Campus Brief - Fall 2022
Dear Colleagues,
We are almost at the midpoint of Fall semester! This term, the activities on campus are picking up and it is looking more like a College that we all are familiar with! There are a few recent events and news that I wanted to share with you.
First and foremost, the 39th Annual Hispanic Student Conference held on last Saturday, October 8 attracted a large crowd from the local high schools. The auditorium was packed, the energy was electrifying and the enthusiasm was in the air! Right from the bands to the students dancing inside the auditorium, the intermingling, the laughter – it was truly a demonstration of Inclusive Excellence! The keynote speaker was inspiring with his personal story! I am confident many of the students who attended the conference will come back to engage in the campus life in the coming months. Kudos to he student services team for organizing such a great event!
Yesterday, we had the first of four sessions of Democracy in the Public Space series. The inaugural session was on Gerrymandering. Although I had a general idea of what it meant, I learnt a lot! It was informative and engaging. The number of questions from the audience indicated their involvement in the conversation. There are three more talks in this series – look out for the future ones. Thank you, Dean Martin for introducing this Lecture Series.
While we are witnessing the diverse and inclusive atmosphere on campus, we also received the news last week that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the DACA program violates federal law. The court’s decision allows current DACA recipients to avoid immediate disruption to their lives and to seek extensions of their DACA status. While we are far from a permanent solution, we need to urge DACA recipients to apply for renewal as quickly as possible. Since its implementation 10 years ago, DACA has protected thousands of undocumented students in California and hundreds of thousands across the United States from deportation as they pursue their college degrees. DACA recipients are first responders, medical professionals, educators, scientists, and serve in a host of other critical professions. They have made and continue to make positive contributions to our local, state, and federal economies and communities.
Finally, the Homecoming Football game is this weekend. I would love to see you at the stadium to cheer for the Pirates!
