To the amazing team of CWI employees,
“I want to take a moment and reach out to all of you regarding an issue that has been on many of our minds this week; DACA.
DACA or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
Earlier this week President Trump, through his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, announced that he was rescinding the program enacted by then President Obama in 2012. The program, which was put in place through executive order (more on that later), helped children younger than 16, who came to this country with their parents, legally obtain a driver’s license, go to college and even pay federal income taxes.
That is where we at CWI get involved.
We always say that we are a transformational institution of higher education. We say that mainly to remind us to be nimble, to be embracing of change, to be looking for ways to transform our operation to be the best it can be in terms of delivery and effectiveness and efficiency. It’s also to remind us that we are here to help our students transform their lives. Access to education is key to transformation. When a student comes to us, they put their trust in us to help them change their lives. This is true for all students: Students who grew up here in Canyon and Ada Counties, students who grew up in the southern part of our country, the northeast, or any other place. It also applies directly to those who came here with their parents; Dreamers as they are known. They dream of a better life, a life path that is available to them through access to higher education.
So, what now? We are bound to operate within the law; there is no question in that point. We can and will work directly with our federal delegation to help them understand what is at stake with this issue. President Trump has said there is a six-month lead time for Congress to legislate a better solution than the total abolition of the program, which he believes was enacted illegally through an overreach by President Obama with his executive order.
I want to be clear on this final point: The College of Western Idaho (CWI) is a place that values each and every student, their desire and commitment to learning and bettering themselves. We will work with our locally elected federal delegation to ensure that our ability to honor that commitment is preserved. This is an issue that invokes many strong emotions and I want us to all be respectful of each other as we work within the lawful process to help steer this outcome to something that keeps the best interest of all our students intact.”
Thank you all for your interest and passion on this topic. Many of you have reached out offering support, I appreciate your willingness to go above and beyond and do what is needed to be there for our students. We will continue to keep you informed as discussions surrounding this topic continue, progress is made towards a solution, and we do our best to continue to serve and support our students.
Sincerely,
President Bert Glandon, Ed.D.