Ventura County Community College District, along with community colleges throughout California, supported Undocumented Student Action Week, Oct. 14-18. In this article, Chancellor Greg Gillespie shares the District’s commitment to students during USAW, and throughout the year.
Raising Awareness During Undocumented Student Action Week
By VCCCD Chancellor Greg Gillespie
The Ventura County Community College District believes that students deserve a quality, affordable education to prepare them for a career or a four-year degree. We are an inclusive district, annually serving approximately 32,000 students from all different ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds; many students are the first in their families to pursue a college education.
This is why we, along with community colleges throughout California, support Undocumented Student Action Week, October 14-18, 2019. During this week, our campuses in Moorpark, Oxnard, Ventura and Santa Paula host educational and advocacy events for students and the community. The events bring awareness to the challenges of undocumented students in Ventura County, who are among the estimated 50,000 to 70,000 community college students in California who are undocumented.
These tenacious students face many hurdles along their journey toward academic success. Their status and safety on our campuses have been uncertain since President Trump’s 2017 announcement to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The situation has become more fragile through Congress’s lack of action on DACA and the American Dream and Promise Act (H.R.6). Not to mention recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and detentions, which cause fear within our undocumented student population.
I have met these students as I visit our community college campuses. They are an impressive group, a collection of men and women who enthusiastically pursue degrees or certificates in engineering, nursing, auto body repair, chemistry, and myriad other disciplines. They are determined to be successful and appreciate the educational opportunities and support services offered at Moorpark, Oxnard, and Ventura colleges and Ventura College East Campus.
One of our newest support services is the Dream Resource Center at Oxnard College, which opened in August to provide comprehensive services to undocumented students, their families and campus allies. It is a safe space for students to receive peer support and access helpful information and guidance through their education. We value being a safe haven for students.
As this year’s action week gets underway, I encourage every Ventura County resident to learn more about the challenges our undocumented students face today, and how we can help. Please consider advocating for Congress to take immediate legislative action on important federal policies and for providing resources to ensure our undocumented students have a clear pathway to success.Dr. Greg Gillespie is the chancellor of the Ventura County Community College District. The District’s three colleges–Moorpark, Oxnard, and Ventura–offer programs in general education for degrees and certificates, transfer to four-year colleges and universities, career technical education, and provide opportunities to engage in co-curricular campus activities.