November 23, 2016
Michelle Anderson, President
Dear President Anderson:
As you are aware, CUNY-Brooklyn College is a place of higher learning for numerous undocumented students from various world regions. Many were brought here as children; their parent(s) migrating under dire economic conditions. Many of their families fled violence and poverty, equally recruited directly for their labor. They took a significant risk to ensure better livelihoods for themselves and their children. This country, this city, this borough, is their identity. It is all they know.
Given Donald Trump’s promise to engage in further mass deportations of undocumented persons, we strongly urge you to take immediate action to push CUNY’s administration to declare our university and our campus as a “sanctuary” or similar status. Students have already expressed to faculty, staff, administrators, student club officers and representatives, their heightened fear and anxiety about the future. This fear, we should note, is accentuated by the recent experiences of marginalized groups on our campus, given the legacies of the Bloomberg administration's “stop and frisk” regime and subsequent documented surveillance and NYPD spying on Muslim students on campus. President-elect Trump’s plan for his first 100 days in office, which stresses building walls, increasing deportations, initiating a Muslim registry, and repealing DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), make clear that their fears are further justified. (
https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/consideration-deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-daca)
We believe that it is urgent for us to declare our university a sanctuary space, one where we limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities so as to shield our students, staff, and faculty from detainment and deportation. This refusal to cooperate should include a commitment not to share records with Immigration and Customs Enforcement that may identify the immigration status of students or campus workers. We should prevent our campus police and security from acting on behalf of federal immigration authorities, and prohibit these authorities from entering campus without a warrant, as in the rare case of exigent circumstance. The protocol for these potential actions involving “sensitive locations” is detailed in this 2011 I.C.E. memo:
https://www.ice.gov/doclib/ero-outreach/pdf/10029.2-policy.pdf This would also, by default, set the college policy framework to protect our Muslim students, given the forthcoming administration's call to create a national registry. This could also be complimented by a public statement that urges policymakers from local to federal levels to push for necessary reforms that includes paths to permanent residency and citizenship for our students, staff, faculty and their families.
We remain aware that the federal government has ultimate authority over immigration policy, and can penalize states and localities for non-compliance. But these are the very reasons to declare a sanctuary or similar status, not only to protect our mission as an institution of inclusive learning for everyone regardless of status, but also to advance a broad collective effort on behalf of learning institutions across the country to reject President-elect Trump’s documented and declared hostility toward undocumented immigrants and groups of color. As you aptly declared yourself recently (“Standing Together,” Nov. 14, 2016), the “…College, has, throughout its history, been a place that has welcomed students excluded elsewhere, including those of lower socio-economic backgrounds, those who are first in their family to attend college, and immigrants from around the globe. Certain immutable principles derive from our unique history.”
By declaring ourselves a sanctuary university, Brooklyn College will hold true to these immutable principles by seeking to protect students, faculty and staff from investigation, or any form of intimidation by immigration officials while they are on campus. We, the undersigned faculty, staff and students, urge you to take action.
Sincerely,
*SIGNATURES WILL NOT BE POSTED IMMEDIATELY - SIGNATURES WILL APPEAR BELOW AFTER THEY ARE RECEIVED*
Alan A. Aja, Associate Professor
Stefania Fernandez, Alumnus
Celina Su, Associate Professor
Naomi Schiller, Assistant Professor
Katie Rose Hejtmanek, Professor
Julia Fernandez, Undergraduate student
Paisley Currah, Professor
Joseph Entin, Faculty member
Rev. Dr. Antonio Aja, Parent of professor
Jeanne Theoharis, Professor
Julio Pena III,
Alumnus
Timothy Shortell, Professor of Sociology
Jean, Instructor
Nicole Rojas,Undergraduate student, student club
Betty Wolder Levin, Former faculty member (30 yrs)
Alexandra Juhasz, Chair and Professor
Naomi Braine, Associate Professor
Thomas DeAngelis, Alumnus
John Melendez, Graduate Student, staff
Christina Rivera, Undergraduate Student
Odalis Vega-Bautista, Undergraduate student
Jose Animas, Undergraduate student
Livia Mikcova, Undergraduate Student
Krystal Valentin, Undergraduate student
Michael Azor
Student
Andrew Waterman, Undergradraduate, student club
Stephanie Flores, Undergraduate Student
Areli Morales, Student
Nicole Solis-Ramirez, Undergraduate student
Evelyn Tu, Undergraduate student
Valeriya Zelenyak, Undergraduate student
Sarvar Akobirova, Undergraduate student
Taira, Friend of a student
Vanessa Rondon, Undergraduate Student
Maya-Ajee Thomas, Undergraduate Student
Laura, Assistant Professor
Jirazel Munoz , Undergraduate student
Mohamed Adnan, Alumni
Ethan Barnett, Student
Javier Calixto, Undergraduate student
Amelia Ward,
Father is an Alum
Cinthya Baez, Undergraduate student
Alexander Bianchi, Undergraduate student
Gloria Farciert, Undergraduate Student
Morsheda Kabir, Student
Flor Reyes, CUNY student
Molly Clark. Undergraduate student
Joseline Marin
Simone Kolysh, Adjunct lecturer
Omayra Cen Xie, Student
Vyacheslav Borovskiy, Undergraduate student
Kaiwen, Student
Kellie Merron, Undergraduate Student
Rahel Sosunov, Student
Jean, Instructor
Colleen Lutolf, Nearby resident, Friends with alum
Brian Sowers, Professor
Ian Kelly
Anthony Punt, Alumnus
Katherine Fry, Professor
Carolina Bank Muñoz, Professor
Lynn Horridge, Professor
Christopher Ebert, Associate Professor
Jorge Hernandez, Undergraduate student
David C. Bloomfield, Professor
Prisma Molina, Alumnus
Schneur Newfield, Alum
Kimberly Welgoss, Graduate
Samuel Farber, Professor Emeritus of Political Science
Kara Stephens,Undergraduate student
Jasmine
Alumnus
Jennifer Basil, Professor
Karen Shepp, Friend
Brigid O'Keeffe, Professor
Mobina Hashmi, Faculty
Antony Colon, Alumnus
Shaneen,
Faculty
Esther Ritiau, Adjunct Instructor
Lila
Alumnus
Marlin Bonilla, Undergraduate student
Jakarai Forsythe, Student
Rosaly Ocasio, Alumnus
Enrique Gonzalez, Undergraduate Student
Katherine Fry, Professor
Walter Gordon, Student
Rabia, Student
Nina, Applicant
Diana Pan, Professor
Cinthya, Undergraduate student
Colleen Lutolf, Nearby resident, friends with alum
Christine Locascio , Graduate student
Christina, Student
Florencia Salinas, CLAS Student Government President, undergraduate student
Sarah Beitch, Undergraduate student
Joseph Narovlianski, Alumnus
Jennifer Adams, Associate Professor
Christopher Katsaros, Undergraduate student
Gabriela Aguirre, Student
Richard Payne, Adjunct
Rachel Fink, Undergraduate student
Rohma Khan, Undergrad student
Stephen Thompson, Alumnus
Julisa Fernandez
Ruth Fernandez
Joseph Narovlianski, Alumnus
Maria Rampersaud, Undergraduate student
Anngillian Cruz, Undergrad in Sociology program.
Melissa Marturano, Former Graduate Teaching Fellow and Adjunct
Farah Cheema, Undergraduate student
James J. A. Blair, Substitute Lecturer in Anthropology
Gabriela Aguirre, Student
Sundus Seif, Alumnus
Anarrubenia P. Capellin Ortega, Instructor
Marc Napoleon, Undergraduate student
Brayan De Los Rios Guisao, Undergraduate Student
Jocelyn Wills, Professor
Liliana Castro, Alumnus
Michelle Cherian
Justine Henning, Alumnus
Derek Norman, Student
Joel Serrano, Student
Ian Torres, Undergraduate student
Sirojiddin Shamsiev, Undergraduate Student
Jannel Tillman, Undergraduate Student
Lisa Jahn, Instructor
Dalila Mendez, Alumnus
George Cunningham, Professor
Alejandra Figueroa, Undergraduate Student
Raquel Irizarry, Undergraduate Student
Shadiq Williams, Student
Zeus Sumra, Undergraduate student
Delilah Daniel, Undergraduate student
Tatiana Sangare, Undergraduate Student
Isaiah Rivera, Undergraduate Student, Presiden of BC Puerto Rican Alliance
Josephine Lindo, Undergraduate student
Emily Leong, Student
Irene Sosa, Professor
Irina Patkanian, Associate Professor
Lisbett Rodriguez, Undergraduate Student
Miguel Macias , Associate Professor
Jason Moore, Faculty
Carla Guamanzara, Undergraduate student
Tabatha Lopez, Student
William Childers, Associate Professor
John Anderson, Assistant Professor
Florence Rubinson, Professor
Aileen Santiago, Student
Ingrid Alvarez, Undergraduate student
Amanda Schreiner-Andric, Adjunct Lecturer
Michelle Paredes , Undergraduate student
Arileyda Taveras, Undergraduate Student
Abigail Ruiz, Undergraduate student
Esmeralda Sandoval, Alumnus
Sandy Rodriguez, Undergraduate, School of Education
Quinn Gallmon, Undergraduate Student
Rhea Rahman, Adjunct instructor
Gunja Sengupta, Professor
Patricia Antoniello, Professor
Christian Budhi, Undergraduate student
Virginia Sanchez Korrol,
Professor Emerita
Narline Borno, Undergraduate Student
Avery Othoniel-Gilbert, Student
Jamie Gil-Morales, Undergraduate student
Secil Cornick, Adjunct Lecturer
Ivette Cabrera, Student
Arooj, Undergraduate Student
Johnny Gardere, Undergraduate Student
Alosha Arias, Alumnus
Brandyn White, Student
Carlos Cabeza
, Undergraduate Student
Adonai Ramirez, Undergraduate student
Maria Perez y Gonzalez, Associate Professor
David Arnow, Professor
Shannon Mondesir, Undergraduate student
Sophia Perdikaris, Professor and Chair
Paula Whitlock, Professor
Maddy Fox, Assistant Professor
Anselma Rodriguez, Administrator
Paul Lucass
Kyandha Cruz, Undergraduate Student
Arianna Flores, Undergraduate Student
Veronica Manlow, Associate Professor, Business Management, Koppelman School of Business
Ralph L. Pineda, Curriculum Amicus
Lindsay Parme, Adjunct Professor
Gaston Alonso
, Associate Professor
Jonathan Laird, Undergraduate students
Munimur Ashrafy, Alumnus
Phillip Solodkin, Undergraduate student
Vlad Tyshkevich, Undergraduate student
Truth Opaleye, Undergraduate student
Hindy Drillick, Undergraduate student
German Alonso, Student
Pat Willard, Staff
Noam Swisa, Undergraduate Student, Computer Science
Tatsiana Varabyeva, Student
Gisell Rodriguez, Undergraduate Student
Elina, Undergraduate student
Andrea De Renzis, Graduate Teaching Fellow
Mark Laura, Undergraduate Student
Alena Weiserbs, Attended Brooklyn College for a year and a half.
Cory Look, Adjunct Instructor
Kera Weiserbs, Student
Barbara Weiserbs, Alumnus
Kaleel Bethel, Undergraduate Student
Frederick Wasser, Professor
Michael McManus, Undergraduate Student
Cinthia Perez, Undergraduate student
Sarina Dailey, Undergraduate student
Leonard Blades, Alumni
Morgan Burke, Undergraduate Student
Nicolas Vasquez, Undergraduate Student
Kaiwen, Student
Elisa Nunez Gutierrez, Undergraduate Student
Mona Hadler, Professor
Alex S Vitale, Associate Professor
Jeremy Porter, Professor
Taylor Sinkiewicz, Student
Sarah Tosh, Instructor
Esther Farmer, Alumnus
Deborrah Dancy, Administrative Assistant
Gisely Colón López, Alumnus
Megan Messana, Alumnus
DaQi Xia, Undergraduate Student
Susan Longtin, Associate Professor and Chair
Kenneth Gould, Professor
Jacob Antone Konst, Adjunct Lecturer
Ken Estey, Professor
Jennifer Ball, Associate Professor, Art History
Jerome Krase, Emeritus and Murray Koppelman Professor
Kumru Toktamis, Adjunct associate professor
Tatiana Berg,
Adjunct Lecturer
Debra Lennard, Graduate Teaching Fellow
Andrew W. Arlig, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Philosophy
Alma Rubal-Lopez,
Professor
Kunaal Phulesar, Undergraduate student
Gregory Smithsimon, Associate Professor
Nicholas Rago, Undergraduate Student
Dulce Cebada Hernandez, Undergraduate
Maria Scharron-del Rio, Associate Professor
Marisa LoBianco, Adjunct Professor
Troy Quallo, Undergraduate Student
Alexandra Isakova,
Undergraduate Student
Joanna Pinto, Undergraduate Student
Mary Castelo, Adjunct Lecturer
David Forbes, Associate Professor, School Counseling Program
Sara Reguer, Professor and Chair
David Brodsky, Assistant Professor
Antonio Nieves, Alumnus
David C. Bloomfield, Professor
Megan Messana, Alumnus
Janette Torres Arroyo, Instructor
Elizabeth Chua, Assistant Professor
Herve Queneau, Professor
Janet Carlile, Professor
Danielle Bullock, Alumnus and Graduate Student
Kate Ostler, Instructor
Lindsay Glasser, Alumnus, Adjunct Lecturer
James Davis, Professor
Erika Niwa
Assistant Professor
Ben Lerner
Distinguished Professor
Angela Fraser
Undergraduate Student
Kristina Riemer
Adjunct Lecturer, Admin., & Alumna
Shannon McBride
Graduate Student
Victor Franco
professor
Elena Valencia
Alumnus
Cheryl Carmichael
Assistant Professor
Jacqueline Shannon
Professor and Chair
Rummanu Yeasin
Alumnus
Mike Phillips
Adjunct Lecturer
Carol Korn-Bursztyn
Professor
Julia Alekseyeva
adjunct instructr
Kara Andersen
Assistant Professor
Alberto Bursztyn
Professor and Chair
Linda Louis
Professor
Francine C. Ward
Staff
Sarah Christman
Associate Professor
Rebecca Chalmers
Doctoral Lecturer
Tanya Pollard
Professor
Zachary LaMalfa
Adjunct Instructor
Elise Goldberg
Children&YouthStudies
Meera Nair
Instructor
Sabrina Hajjar
Undergraduate Student
Maxine Krenzel
Instructor
Lillian Oquendo
undergraduate student
Christina Malfitano-Lee
Alumnus and Graduate Student
Stephen Aubrey
Adjunct Lecturer
Roni Natov
Professor
Tanya Pollard
Professor
Marsha Kayy
undergrad
Jennifer Calero
Undergraduate student
Beth Ferholt
professor
Sara Teta
Alumnus, Adjunct
David P. McKay
Director, LGBTQ Resource Center; Adjunct Lecturer
Maria Contel
Professor, Chemistry Department
Reuben perez
Student
Angela Arrocha
graduate student
Monika Zaleska
Adjunct Professor and MFA student
Jennifer Cherrier
Professor
Aleah N. Ranjitsingh
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Sayem Nasher
, Student
Bernarda Pupovic
Undergraduate
Samrah Shoaib
Undergraduate
Karl Steel
Faculty
Areesha Ashraf
Undergraduate
Fatoumata Diallo
Undergraduate
Stanley Redon
Undergraduate
Rachel Hickman
Adjunct faculty
Andrew Yurko
Graduate Student
Raymond Chen
Undergraduate
Beverly Bailis
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Eleanor Miele
Faculty
Alexis Fallas
Undergraduate
Vondell Antoine
Undergraduate
Haneen Adi
Instructor
Carlos Chancay
Undergraduate
Jose Guerrero
Undergraduate
Ade Kassim
Undergraduate
Cameron Skidmore
Undergraduate
Leah Williams
Graduate Student and Adjunct Faculty
Matthew Burgess
Assistant Professor
Suklima Roy
Staff and Instructor
Judith Kenny
Staff
Kevin Bresnan
Undergraduate
Jazmin Miller
Undergraduate
Sumreen Meer
undergraduate student
Anthony Valentin
Alumnus
Lordy Belance
Undergrad
Carla Santamaria
Former Adjunct Lecturer
Catherine Green
Graduate Student
Evais Horsford
Graduate Student
Yani Rega
Graduate Student
AnaRosa Nazario
CLT, HNSC Dept.
Emma McCarthy
Undergraduate Student
Erik Rios
undergraduate
Helen Phillips
Assistant Professor
Ethan Anderson
Graduate student
Melissa Fuster
Assistant Professor
Kalesha Davy
undergraduate student
Corey Robin
Professor
Helen Lau
Undergraduate Student
Rodion Trulov
Student, MA / Alimni
Laura Juszczak
associate professor
Virginia Tolone-Wilson
Staff
Daniel Valles
Master Student
Vincent Mui
Graduate Student
Richard Magliozzo
Professor
Eva Baumgardner
Undergraduate Student
Nicolas Lira
Adjunct Proffesor
Katelyn Malae
Alumnus
Kenneth Gould
Professor
Murat Altun
Adjunct faculty
Mariana Torrente
Assistant Professor
Jessica Siegal
Assistant Professor
Ryan Murelli
Assistant Professor
Sharona A. Levy
professor & alumna
Seth Zeltzer
Alumnus
Lance Piao
Student
Andres Juarez
undergraduate student
Jamilah Cayenne
undergraduate student
Daphna Thier
Undergraduate student
Kumru Toktamis
Adjunct associate professor
Daniel Kaijzer
Undergraduate Student
Shayhan Lewis
Undergraduate Student
Yashkumar Ashani
Graduate Student
Taina Lopez
Undergraduate Student
Laurel Cooley
Associate Professor
Mohamed Said
Undergraduate student
Luigi Bonaffini
Professor
Cristy Augustin
Undergraduate student
Devan Aptekar
, Alumnus
Guillermo Gerona-Navarro
Assistant Professor
Julian Gonzalez
Alumnus
George Cunningham
Professor
Robert Padgug
Joanna Zoulis
Undergraduate student
Peter Dobbs
Graduate student
Jean Eddy Saint Paul
Professor
Tammy Lewis
Professor
Molly Foster
Student
Katie Uva
Adjunct Instructor
Kristie Rupp
Assistant Professor
Ivana Espinet
Adjunct Professor
Maria Wood
Undergraduate Student
Nicole LaScala
Adjunct Lecturer
Debi Coffield
Adjunct faculty
Heidi Diehl
Adjunct Lecturer, Alumna
Zeline Santana
staff and alumnus
Zawilky Santana
student
Robert Booras
Staff
Jiye Son
Graduate Student
Jon Nissenbaum
Assistant Professor
David Grubbs
Professor
Martha Nadell
Professor
Christian Benes
Associate Professor
Frank Angel
Chief CLT
Peter Taubman
Professor
Anita Bulan
Staff
Kelly Spivey
Senior CLT/Adjunct Instructor/Film
Rivkah Bryski
Undergraduate Student
Abby Scher
Adjunct Professor
David Balk
Professor
Sandra Kingan
Associate Professor
Natalie Lisiewicz
Undergraduate student
Priya Parmar
Associate Professor
Daniel Campos
Associate Professor
Janet Moser
Professor
Janet Kolmer Grommet
Assoc Professor
Jillian Cavanaugh
Associate Professor
Laura Tesman
Professor
Radely Y. Carmona
Alumus/ Former Employee
Katherine Hsu
Assistant Professor
Rosamond King
Associate Professor
Victoria Medialdea
Adjunct Instructor/Lab Manager
Nava Renek
Staff
Ann Lo
Staff
Jason Frydman
Associate Professor
Julia Cocuzz
Adjunct Lecturer / Staff
Jaime Weiss
staff
Patricia Cronin
Profesor, Alumnus
Jason Kliot
Distinguished Lecturer
Paula Massood
Professor
Sara Crosby
Staff
Bruce Rabinowitz
Adjunct Associate Professor
Alexander Greer
Professor
Zoey A Wolfe
undergrad student
Stephen Preston
Professor
Kiyoka Koizumi
Assistant Professor
Sanja Trpkovic
Adjunct Professor
Ellen Tremper
professor
Nitzan Zohar
Undergraduate student
Malka Simon
Lecturer
Ed Coppola
Chief CLT/Adjunct Professor
Anna Petrovicheva
Substitute lecturer in Biology Department
Julie Hegner
Assistant Registrar
Michael Goyette
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Rebecca MacDonald
Lecturer, Film
Emily Molina
Professor
Amy Hughes
Associate Professor
Victor Franco
Professor
Raymond Weston
Associate Professor
Bim Strasberg
Staff
Kelly Roberts
Alum. & Former Adjunct Lecturer
Erin Courtney
Assistant Professor
Sharon Zukin
professor
Tapati Debi
Undergraduate Students
Martha Lora
Student
Gigi
Undergraduate Student
Umma Pingki
undergraduate students
Natalie Nuzzo
Adjunct Lecturer
Bernardita Llanos
Professor
Adil Qumar
Undergraduate Student
Lynda Day
Professor
Josh Chapin
Undergraduate Student
Jason Eckardt
Professor
Amanda Rozon
Julia Fay Zimmerman
undergraduate student
Dorothy Neave-DiToro
Assistant Professor
Emma Schreiner
Graduate Student
Douglas DiToro
Alumnus
Cinthya Perez
student
Ahmed Jamal
Undergraduate Student
Jasmyn Sosayas
undergraduate student
Rabia Rana
Grad student
Jessica Gonzalez
Undergraduate student
Max F. Neuman
Macaulay Honors College at Brooklyn College Class of 2020
Rebecca Boger
Associate Professor
Emilio Gallicchio
Professor
Mark Kobrak
Professor
Doug Schwab
Professor
Vanessa King
Staff
Dally Gomez
Student
Albena Lutzkanova-Vassileva
Associate Professor
Chaim Levin
Undergraduate student
Ece Ersoy
Undergraduate Student
Christine Costello
instructor
Yehuda Klein
Professor
Gizem Iscan
Graduate Student
Sally Bowdoin
Professor
Jessica Bathurst
Adjunct Instructor
Michael Meagher
Associate Professor
Ricardo Hernández Anzola
Assistant Professor
Stephen Margolies
Staff
Sahira Bibi
undergraduate student
Lee Ann Fullington
Librarian/Assistant Professor
Ejona Bardhi
Undergraduate Student
Renee Peterkin
Graduate student
Isha Jeffers
Undergraduate student
Peter Lee
Undergraduate Student
Dana
Undergraduate Student
Natalie Schaeffer
Professor
Louis Blair
Alumnus
Lulu Sylbert
Adjunct Professor
Michael Meagher
Associate Professor
Rebecca Keith
Graduate student
steve williams
undergrad
Jaden Glasford Undergraduate Student
Lisa Del Sol
Alumnus
Irene Sosa
Professor
Anthony Ferrara
Student
Kyle Croft
Graduate Student
Beth Ferholt
Assistant Professor
