Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice in Higher Education JEDI Final Report

Kassandra Santos, Omar Ramirez, Caleb Conley

Higher Education and Student Affairs, Northern Illinois University

HESA 502: Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice in Higher

Education Dr. Jacqueline Mac

May 09, 2022

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Abstract 3 Introduction 4 Utopic Model 5 The Institutions & Our Findings 6

Elgin Community College(Public Two Year Institution) 7 University of Illinois Chicago 9
Columbia College Chicago (Private Institution) 10 References 16
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Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to bring awareness and understanding to the support and/or

lack of support and resource to undocumented students in Illinois institutions. We will talk about

three distinct types of institutions (community college, public four-year institution, private four

year institution) and discuss our findings on what programs and resources are available at each

institution for undocumented students. Lastly, we will discuss our thoughts on our findings and

our recommendations to support undocumented students.

Introduction
 Education should be accessible to anyone and everyone. Factors like finances,

orientation, race, and ethnicity should not be the reason you are denied an opportunity to pursue

a higher education. Most importantly, a piece of paper defining legality status should not be the

reason someone continues to dream.

According to the Homeland Security (n.d.), there was an estimated 11.4 million

undocumented immigrants residing in the United States in 2018. Out of millions of

undocumented immigrants, approximately 430,000 are current undocumented students (Higher

Ed Immigration Porta, 2021). For years, undocumented individuals have been denied

opportunities at federal benefits and state opportunities.

Monumental cases like Plyer v. Doe (1982) bring advancing opportunities for

undocumented students. With the intention to deny educational opportunities to undocumented

students, the Supreme Court ruled that this was a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of

the Fourteenth Amendment (Peña, 2021). Unfortunately, limitations were established because

this ruling is only applicable for K-12 public school students.

The complexity of opportunities for undocumented students were in constant thought.

The DREAM Act was first introduced in 2001 (Peña, 2021). Variations were constructed in

hopes to be federally approve, but time after time it was deferred. Despite these efforts, states

decided to create their own versions of the DREAM Act.

In 2011, the Illinois DREAM Act was born (ISCA, 2012). Here, financial support was generated

for undocumented students that graduated from Illinois high schools. Even though these

students could not apply for federal financial aid, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission

(ISAC) created an Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid and the Retention of

Illinois Students & Equity (RISE) Act) (ISAC, 2021). The RISE Act “allows eligible
undocumented students and transgender students disqualified from federal financial aid due

to…apply for all forms of state financial aid” (ISAC, 2021). The Alternative Application

“provides a way for these qualified students to apply for Monetary Award program (MAP)

grants, the state’s largest need based grant program for low-income college students” (ISAC,

2021).

Utopian Model

While we could have acknowledged specifically DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood

Arrivals) recipients in higher education, this motion would have discredited all those

individuals who do not qualify for DACA. All DACA recipients could be undocumented

students, but not all undocumented students could have DACA. Therefore, it was relevant for

our research to take a step back and account for a greater pool of students.

For our prospectus, it was imperative to highlight undocumented students residing

within the state of Illinois. Compared to other states, Illinois has the notable forms of help

towards undocumented immigrants. In 2017, former Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a legislation

that restricts cooperation between local/state authorities with federal immigration authorities

(Esparza, 2018). Current Gov. J.B. Pritzker reinforced sanctions and signed in measures that

help and protect undocumented immigrants in 2019 (Bishop, 2019).

These legal actions are significant for undocumented residents, but also add a sense of relief to

undocumented students. Because of the standing the state of Illinois has with the topic of

immigration, as a group we motioned to focus on the state versus a nationwide revision of

current

undocumented student support found at different institutions. Our goal was to examine

undocumented student support services found in places of higher learning located in the
northern region of Illinois, a progressive side of the state.

Due to the inconsistencies at federal and state levels, undocumented students face

additional obstacles when considering institutions to apply to compared to “traditional”

students. With the information gathered from our institutions, we can construct a utopian

model. With an idea in mind and knowledge from our class experience, as a group we would

create a system that we believe should be implemented at a federal level as a basis for all

places of higher learning. These institutions would be able to add on to a fundamental model

that serves as a starting point for all schools to serve a growing student body population. A

model will be constructed under the recommendations that we have for all institutions across

America.

The Institutions & Our Findings

We investigated three types of institutions to promote perceptions from different

educational systems. Omar investigated Elgin Community College, a community college.

Caleb investigated University of Illinois-Chicago, a public four-year institution. Kassandra

investigated Columbia College Chicago, a private institution.

All members worked in advance to fulfill a general purpose of finding, examining, and

interpreting student support services for undocumented student services. Questions in the

interviews were formulated based on foundational knowledge found on the institution’s website

and additional publications. The variety in the school selection accounts for different

institutional structures. Furthermore, it granted us an opportunity to understand different

perspectives of different institutions.

Elgin Community College(Public Two-Year Institution)

 Elgin Community College is a public two-year institution that is in Elgin Illinois and

was founded on January 10, 1949. Elgin Community College has many things that makes them

an institution that students attend to get their general education requirements completed at an

affordable price. In Elgin Community College website they had the following information when

talking about Elgin Community College, in the website it stated the following… “Elgin

Community College is nationally recognized as Leader College of Distinction by Achieving

The Dream, Inc. a national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping more community

college students, particularly low-income students and students of color, stay in school and

earn a college certificate or degree.”(Elgin Community College, 2022). This is just one of

many recognitions Elgin Community College has been recognized for doing. I chose this

institution due to me being an alum of this institution and having a valuable experience with

the resources and faculty that were available at this institution.

For my research on what programs or departments are in place in Elgin Community

College that are available for undocumented students were the following. To begin, when I

started my research, I looked through different departments on Elgin Community College

website but could not find much information on undocumented students. after some time

navigating through the website, I was able to find a section for undocumented student support.

on the page is listed different resources that were available to undocumented students.

On the page, there was two staff members' contact information. I contacted both but only one

replied to my request for an interview to gain a better understanding on what resources are

available to undocumented students. I interviewed Elizabeth Herrera who works at Elgin

Community College as an academic advisor and has been working at the institution since 2012.

During the interview Elizabeth shared that the institution does not have a department that
specifically supports undocumented students. Elizabeth shared that faculty and staff go through

trainings throughout the year to get training on services that are available for undocumented

students. One of the things that were shared during the interview was when Elizabeth shared that

a few years ago there was talk about hiring a Diversity and Inclusion director that would

oversee implementing practices and resources to best support undocumented students. The need

for this position was voted on by the boards of trustees and the vote did not pass. I asked

Elizabeth why it did not pass, and they stated they did not know why I did not pass but did share

that the administration is now looking to hire a DEI Director due to them seeing that there is a

need to have that position in the institution.

The information that was shared by Elizabeth was very eye-opening due to my previous

thoughts on Elgin Community College. My previous thoughts on Elgin Community College

were that they were on the frontline on advocating for all students and having programs and

departments in place to best support their students. But after my Interview with Elizabeth, I

learned that Elgin Community College still has work to do to ensure that undocumented students

are getting the support they deserve just as all other student populations at the institution. Elgin

Community College must continue advocating for their students' needs and support them on

their college journey. I believe when students are succeeding so are the institutions. I hope that

Elgin Community College will take into consideration the importance of supporting

undocumented students. This student population deserves the same opportunities and resources

just as any other student population, all student's success matters.

University of Illinois Chicago

University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a four-year public institution located in Chicago,

Illinois. UIC was founded in 1982. They are an acclaimed research institution with sixteen
colleges (University of Illinois Chicago, 2022). A few of the colleges include College of

Medicine, College of Applied Health Sciences, College of Pharmacy, and School of Public

Health. The UIC School of Public Health is the only public health school in Illinois accredited

by the Council on Education for Public Health (University of Illinois Chicago, 2022). There are

over 34,000 students and more than one-third of undergraduates are first-generation students.

According to the U.S. New and World Report, UIC placed among the top twenty ethnically

diverse national universities (Levy, 2019).

There is not an office for undocumented students because they fall under Office of

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The DEI’s Vice Chancellor is Amalia Pallares, who

holds a position as a Professor of Political Science, and Latin American and Latino Studies. She

has been on UIC’s 22 years and is the author and editor of several books and other publications,

including Family Activism: Immigrant Struggles and the Politics of Noncitizenship, Marcha:

Latino Chicago and the Immigrant Rights Movement (2010) and From Peasant Struggles to

Indian Resistance (2002). She contributes campus-wide efforts to enhance diversity, inclusion,

and equity; and engaging the wider community around these issues. Amalia Pallares is an

example of how a qualified leader and show support for not only undocumented students, but all

students that are part of the DEI office.

I was happy to see undocumented students were in UIC’s diversity mission

statement. “UIC is deeply committed to fostering an inclusive environment for students of

diverse

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backgrounds including undocumented students” (University of Illinois Chicago, 2022).

The statement showed the support the institution has for undocumented students.
 UIC provides a plethora of resources for undocumented students, faculty, staff, and

individuals not of the university. There are fact sheets, educational toolkits, trainings, and

publications. One of the webinars, Students Without Status: Understanding and Protecting the

Rights of Undocumented Immigrant Students, was hosted by the Alliance for Excellent

Education to discuss The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program which

provides work permits and protection from deportation to eligible young unauthorized

immigrants (University of Illinois Chicago, 2022). UIC provides a downloaded pdf on COVID-

19 resources specifically for undocumented students and the information includes internal and

external help.

There is the UIC Dream that provides information to current and prospective students

and their families regarding residency for in-state tuition and enrollment. UIC strives to provide

as many resources as possible for their undocumented students. Amalia Pallares along with

Kiely Fletcher, the Executive Director, Financial Aid and Scholarships, sent out a memo

informing the students of the Illinois RISE (Retaining Illinois Students and Equity) Act was

signed into law. The legislation grants eligibility for a subset of students who were previously

ineligible for state financial aid as well as UIC grants, scholarships and tuition waivers and the

subset of students includes undocumented students.

Columbia College Chicago (Private Institution)

Columbia College Chicago is a private and nonprofit arts institution. Welcoming and

offering a wide spectrum of arts, it welcomes an estimated 7,000 students (Columbia College

Chicago, n.d.). Founded in 1890, Columbia has had growth through time. In the recent years,

the

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institution has birthed initiatives that have become more inclusive to the student

body representation.

Efforts commenced through the revision of the school’s website. A page was found with

“support” for undocumented students. Through their Student Persistence Office, they were able

to create a list of allocated resources that students can explore as they see best fit (Columbia

College Chicago, n.d.). Upon revision of the formulated list, it was evident that this list had a

considerably basic formatting. There are noted questions under topics, and readers might gather

an impression of unprofessionalism or uncertainty.

The links provided are to different methods of resources undocumented students could

utilize to their advantage. Things like financial points (scholarships, employment

opportunities/guidelines, etc.) are addressed to notable local, state, and national pages. Aside

from financial support, mental health is noted in national support systems.

From finalized revisions of the school’s website, it was tragic to find the lack of support

found at this institution. Located in the heart of Chicago, a sanctuary city, Columbia has no

official office or figures that specifically work with this student population. An institutional

support system is absent, but their websites advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

To reinforce the findings in digital platforms, numerous efforts were made to connect

with admissions and all figures related to student diversity, equity, and inclusion (directors,

coordinators, engagement officers, etc.). Through short mailings with DEI figures, the

information posted on their website is the most up to date and nothing was reserved from the

public. With admissions, I was able to connect with Marty Kane, the Assistant Director of

Regional

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Admissions. With them, I was granted the opportunity to speak via zoom and ask

for confirmation/elaboration on current understandings based off website findings.

In the interview with Marty, I had the honor to learn that they had been with Columbia

for a length of time. They have enjoyed their work in recruiting students, but they were

transparent to share that the institution has been hurting with retention efforts. With Marty, I

learned that there was no process established to connect and support undocumented students.

The admission’s page reads promising words, but the support once admitted is different.

Like the Student Persistent Office, the admission office has a page dedicated to the admissions

of undocumented students. Readers find links to different sources of support, and once again

few are in connection to local sources. In the interview, it was learned that the school has

partnerships with different localities in the surrounding areas, but unfortunately, hands may be

tied due to the discretion of student status. It is in preference that the student takes a step

forward to seek help rather than asking the student directly and revealing information that the

student was not ready to share. With further discussions, it was learned that the institution has

talks about future efforts, but they must be patient and observant of the student trends. It is fair

that the pandemic did not help the students with talents, but it created a greater concern for the

increasing drops.

Overall, it was disheartening to learn that the institution has minimal tools for some of

the greatest creators the arts will ever see. Columbia acknowledges the presence of

undocumented students, but it would be in best interest that the institution makes an initiative to

welcome and construct an equivalent value these students bring to the world. The institution's

equal opportunity statement reads,

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 Columbia College complies with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations
concerning civil rights. Admission and practices of the College are free of any
discrimination based on age, race, color, creed, sex, religion, handicap, disability, sexual
orientation, gender identity or expression, and national or ethnic origin.

The policies, programs, activities, course offerings, descriptions, faculty, and calendars
listed in this catalog are subject to change, revision, modification, and/or deletion at any
time without notice.

In the eyes of many, this statement may seem distinguishable. In the eyes of DEI activists

and social justice leadership, a critical factor is absent…the legal status of students.

Recommendations

In the report, we looked at three institutions in Northern Illinois. As a group we

recommend that these institutions have a stronger connection with the undocumented student

figures that not only represent them but have knowledge on how to provide resources and

support to this student body population. The three institutions should have a specific office for

undocumented students, specifically UIC. The institution mentions undocumented students and

provides multiple resources for that group of students. However, there is not a specific office,

and instead they are housed under UIC’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The

institution should look at their funding and distribute part of it for creating an office for those

students.

Institutions promote training, advocate for proper literacy (saying undocumented v. Illegal),

counseling, connections to figures in different departments that specialize in working with

undocumented students, etc. According to the syllabi, the term "illegal(s)" promotes a culture of

intolerance and violence toward foreign nationals and undocumented immigrants. A more

accurate and non-offensive term is "undocumented immigrant(s)." This language signifies

respect to the
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population addressed and reflects our campus's most basic values of diversity and civility

in academic discourse.

Undocumented students have vocalized the need for continued support services

throughout their academic careers, including counseling services, funding opportunities, and

institutional encouragement (Suárez-Orozco et al., 2015). CCC vocalizes their need to provide

an extension to a site of sources or connection to localities. The institution should work to create

a straightforward guide for students to find resources on and off campus. The institution can

work with local communities to build connections for undocumented students.

CCC can learn from where they stand in supporting undocumented students. There is awareness

in the university that these students are there, and admissions are looking for ways to support

undocumented students that abide by state/federal laws. However, there is a cultural center, but

there is no focus on undocumented students. There is a lack of funding for the center. The lack

of support and resources for the students could have a possible negative impact on them. CCC

needs to find solutions for these students so they can heal from the lack of support. One way is

institutions can partner with departments to connect students with specific issues the students

need.

A recommendation is for faculty and staff for all institutions to go through ally training. There is

Undocumented Student Ally Training that serves to help create a welcoming campus and

encourage cultural and intellectual diversity at NIU. The training includes a list of “Your Role as

an Ally” and additional actions. Sessions are offered each semester, and one of the things a

participant can learn is about state and federal legislation that affects undocumented students

(Northern Illinois University, 2022). The benefit of ally training is to show support for the group
 of

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students. One can learn to listen to undocumented students with an open mind and

keep communications with them confidential.

The recommendations can help the institutions in their various needs. The institutions

are taking small steps to bring awareness and understanding to the support and/or lack of

support and resource to undocumented students. There is still progress to be made.

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References

Bishop, G. (2019, June 21). Pritzker signs measures to help, protect illegal immigrants in

Illinois. The Center Square. https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/pritzker-signs-

measures-to help-protect-illegal-immigrants-in-illinois/article_fc5cc630-9453-11e9-

8d0d 23f2506d34c7.html

Columbia College Chicago. (n.d.). About Columbia. About Columbia - Columbia

College Chicago. https://about.colum.edu/index

Columbia College Chicago. (n.d.) Support for undocumented students. Support for

Undocumented Students - Columbia College Chicago.

https://students.colum.edu/academic-services/student-persistence/support-

for undocumented-students

Elgin Community College. (2021). About ECC - Elgin Community College (ECC).

Elgin.edu. https://elgin.edu/about-ecc/

Esparza, J. (2018, December 17). Illinois is officially a 'sanctuary state' for immigrants. Chicago
 Tribune.https://www.chicagotribune.com/hoy/ct-hoy-illinois-is-officially-a-sanctuary-

state for-immigrants-20170828-story.html

Higher Ed Immigration Portal. (2021, November 19). Immigrant and International Students in

Higher Education. https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/national/national-data/

Homeland Security. (n.d.). Estimates of the unauthorized immigrant population residing in the

United States. Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United

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States.

https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/population-estimates/unauthorized

resident

Illinois Student Assistant Commission (ISAC). (2012, February 4). Illinois DREAM

act. https://www.isac.org/home/illinois-dream-act.html

Illinois Student Assistant Commission (ISAC). (2021). Retention of Illinois students &

equity (rise) act and alternative application for Illinois financial aid.

https://www.isac.org/Alternative-Application

Levy, C. (September 9, 2019). UIC recognized for student diversity, social mobility in U.S.

News rankings. UIC Today. https://today.uic.edu/uic-recognized-for-student-diversity-

social mobility-in-u-s-news-rankings#:~:text=UIC%20placed%20among%20the

%20top,category %20in%20the%202020%20rankings.

Northern Illinois University. (2022). Undocumented Student Ally Training.

Undocumented Student Support. niu.edu. https://www.niu.edu/undocumented/education-

and-training/ally training.shtml

Peña, J. (2021). Undocumented Students: History and Implications for Higher

Education Administrators. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 20(1), 33–45.

 https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192719860482

Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202. (1982).

http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supremecourt/457/202.html Suárez-Orozco, C., Katsiaficas,

D., Birchall, O., Alcantar, C. M., Hernandez, E., Garcia, Y., . . . Teranishi, R. T. (2015).

Undocumented undergraduates on college campuses: Understanding their challenges and

assets and what it takes to make an undocufriendly campus. Harvard Educational Review, 85,

427-463.

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University of Illinois Chicago. (2022). Undocumented Student Support. Office of

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. diversity.uic.edu