Chancellor's Communiqué

Message Regarding DACA, 9-5-2017

Dear students, faculty and staff:

This morning, United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the United States government would rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Department of Homeland Security subsequently issued a memorandum that described how the recission would occur in the upcoming months. President Trump has called upon Congress to enact legislation to replace DACA with legislation before the program expires on March 5, 2018.

This is distressing news for our community.  The ending of DACA would cut short the potential for young student scholars and leaders raised and educated in the United States to continue contributing to this country and our campus.  This would be a loss for our nation.

At CU Denver, we remain steadfastly committed to all our students, regardless of immigration status.  For our DACA students, we recognize that this most recent action has unsettling consequences.   We have many support services and we are working to create more.  If you would like to talk with someone at CU Denver’s Undocumented Student Services (USS) office, contact Dora Frias (dora.frias@ucdenver.edu; 303-315-1878) or Angelica Lopez-Rodriguez (angelica.lopez-rodriguez@ucdenver.edu; 303-315-1883).  They also can meet with you in person. Their website also provides links to FAQs and resources for undocumented students in Colorado.  In addition, Brittany Bouffard in our Student and Community Counseling Center (brittany.bouffard@ucdenver.edu; 303-315-7279) is available to talk with you in confidence.

If you are wondering what you can do to support our DACA community, you may contribute to the CU Dream Scholarship​ fund.  This fund helps students -- many of whom are working while going to school -- to offset tuition and living expenses without the benefit of financial aid.  We remain committed to providing and sustaining this important resource, and we are exploring other options.

I am working with CU President Benson and the chancellors from the other CU campuses to encourage Congress to take action to allow our DACA recipients to continue to work and study here.

Diversity is one of our guiding principles and core values. While the news about DACA’s end is troubling, I hope that knowing we will do our best at CU Denver to advocate and provide support for our community offers some reassurance during these trying times.

Dorothy Horrell
Chancellor