Dear President Stellar,
We are writing to you on behalf of a Task Force designated by UAlbany Graduate Student
Association (GSA) in light of the recent Presidential Executive Order (EO, hereafter), in
anticipation of any new Executive Orders (NEO, hereafter), and the recent memos. We would
like to thank you for your visit to the GSA Assembly in the fall as well as your emails keeping
our community up-to-date on the issues facing our DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals), refugee and international students. Our Task Force has the following questions:
1. You indicated when you visited the GSA Assembly in the fall that the designation of UAlbany
as a Sanctuary Campus must come from the SUNY Board of Trustees (BOT, hereafter). What
steps has the UAlbany administration taken to urge the SUNY BOT to make this designation?
2. The State Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, issued a guidance for local law enforcement
agencies regarding their constitutional rights to not comply with federal agencies such as
Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. What steps has
UAlbany taken to train not only Campus Safety, but any relevant professional staff on campus on
this guidance?
3. What has UAlbany done or will UAlbany do to raise awareness and support for affected
students — legally, educationally, emotionally (in terms of general well-being as well as mental
health), and in consideration of universal human rights? Relatedly, what public conversations
about the EO, NEO, and memos does UAlbany plan to hold?
4. In what ways will UAlbany work with the SUNY System to ensure the safety of DACA,
refugee, and international students, especially regarding EOs, NEOs, and memos, now and in the
future?
5. What steps is the UAlbany administration taking to ensure that affected students suffer no
financial or academic penalties/difficulties?
6. How will UAlbany ensure that that affected students do not lose funding from either the
Graduate Student Support Fund or the Research Foundation as a result of any EO, NEO or
memo?
7. What guarantees will UAlbany offer for graduate students to defend theses/dissertations from
abroad under circumstances connected to the recent EO, NEOs, and memos?
8. What resources, assistance, and support will UAlbany provide for DACA, refugee, and
international students concerned about family members (especially spouses and children) in light
of the EOs and memos?
We would like, in light of these questions, to offer our support for the faculty petition advocating
specific measures for strengthening SUNY policy.
We look forward to your responses. Thank you.
The GSA Assembly Task Force UAlbany as a Sanctuary Campus
