By President Emerita Judie Wexler January 30, 2017
From its earliest days, CIIS has been a university committed to attracting people from many countries and backgrounds. We are appalled by the idea of a religious test for immigrants from any part of the world.
Our University intends to continue to act in accordance with our values and commitments, believing that a diverse and inclusive community enhances the quality of education and scholarship.
CIIS is committed to admitting, supporting, and protecting students, faculty, and staff without reference to their immigration status.
We affirm our campus as a space where all members of our community should feel safe in regard to their race, ethnicity, religion, physical ability, gender, sexual orientation, immigration status, or spiritual practice.
CIIS maintains a strong commitment to the privacy of all student records and does not share sensitive information such as immigration status, with federal, state, or other local law enforcement agencies, except when required to do so by law.
We ask all members of our community to recognize that this is a fearful moment and to respond with compassion to the anxieties and urgency we are all feeling.
As a University dedicated to ideas, scholarship, and service, CIIS will continue to support students, faculty, and staff-and ensure that our community nourishes a climate where all can thrive. As I write, the University is compiling a comprehensive resource list that we will share very soon.
We will continue to send out information as we learn more about the Executive Order and the ways in which the U.S. courts respond to it. In this moment of fearmongering, we must renew our commitments to building the inclusive and just community that our values demand.
Judie Wexler, PhD
President Emerita
