Dear Campus Community,
To prepare for a possible announcement by the Supreme Court of the United States of America of a decision on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, I am reaching out to express continuing support and to share resources which may be helpful to students and employees who have DACA during this time of increased uncertainty. As a member of the President’s Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration I have expressed the strongest support along with others nationwide, urging Congress to find a permanent solution which will lead to security for immigrants living and learning in our country, and urging the Administration to defer any action until Congress is given the time to address the issue. Nearly one-third of people currently protected by DACA are working in industries and occupations deemed as essential during the COVID-19 pandemic. This serves to underscore how critical DACA recipients are for the recovery and wellbeing of our community.
At this time, I strongly encourage DACA recipients to renew your DACA before a Supreme Court decision is made, even if your DACA expiration date is over six months from now. The UNLV Immigration Clinic provides free DACA renewals. To schedule an appointment with an immigration attorney, please email immigrationclinic@unlv.nevada.edu or call (702) 895-2080. The NSHE All Access DACA Renewal Guide and the Nevada Immigrant Resource Guide have more information.
Nevada State stands boldly with the DACA recipients on our campus and in our communities. Nevada has the highest rate of undocumented immigrants per capita, and we are proud to support a thriving undocumented community of Scorpions. Students and employees are encouraged to join the NSC Dreamers Club to receive up-to-date information through our Dreamers Club newsletter. To receive assistance navigating campus and community resources, financial aid & scholarships, free legal services, mental health services, and community healthcare, reach out to Vincent.Nava@nsc.edu from the Office of Community Engagement and Diversity Initiatives. Our CARE Team Case Manager can provide additional resources including referral to counseling on campus. Reach out to her at Laura.Hinojosa@nsc.edu. Scorpions interested in contributing to the development of resources for students and employees are encouraged to join the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. Email Pao.Vue@nsc.edu for more information.
I urge you to continue on your degree path. We expect to have a robust fall enrollment and academic advisors are available to assist with fall registration (https://nsc.edu/academics/academic-advising/ssn/).
Sincerely,
Bart Patterson
President