To All Members of the Campus Community:

In light of President Trump’s recent executive orders on increased border security and stricter enforcement of immigration laws, I would like to remind all students, staff, faculty, and administrators of the resources available at the Dreamer Resource Center (DRC) at Sacramento State to undocumented students and students from mixed-status families. I strongly encourage the campus community to utilize the DRC and familiarize themselves with the center and its multidimensional programming. We must take care of and support one another.

The DRC is designed to help make the dream of a college degree a reality for undocumented students and students from mixed-status families. The DRC offers programs and services that help students overcome the unique challenges that get in the way of achieving academic, personal, and professional excellence. DRC events are open to campus and community members. 

Amongst its different services, the DRC hosts ongoing immigration briefings and consultations presented by attorneys from the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation (CFLAF). The foundation makes presentations on know-your-rights, naturalization, and citizenship; updates on new executive orders; Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA); and other changes enacted by the new administration. The briefings are held on the second and fourth Monday of each month (March 27, April 10 and 24, and May 8) from noon to 2 p.m. in the River Front Center, Room 1027. CRLAF is available for drop-in immigration legal consultations on the first and third Monday of each month (March 20, April 3 and 17, and May 1 and 15) from noon to 2 p.m. in the River Front Center, Room 1027. The DRC calendar is available here.

The DRC also offers ongoing Dreamer Ally Trainings, which provide an overview of federal and state policies that impact undocumented students on a day-to-day basis, the unique conditions experienced by these students, activities to better understand the needs of this population, and tools to become allies and ultimately advocates for undocumented students and students with mixed-status families. Attendees receive a Dreamer Ally decal upon completion of the training. To RSVP for the next training on Thursday, March 30, at 2 p.m., please visit https://springdreamerallytraining.eventbrite.com. I highly encourage all staff, faculty, administrators, and students to attend a Dreamer Ally Training. 

I also want to remind the Sacramento State community that we are aligned with and committed to Chancellor Timothy P. White’s statement: 

“The California State University is committed to being an inclusive and welcoming institution of higher education that is enhanced by our global community. As such, we will continue to make every lawful effort to provide a safe and welcoming campus environment for all of our students, faculty, staff, alumni and members of our community. 

“Our university policy departments will not honor immigration hold requests, and our university police will not contact, detain, question, or arrest individuals solely on the basis of being – or suspected of being – a person who lacks documentation.”   

In the event of being approached by federal officials on campus, please contact the Sacramento State Police Department. If approached outside of campus, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) provides advice on its website. 
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I again highly encourage students, faculty, and staff alike to become acquainted with the programming the DRC offers so we can all do our part to help support undocumented students and students from mixed-status families. As I have mentioned before, we are a Hornet Family and are committed to ensuring that our undocumented, international, and DACA students can continue their studies without fear. This commitment extends to all of our students, regardless of political persuasion, ethnicity, age, sex, gender, disability, religion, sexual identity, nationality, or documentation status. 
As always, we must band together to support one another.

Sincerely,

Robert S. Nelsen

1. The Remaking of America
In his latest column, Roosevelt Chief Economist Joseph Stiglitz argues that 2017 could be remembered as a turning point in U.S. and world history as Donald Trump takes power and both the Republican and Democratic Parties struggle to redefine themselves and their agendas for a new era.

2. A State of Emergency
Roosevelt Fellow Todd Tucker writes in Politico that while courts could try to intervene to block Trump’s trade plans, such as a 10 percent tariff on imports, the broad powers delegated to the presidency could allow Trump to declare the decline of American manufacturing a national emergency.

3. Fighting for the Franchise
The Intercept reports that Florida’s high court will consider a petition to allow a ballot referendum that could restore voting rights to people with felony convictions. Read more on this initiative from Roosevelter Carl Amritt, who has worked closely with Floridians for a Fair Democracy.

4. The Anti-Domination Approach
In a Washington Monthly review of Roosevelt Fellow K. Sabeel Rahman’s new book Democracy Against Domination, Kevin Carty writes that Rahman articulates a populism that serves as an alternative to laissez-faire libertarianism and moderate managerialism. 

5. The New Sheriffs
At Vox, Matt Yglesias notes that while Trump is putting together a Wall Street-friendly team, House Republicans already have a detailed plan to weaken financial regulation. And as Roosevelt Fellow Mike Konczal tells him, that starts with depowering the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Financial Stability Oversight Council. 

1. Looking Ahead to 2017
In her year-end blog post, Roosevelt President and CEO Felicia Wong reflects on the work that the Roosevelt Institute has done this year and how it has laid the foundation for many important fights in the year ahead, from taming corporate power to rewriting the racial rules and empowering a new generation of leaders.

2. The Return of Voodoo Economics
Roosevelt Chief Economist Joseph Stiglitz argues that Donald Trump’s economic promises are based on the “big lie” that big tax cuts and higher infrastructure and defense spending can coexist with lower deficits – and it’s going to cost American workers.

3. Police Violence in the Trump Era
Roosevelt Fellow Dorian Warren writes in Ebony that the Trump presidency, with its promises of a harsh “law and order” approach, brings with it an increased threat of police violence against black and Latino Americans, and the only solution may be local movement-building and activism.

4. The Student Debt Crisis Is Real
In the Boston Review, Roosevelt Fellow and Senior Economist Marshall Steinbaum makes the case that the cost of acquiring a college degree has become a toll that Americans must pay to enter the workforce, and that the best response is to expand free public college and eliminate the gatekeepers to higher ed.

5. Remembering FDR's Call for Unity
Reflecting on Barack Obama’s post-election call for shared commitment to democratic norms, Roosevelt Senior Fellow David Woolner recalls FDR’s own message about the importance of national unity and what it means in the face of electoral interference by the FBI and Russia.

1. Learning from Trump
On Medium, Roosevelt Fellow Mike Konczal analyzes Donald Trump’s campaign speeches to understand how he won white working class voters and finds that he emphasized job creation and the harmful effects of trade, eschewed attacking the rich or talking about poverty, and used a set of easy-to-grasp symbols and catch phrases.

2. Defending Dodd-Frank
Mike Konczal also testified before the House Financial Services Committee on the impact of regulations on short-term financing, arguing that Dodd-Frank has improved the health and stability of the financial system and that the law should be built upon, not rolled back under the new administration. Watch it here or read his prepared remarks. 

3. How the WTO Shaped the Carrier Deal
Roosevelt Fellow Todd Tucker looks at the difference between the deal Trump cut with Carrier and Washington state’s prohibited deal with Boeing, placing both in the larger context of a globalization regime that pits workers against each other to fight for scraps.

4. Infrastructure for the Rich
Roosevelt VP of Research and Policy Nell Abernathy tells Grist that Trump’s infrastructure plan is good for corporations and private interests, but bad for anyone who wanted an economically transformative vision or an effort to address the growing crisis of climate change. 
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5. The Impact of Paid Family Leave
In a new report, “What to Expect When Your Employees Are Expecting,” Roosevelt @ GW student Adam Graubart examines how paid family leave policies have affected economies in California and New Jersey and makes the case for a similar policy to be implemented in Washington, D.C. A final vote on the plan will take place on December 20.