Cal State San Bernardino’s DREAMers Resource and Success Center celebrated its second year anniversary in providing an on-campus place where undocumented students can meet, exchange ideas and provide support to one another.
The celebration, held at the university’s Santos Manuel Student Union Events Center, also featured the announcement that starting next week, the center will be renamed — The Undocumented Students Success Center.
The center renaming came about to make it more available to more students and at the urging of the student Undocumented Advocates Club, said Olivia Rosas, associate vice president for Student Success and Educational Equity, who also oversees the center.
When it first opened, the center’s focus was on the Dreamers, undocumented students protected under the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrival (DACA) program, Rosas said.
“However as we continued to work with students and look at the climate and the environment that we’re in, we wanted to have a name that was more inclusive of all of our student populations and amenities,” Rosas said. “The Undocumented Advocates Club, which is also here on campus, approached the center and really wanted us to consider changing the name of the center because we wanted to have a more inclusive environment, welcoming environment for our students.”
CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales told the attendees that the center’s name change was more reflective of the university and the California State University system, which in its 23 campuses statewide has undocumented students from 85 different countries.
“So it’s not just the Dreamers from Mexico, it’s really the undocumented students,” said Morales, who praised the center.
“It is with great pride that we have watched this center become such an integral part of our campus and a tremendously valuable resource for our students and our community,” Morales said. “The dedicated staff is here providing help, assistance and resources in service to the undocumented student population.
“This center offers something else of great value I would suggest,” Morales said. “It’s a safe place. It’s a safe space where individuals can find a kind ear, connect with one another, and secure both support and assurance.”
The center’s anniversary comes amidst the Trump administration’s rescinding of the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrival (DACA) program and giving Congress six months to act. The rescinding affects nearly 800,000 people nationwide. Those individuals could lose their ability to work, study and live in the U.S. without the fear of being picked up by immigration officials and being sent back to their country of birth.
Cal State San Bernardino will continue to support its Dreamer students.
“I want to take this opportunity to again clearly state what I have written to the campus community,” Morales said. “CSUSB will never turn our back on any of our students, faculty or staff!”
The Undocumented Students Success Center is part of CSUSB’s ongoing mission to help students excel. That effort also includes establishing the First People’s Center, which opened in September, and the Pan-African Student Success Center, which opened in October 2016, as the university’s commitment to a multi-cultural approach to ensure the success of all of its students.
The Undocumented Students Success Center is part of the Division of Student Affairs. It focuses on bringing awareness to the California Dream Act (financial aid), employment opportunities, scholarships, internships, immigration services, information about graduate school and other resources that will help achieve student success.