University of Idaho students Himani Patel and Sam Raymond want to do some good for the community after feeling the cynicism expressed on campus following the 2016 presidential election.
Raymond said the last two years, especially the presidential campaign, brought a lot of “shitty and hateful rhetoric,” and he wanted to build a
Joleen Evans | Argonaut
Caption for photo: Students and faculty meet to discuss the proposal to make the University of Idaho a sanctuary campus Jan. 19 in the TLC.
community that could function as a safe space, along with Patel.
Sociology and anthropology professor Leontina Hormel originally gave the two the idea of declaring UI a sanctuary campus, forging a commitment by university officials to protect undocumented immigrants and other minority groups that exist as part of the campus community.
At first, Patel and Raymond said they wanted to hold a candle light vigil to display the support the community had toward minorities, but then they thought to first gather support in a more formal way. This led them to the idea of drafting a proposal in favor of declaring the university a sanctuary — backed by petition — to present to UI administrators.
The students created a Facebook page, @UIsanctuarycampus, and held an initial meeting Jan. 19 in the TLC. The purpose of the meeting was to gather input on their first draft of the proposal and to hear from other members of the UI community about what being a sanctuary campus would mean to them.
The first draft listed several standards UI ought to uphold to be a sanctuary campus, all of which protected the rights and freedoms of minority groups at the university. Attendees at the meeting did not offer any extra criteria to the list, but instead asked for more information about the students’ plan moving forward with their proposal.
Patel said that things are vague this early in the process, but she hopes to research and gather more details for their next meeting, set for the middle of February. She said she wants to do more research on how individuals feel about this topic at the university and learn about other sanctuary campuses across the U.S. along with UI’s own policies.
Jesse Martinez, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, said the university’s policies on minority protections are not concerning to him, but they should adopt a more proactive approach if there are changes made on a federal level.
Hormel said the term “sanctuary” is linked to anti-Trump sentiments, which she suspected is why some college campuses are hesitant to be declared sanctuaries. Associate Dean of Students Hassel Morrison said many schools depend on federal funding to stay running, and being declared a sanctuary campus may threaten that. He suggested Patel and Raymond do research on how much UI depends on federal funds.
Patel said the term “sanctuary campus” has yet to adopt a clear definition, and neither she nor Raymond are “married to the term.” Hormel said some schools lean toward safer words like “amnesty.”
Morrison also suggested running their proposal by Faculty Senate before going straight to administrators. He said administrators may be more hesitant to approve such a proposal compared to faculty with tenure, because they have less to lose based on their contracts.
Martinez suggested the two utilize ASUI as well, as a way to work with more of the student body.
Erin Bamer can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @ErinBamer
Sam
A few editorial's to this tho, because the ya'll seem to take certain ideas in stories and run with them to gain views. There are already several safe spaces on campus, including the Office of Multicultural Affairs, The Dean of Students office, The LGBTQIA office and Student Diversity center, The office for Volunteer and Social action, Disability Support Services, The Women's Center, etc. etc. WE ARE NOT TRYING TO CREATE ANOTHER SAFE SPACE BY ANY MEANS, THE UNIVERSITY HAS PLENTY AND THEY FUNCTION AS THEY SHOULD. We are more interested in demanding administrative accountability to our undocumented classmates, LGBTQIA classmates, and students of color. The point of these meetings is because I do come from a place of privilege, and the ideas that I have, might not benefit the people that I am advocating for, so they shouldn't come from me. Had the individuals who reported on this actually interviewed and talked to Himani and I, the article would probably read a bit differently. Regardless, we march onward.