution committed to the safe expression of diversity and difference.
We note three examples. First, the Chancellor’s January 28 “Message on U.S. Immigration Decisions” urges members of the University community, and especially those “from one of the countries impacted” by the January 27 Executive Order, to contact the Office of International Services “regardless of [their] visa or residency status.” We are concerned that Pitt’s lack of a detailed statement as to its policies with respect to federal deportation or other immigration enforcement actions may ultimately undermine institutional trust among such members of our community. Second, on January 25, the President issued the Executive Order “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States.” Following this Order, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have in the past several days carried out significant raids in immigrant communities throughout the United States, contributing to the ongoing climate of fear we note in our petition letter. Third, recent interactions between Pitt and municipal Pittsburgh police, and student protestors have undermined student, faculty, and other Pitt community member trust in campus security and law enforcement.
An official declaration to the effect that Pitt police and campus security will not inquire as to or share information about any individual’s immigration status, and that unless required by a warrant or other valid legal process, no University of Pittsburgh official will cooperate with any deportation or immigration enforcement actions would send a clear and specific message to all members of the Pitt community that our campuses are indeed safe places for honest intellectual inquiry, dialogue, and debate, regardless of a person’s religion, nationality, citizenship, or immigration status.
Finally, such a declaration would join Pitt with at least seventy-five colleges and universities—including Columbia University and the University of California at Berkeley—that have issued statements consistent with the requests we make in our enclosed petition letter. At least thirteen of these institutions—including Portland State University, Wesleyan University, and the University of Pennsylvania—have explicitly declared their campuses “sanctuaries” for undocumented students. We join the one thousand-and-counting members and friends of the Pitt community who urge you to take the steps necessary for our university to do the same.
Sincerely,
Caitlin Bruce, Assistant Professor of Communication
Peter Odell Campbell, Assistant Professor of English
Robin Clarke, Lecturer in English
Sarah Hakimzadeh, Department of English Teaching Fellow
Niq D. Johnson, Doctoral Candidate, Department of Communication
Sarah Leavens, Lecturer in English
Roger Rouse, Core Faculty in Global Studies
My name is Emma Robins, I'm a classic middle child, and a senior at Westmont College in Southern California. I work at the French Press on State (please come visit!) and am studying Sociology, English, and Gender Studies. I am comfortable with she/her and they/their pronouns, and I am panromantic and somewhere on the asexual spectrum. My mom is a French immigrant, and my dad lives in Tokyo, so international and intersectional perspectives are important to me. I also had a dream last night where I told someone "I'm an anarchist ideologically, but a socialist practically," so that probably tells you something about me.
What does spiritual violence mean to you?
When I think of spiritual violence, the sociologist in me thinks of it on the micro, meso, and macro levels. Basically, I think of spiritual violence as something that can be done in personal relationships (ie, a youth pastor telling a trans kid that their identity is invalid/they are not welcome anymore, etc); in organizations (churches sending violent messages which perpetuate heteronormativity, white supremacy, classism, misogyny, etc); and on a structural level (the broader cultural/political/systemic messages we receive and are inundated with). For me, spiritual violence is most devious on the structural level, which can take the form of subconscious messages which cause any marginalized person to feel unsafe and unwanted in The Church, as well as more tangible forms of religiously-motivated violence, such as our history of eugenics, the actions of the KKK, etc. Basically, I think of spiritual violence as any action, organization, or structure which abuses in the name of religion, and/or abuses the spiritual life of a particular person/group.
What motivated you to petition Westmont to be a sanctuary campus? And can you explain what it means to be a sanctuary campus for folks who aren’t familiar?
The sanctuary campus movement seeks to make college and university campuses safe spaces for groups targeted by the Trump administration, and marginalizing policies in general. This often is specifically geared towards issues of immigration-- so, a sanctuary campus would not comply with immigration officials seeking to deport students, faculty, or staff, would not release information regarding students' immigration statuses, and would provide legal aid to students/faculty/staff. Right now, becoming a sanctuary campus is mostly a symbolic gesture, but a powerful one; it sends the message that we will stand by the members of our community and will ensure that they are safe, and feel wanted. I started a petition to make Westmont a sanctuary campus around the time when Trump announced the Muslim-majority travel ban. Basically, I was pissed. And I had been pissed for so long, and heartbroken, with nowhere to channel this energy, so I talked with one of my professors, who mentioned the sanctuary campus movement. This professor and others (including my mom, go mom!) had been working on a statement from the faculty in response to the Trump administration, basically declaring their values and dedication to justice and Christlike love. My professor told me that she was worried that a push from the faculty wouldn't be enough to get the administration moving, but maybe with student support...So I used the Notre Dame letter as a template, and here we are!
Why is it important to have sanctuary campuses?
Sanctuary campuses are important because they communicate a) Constitutional values, b) The radical message of Christ, and c) basic human compassion, in a time when all three seem to be on shaky ground. They embody a message directly to the highest powers in our nation that we will not comply.
What has the process in making the petition been like? Have there been any barriers that arose in getting your school approved as a sanctuary campus?
The first week or so of gaining signatures was unreal. It was so encouraging and life-giving to see literally hundreds of people, mostly complete strangers to me, showing support through their signatures. There have definitely been some barriers; some people are uncomfortable with certain aspects of the petition, like asking for funds to provide legal aid to students, and others have posted some negative things about it on social media. But now we have 594 signatures, and I'm working on figuring out the most effective way to present it to the president and board. So we'll see!
What is a lesson you learned from pushing to make your school safe for undocumented students?
I've learned that people want to take action, even if they don't know how. Some people left messages with their signatures, including a couple of students who transferred out of Westmont. My favorite says "I entered Westmont as a freshman before transferring out to Emory University after 3 semester. I left Westmont because I thought it was a cesspool of conservative thinking that was damaging to minorities. However, this petition is proving me wrong. Please continue to prove me wrong through acts of love and compassion such as this." I like to think that people who felt alone and hopeless (including myself), without an outlet for their frustration, can see this petition as a form of action, and can inspire acts of solidarity, civil disobedience, etc.
How can colleges and administrations better be in solidarity with immigrants?
Obviously, I think becoming a sanctuary campus is a great way for administrators to show solidarity with immigrants. I think administrations need to be vocal; often, administrative bureaucracy and the fear of offending donors leaves the administrative voice a bit tepid, if not altogether absent. I think the more that board members, administrators, faculty, staff, presidents, etc openly speak against injustice and for solidarity and action, the more students will feel that they too have a voice, and that they can learn in a safe environment.
What is the significance of coordinating a national movement of Christian college students?
My hope is that a national movement of Christian college students would problematize the widely-perceived "Christian" rhetoric of ignorance and violence. I'd like to think that we can reclaim the values of Christ and the Church. There are a lot of us out there who are concerned with enacting love and justice in the world, I just wonder if we have a harder time mobilizing than other groups.
Is there any way other students can get involved in what you're doing?
I encourage other students to start their own petitions! Create safe spaces on campus, talk to administrators, find professors who are willing to support you. Also, take care of yourself. In a world that wants to disempower, invalidate, and violate you, self-care is a radical act of justice.
And lastly, what's a song you've had stuck on repeat this week?
I've been listening to "Come" by Jain constantly. She's an incredible musician with a multicultural sound (I think she grew up in France, the Congo, India, and more) and really great music videos.
Thanks so much Emma!
You can view Emma’s petition to make Westmont college a sanctuary campus here.
There’s been a lot of talk about sanctuary campuses, cities, counties and even states. But, what does "sanctuary" really mean and how does that support immigrant communities? http://nyti.ms/2keIiZa
