To:      President Rebecca Cunningham 

CC:     Executive Vice President and Provost: Rachael Croson, Vice President for Student Affairs: Calvin D. Phillip, Vice President for Equity and Diversity: Dr. Mercedes Ramírez Fernández, Vice President for Human Resources: Ken Horstman, Vice President, University Services: Alice Roberts-Davis, Executive Vice President for Finance and Operations: Gregg Goldman, President and CEO, U of M Alumni Association: Lisa Lewis, Chief of Staff: Jessica Durkin, Executive Director of Presidential Communications: Alex Piazza, Assistant Chief of Staff: Maggie Flaten, Brianna Menning, Jamie Larson, Chancellor, University of Minnesota Rochester: Lori . Carrell, Chancellor, University of Minnesota Morris: Janet Schrunk Ericksen, Chancellor, University of Minnesota Duluth: Charles Nies, Chancellor, University of Minnesota Crookston: Mary Holz-Clause, Vice President for Communications: Chris Gade, Interim Chief Compliance Officer: Jon Guden, Vice President for Human Resources: Ken Horstman

Board of Regents: Janie S. Mayeron (Chair), Douglas A. Huebsch (Co-Vice Chair), Mike O. Kenyanya (Co-Vice Chair), Mary A. Davenport, James Farnsworth, Robyn Gulley, Tadd Johnson, Ruth Johnson, Bo Thao-Urabe, Mary Turner, Kodi Verhalen, Penny Wheeler

We are a coalition of students, staff, faculty, administrators, and community members who urge utilizing our autonomy as an educational institution to resist current and planned federal and state actions that jeopardize the access, safety, and belonging of any of our peers. 

We request support for UMN community members -- especially, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, Muslims, international students, immigrants, refugees, and undocumented people -- who are increasingly vulnerable to changes in policies (such as the potential repeal of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA program) and the violence targeting immigrants and refugees. 

There is a long history of previous Presidents at the University of Minnesota proactively acting to ensure the rights of community members and challenge legislation that is antithetical to the University’s mission. 

“In all of its activities, the University strives to sustain an open exchange of ideas in an environment that provides an atmosphere of mutual respect, free from racism, sexism, and other forms of prejudice and intolerance.”

Silence is harmful. It ignites fear and confusion for the UMN community. It is time to be bold and brave. When the university does not follow its mission then it erodes trust, compromises lives, reduces mutual respect, and leads to disproportionate harm placed upon marginalized UMN community members. 

We implore you to do the following: 

1. Sign onto the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration 
2. Reinstate the Immigration Response Team 
3. Ensure that University of Minnesota Police remain in alignment with the Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis in following the separation ordinance by not aiding ICE or enforcing federal immigration laws 
4. Protect undocumented community members’ access to aid and loans
5. Protect undocumented community members from threats to loss of health insurance
6. Invest in ongoing “Know Your Rights” trainings for staff, faculty, and students 
7. Do not collect or share immigration status information. This includes international community members by not providing more information or data than is currently legal. This includes not revealing information that identifies students by religious affiliation or through citizenship.
8. Issue consequences to anyone that violates the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) by disclosing the immigration status of student, staff, or faculty without a judicial enforced warrant or subpoena 
9. Commit to finding work opportunities and additional resources for students if DACA were to be revoked

We are responsible not only for protecting the values of this institution and higher education; but also responsible to our communities. As both Minneapolis and St. Paul are sanctuary cities, designating the University of Minnesota Twin Cities as a sanctuary would align us with our two resident cities. 

While the state legislature or federal government may decide to politicize our community’s humanity by threatening funding, we must commit to a higher education mission that does not retreat under threat. We must not sacrifice our community for our income. And we must be unapologetic in our defense of the autonomy of higher education and academia.

In Solidarity, 

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