ABIGAIL JACOBSON
News Editor
Photo via suny.edu.
The recent executive orders signed by President Donald Trump not only have an effect on the U.S. as a whole but on SUNY schools as well.
SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. sent out an email to all SUNY presidents. The email was then sent to all faculty and staff from the President’s Office.
In this email, King addressed “a rush of executive orders and presidential actions,” which ranged in topics from gender identity, immigration enforcement, climate change and more.
According to King, “The reality is that we do not yet know what many of these directives will mean for our campuses and our students, and we anticipate extensive litigation that will over time clarify their reach and implications.”
King went on to discuss how many students and faculty have expressed concern and uncertainty about how these executive orders could impact any policies in place on their education. According to King, “Many students who are undocumented or who are from mixed-status families are justifiably fearful for their future.”
He also mentioned how LGBTQ+ students feel, stating that they may “feel like their very identity is being denied by their government.”
With all of these executive orders seeming to loom above students’ and faculties’ heads, King wanted to be clear on where SUNY stands: “SUNY is proud to count as a member of our community every one of our students, our faculty and our staff members — no matter their religion, their nation of origin or immigration status, their gender, their race or ethnicity, their sexual orientation or gender identity, or their political beliefs.”
King discussed SUNY’s mission which is “to provide to the people of New York educational services of the highest quality, with the broadest possible access, fully representative of all segments of the population.” He went on to say that SUNY has “no intention of backing away from that mission and its inherent commitment to a diverse and inclusive university and society.”
According to King, the federal government has reversed its policy of “sensitive areas,” which prevents immigration enforcement from operating on college campuses. One thing to take into consideration is New York State Executive Order 170.1, which requires either a judicial order or warrant to make civil arrests by any federal immigration enforcement within state facilities, including SUNY campuses.
King mentioned that the existing SUNY Board of Trustees policy mentions that, “The University will continue its long-standing practice of vigorously defending the privacy rights of students and requiring a subpoena, court order, search warrant or other applicable exception to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (such as a health and safety emergency or student waiver), prior to releasing information to law enforcement about a student or group of students. This includes information about national origin, religion and immigration status.”
Toward the end of King’s email, he discussed that “there will no doubt be more federal changes that impact our campuses and our students.” King mentioned that he will work together with students and faculty to help navigate and understand these changes.
King finished off by mentioning waking up every morning “believing deeply in the unique power of the public higher education to strengthen the lives of our students and the health of our democracy… I go to sleep each night proud of the work we are doing together at SUNY to tangibly deliver on these aspirations for the students we are privileged to serve.”
Students who have concerns about any immigration-related issues are encouraged by King to call the New York State Office for New Americans. The number is +1-800-566-7636.
In the same email, it says that “President Kolison will be in touch as additional information becomes available.”