Obies for Undocumented Inclusion demands Oberlin College:
Revitalize and disseminate the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Procedure with Oberlin College students, staff, and faculty.
Train all existing staff and faculty members in the needs and experiences of undocu+ students, respective to their occupational responsibilities.
Establish clear and accessible pathways to employment for undocumented students, both during and after Oberlin, ensuring they have the same opportunities as their peers.
Provide comprehensive financial aid to undocumented students.
Obies for Undocumented Inclusion is a student-led organization that supports undocumented students and raises awareness about immigration issues. The group advocates for institutional support, hosts educational events, and fundraises for resources like scholarships and emergency funds. OUI was founded in 2015 due to the increased targeting of and violence aimed at the undocumented community, demanding increased support for undocumented communities. Now, this moment demands the same.
These demands were carefully written and crafted through years of work by OUI members and leadership. They intend to address barriers undocu+ — a term to refer to undocumented people and those with related experience, like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients or a mixed-status family — students face both at Oberlin and in the transition after graduation. All of these demands have been successfully implemented at other colleges.
The first demand, the dissemination of the Oberlin ICE Procedure, is a necessary step in protecting undocu+ students from and in interactions with immigration officials; it is critical to keeping our community safe and informed. Protecting the undocumented community is crucial and should not be dependent on politics. However, it has become increasingly necessary with the current targeting of undocumented and international students by ICE. The Oberlin administration has already begun spreading this information but they must expand their coverage and reach.
The second demand requires training for faculty and staff on how to support undocu+ students respective to their offices. This seeks to ensure that undocu+ students are supported in all areas of the school. Undocumented students often face ignorance and disrespect from offices or in the classroom, forcing them to educate those meant to support them. Additionally, these trainings would prevent one person from bearing all expertise on undocu+ experiences, preserving institutional knowledge and avoiding workload burnout.
The third demand intends to ensure that undocu+ students can access support of employment both at Oberlin and after graduation. This would require all those in the Center for Student Success and the Student Employment Office to be versed in how to support undocumented students and the ins and outs of employment for undocumented students in a way that ensures safety and equitable access. Meeting this demand would honor Oberlin’s commitment to supporting all students both on campus and after graduation, support they have failed to extend to undocumented students by refusing to account for their circumstances and experiences.
The fourth and final demand is that the school provide full and comprehensive financial aid to undocumented students. Undocumented students are not eligible for federal financial aid, meaning many rely solely on outside scholarships. Oberlin proudly says that it meets full need, but does not account for emergency funds or families who do not meet the requirements for full rides. Oberlin’s policy burdens undocumented students and impacts their ability to have the educational and college experience that Oberlin claims to provide. Additionally, part of the agreement that undocumented students will have their financial aid met is that they will not work while at Oberlin. This stipulation place politics of deservingness on undocumented students and blocks them from making any money of their own or saving for the future. We are demanding Oberlin College cover full financial aid for undocumented students without placing any stipulations of work-study or barring students from employment.
On March 4, OUI met with President Carmen Twillie Ambar and presented her with our demands. In her condescending response and semi-rejection of aspects of all of the demands, she cited fears that the implementation of these demands would bring more attention to Oberlin and put undocumented students and community members at a heightened risk of targeting and violence. We push back against this idea.
These demands will make undocu+ students safer because they will materially support them during their time at Oberlin and afterward, as well as create a culture of care for undocumented students on campus, something this school continuously fails to do. Putting these demands into effect would honor the work of undocu+ students and their allies and the agency of undocu+ students in dictating what kinds of support they need. By implementing these demands, we begin supporting our undocumented community members in ways they have dictated are necessary and honor their empowerment in a time of incredible violence.
Obies for Undocumented Inclusion demands that Oberlin College and President Ambar rise to their words of protecting and caring for undocu+ students and meet our demands.
