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FLC COMMITMENT TO IMMIGRANTS IN THE COLLEGE COMMUNITY

April 18, 2018 (approved by Cabinet)

Fort Lewis College hereby affirms its commitment to an environment that is supportive, welcoming, and respectful of documented and undocumented immigrant students.  This statement outlines specific actions that Fort Lewis College is taking or will take to express its commitment to documented and undocumented immigrant students.

We affirm that we provide the following for all documented and undocumented immigrant students and employees:

  1. The College will continue to fully comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).  In compliance with FERPA, the College is committed to protecting the privacy of all student information, with the exception of student directory information, which may be released.  Neither immigration status nor citizenship status are directory information, as defined by Fort Lewis College; therefore, those two items will not be shared with any party, including law enforcement agencies. In the following very limited circumstances, the College may provide student information beyond directory information:

    1. The College will provide information when there is a judicial warrant, subpoena, or court order for such information.

    2. The College will provide information when there is a release from the student.

  2. FLC Police do not enforce immigration law; therefore, they do not inquire about or record an individual’s immigration status.  FLC Police are required to comply with judicial warrants, subpoenas, or court orders.

  3. The College does not use E-Verify processes in any admission, financial aid, or student employment transactions.  The College intends to continue this practice.

  4. Qualified undocumented students may receive in-state tuition classification at Fort Lewis College through Colorado’s ASSET program. For more information:  https://www.fortlewis.edu/Home/Admission/ColoradoResidency/In-StateTuitionforASSETStudents.aspx.

  5. The Fort Lewis College Student Housing Office is required and committed to following Federal and State laws prohibiting discrimination. Information about student race, ethnicity and immigration status are not collected through the housing application and are not used during the housing assignment process.

  6. Fort Lewis College is an inclusive environment with students from a diverse array of backgrounds, including immigration status.  For this reason, the College offers the following resources to students:

    1. El Centro de Muchos Colores will provide information, workshops, and individual attention to documented and undocumented immigrant students.  The El Centro Coordinator is available to speak with documented and undocumented immigrant students to explain the resources available on and off campus, although the Coordinator is unable to provide legal advice.  Confidentiality is guaranteed to the extent permitted by law.

    2. When there is a Spanish-speaking staff member available in Admission and/or Financial Aid, Spanish-speaking assistance will be offered to all interested students/families.

    3. A webpage with resources for documented and undocumented immigrant students will be posted on the FLC website.  This resource page will be housed under the Admission page.

    4. The College will offer educational resources regarding immigration issues for the College community.

  7. The College is also committed to supporting documented faculty and staff members who are immigrants.  One specific way in which that commitment is demonstrated is that the College sponsors Permanent Resident Card applications for faculty and staff who are here on work visas.  It should be noted that there are stringent legal requirements regarding sponsorships.