Our History
Undocumented Student Resources was created to ensure that Northeastern provides our undocumented students with the tools and resources they need to successfully pursue their education and to provide faculty and staff with information and resources to better assist undocumented students and their families.
In the fall of 2012, a Northeastern Innovation Grant was awarded for the development of the Undocumented Students Project. The grant proposal for the project grew from the hard work and collaboration of many students, faculty and staff who sought to bring awareness to issues affecting undocumented students and families. The committee worked arduously for more than two years to establish this project and it was formed by:
Daniel López Jr., Former Vice President for Student Affairs
Katherine Greenslade, Former Coordinator, Undocumented Students Project
Hamid Akbari, Professor Emeritus College of Business and Management
Saba Ayman-Nolley, Professor Emerita, Department of Psychology
Maureen Amos, Executive Director, Financial Aid
Lidia Filus, Chair, Mathematics Department
Christina Gomez, Former Professor, Department of Sociology
Maria Luna Duarte, Director, El Centro
Project Leader Erica Meiners, Professor, Education Inquiry and Curriculum Studies
Kyu Park, Former Associate Director, International Programs
Suleyma Perez, Executive Director, Government Relations, Office of the President
Angelica Rivera, Director, Proyecto Pa’Lante
Veronica Rodriguez, Director, Student Leadership Development
Luvia Moreno, Director, Undocumented Student Resources
Wojciech Włoch, Former Coordinator, International Programs
In July of 2014, the Division of Student Affairs institutionalized the project as Undocumented Student Resources to continue supporting undocumented students and the faculty and staff who work with them.
OUR GOALS
- To improve awareness of the issues and concerns of Northeastern’s undocumented students.
- To gain knowledge of Northeastern’s policies and practices that affect undocumented students.
- To increase understanding of immigration laws that impact undocumented families.
- To cultivate an open and supportive campus environment.
- To increase community awareness of Northeastern’s open, supportive practices towards undocumented families.
What We Do
- Undocumented Student Ally training for faculty and staff.
- Open-door logo on display stickers, lapel pins and buttons around the University. Faculty and staff displaying the logo are allies who are informed and ready to address questions and concerns. Our message: "I am an undocumented student ally. You are always welcome here."
- Provide a comprehensive resource guide for faculty and staff accessible on this website.
- Provide up-to-date information and materials available to students, families and community members via this website and via email communications.
- Work with community legal aid partners to provide legal advice, screening, and assessment.
- Investigate and review Northeastern’s policies and practices that negatively impact undocumented students.
- Develop recommendations to modify or improve upon Northeastern’s policies and practices.
Northeastern’s undocumented student initiatives demonstrate not only a University-wide decision to take a stand in support of the University’s undocumented student population but also an institutional commitment to social justice. This initiative to promote change and update policies will provide an equitable learning experience for all Northeastern students.
Programming and Support
Some initiatives we have implemented throughout the years in support of our undocumented student community are listed below. We welcome partnerships with non-profit organizations and institutions of higher education who would like to continue adding to this list:
- Changes to the Admissions Application - there’s an option under Citizenship Information, providing students with the opportunity to self-identify as undocumented.
- Increased Scholarship Opportunities - Today, 100 percent of talent and merit do not require U.S. citizenship. A total of $1.35 million is available to all qualified students. In addition, 96 percent of NEIU Foundation scholarships ($115,200) do not require U.S. citizenship.
- How to pay for College Sessions - In February 2012, NEIU El Centro partnered with the Albany Park Neighborhood Council and the Logan Square Neighborhood Association to provide sessions for undocumented youth on how to apply to college and find the resources to pay for it.
- DACA Application Workshops - In the fall of 2012, Northeastern hosted two Deferred Action Application Workshops at El Centro. Two hundred students and their families were served. In the spring of 2015, El Centro, in partnership with Erie Neighborhood House and Longan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA), hosted a DACA renewal workshop and a DAPA information session.
- DAPA Information Session - In the spring of 2015, Northeastern, in partnership with IL is Ready and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), hosted its first Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) information session. Northeastern alumnus and U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez attended the event and provided updates on DAPA and the pending court case. Over 50 NEIU students, faculty, and staff volunteered for the event.
- Coming Out of the Shadows Day 2016 - In the spring of 2016, Northeastern observed National Coming Out of the Shadows, a day of action that began on March 10, 2010, by a group of youth organizers from the Immigrant Youth Justice League (IYJL), to demand the passing of the Dream Act and comprehensive immigration reform.
- Coming Out of the Shadows Month 2017 - In the spring of 2017, we began a calendar of events to create awareness of the issues undocumented immigrant youth and their parents undergo in the country. All the events were done in collaboration with the Undocumented Resilient and Organized (URO) student organization. Some of our events are listed below:
- Know-Your-Rights Training lead by nonprofit organization Communities United.
- What is a Sanctuary? Panel formed by city officials, community activists and nonprofit leaders.
- Citizen Workshop lead by LSNA, Erie Neighborhood House, and ICIRR, at El Centro.
- An Evening with Poet Yosimar Reyes. In collaboration with Gamma Phi Omega International Sorority, Inc.
- Fotos y Recuerdos: A trip to the motherland I once knew. Panel formed by DACAmented youth who traveled to México under advance parole, share their photographs and memories of their first trip back to México.
- Coming Out of the Shadows Month 2018 - All of the events were done in collaboration with the Undocumented Resilient and Organized (URO). Some of our programming is listed below:
- A reading by Marcelo Hernandez Castillo - In collaboration with the Department of English, the author's visit entailed a creative writing workshop, an intimate luncheon and Q&A with students only, and a community-wide reading by the A. Pouling Jr. Poetry Prize winner.
- Author Dra. Aurora Chang, on her new book: “The Struggles of Identity, Agency, and Education in the Lives of Undocumented Students: The Burden of Hyperdocumentation” - In collaboration with El Centro.
- Coming out of the Shadows March and Rally - A youth -ed event done with the support and collaboration of North River Commission, Youth of the 33rd Ward, Roosevelt High School students and Von Steuben High School students, and the Albany Park Neighborhood Council.
- DACA Renewal Application Scholarship Fundraiser - In collaboration with URO, CHIMEXLA, and The Dream.US scholars, we raised close to $8,000 to support students with their DACA renewals.
