On This Day in History: September 19

(Photo: Getty Images)

1356: The English capture the French King, John II, in the Battle of Poitiers

1862: Union defeats the Confederates in the Battle of Iuka

1881: The 20th US President James Garfield dies

1893: The Electoral Act in New Zealand (NZ) is passed, giving all women in NZ the right to vote. 

1940: Witold Pilecki voluntarily is captured by Nazis in order to infiltrate Auschwitz to smuggle information

1955: Ernie Banks, a Chicago Cubs slugger, hits 5th grand slam of the season

1957: First American underground nuclear test

1991: German tourists on the Austrian-Italian border in the Otzal Alps discover Otzi the Iceman, a 5,300-year-old mummy

1995: The Unabomber’s manifesto is published by The Washington Post

2009: Lee Daniels’ “Precious” wins the People’s Choice Award

Margaret Gentry
Staff Reporter

DACA: How Can We Better Understand?

(Photo: Jim Wilson/The New York Times)

*Name changed for privacy

               Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, also known as DACA, is the "use of prosecutorial discretion to defer removal action against an individual for a period of time." This period is two years, along with an opportunity to renew it. Many immigrants came to the US as children fall under this, and are known as Dreamers. This name references a failed Congress bill, called the DREAM Act, which sought to allow illegal immigrants brought to the US as children to become US citizens eventually. While the bill failed, the name stuck, and the people who fall under DACA (between the ages of 16-35), are called Dreamers.

               However, there are still many misconceptions as well as misinformation about DACA and who has it, as well as how it works. I spoke with a DACA student named Adrian* to get more information. One misconception is that DACA gives deferred status to anyone and everyone. That is not true. Firstly, you have to have come to the US as a child, remained continuously in the US for seven years, and must be between 16 and 31. However, even if you meet all that criteria, DACA is not guaranteed. The government asks for every single record in your life, according to the student. This includes things as menial as elementary school grades, really anything to prove that you were in the US continuously. DACA students must reapply every two years. Even when reapplying, there is no guarantee that you will be granted deferred action. Every time you reapply there is a $450 fee along with a mandate for new fingerprints and new photos.

               Another misconception is that those who have DACA are given government aid. According to Adrian, that is not true. While DACA allows one to have a legal job, pay taxes, a work Social Security Number (which allows you to apply for everything that requires an SSN), and a driver's license, it does not give financial aid to anyone under DACA. That means no FAFSA, no public student loan, no food stamps, welfare, or any government assistance. As a result, for Adrian, he takes out private loans and pays $15,000 out of pocket each school year. Even so, he has worked for many years, and says he cannot remember a weekend in college he went without working.  

               People claim that those who have DACA have a more propensity to commit a crime, or are criminals. In fact, perhaps only a few individuals have a felony who are given DACA status. Other times, if you have a misdemeanor, you go through the justice system; however, if you have a DUI, your DACA status is revoked, and you are deported. Still others say DACA paves the way for undocumented immigrants to gain citizenship. According to Adrian, that is incorrect. If you apply for citizenship, you have to have sponsors and it takes 5+ years to be accepted without a guarantee. During this time,  you do not have papers or anything else permitting you to work.

               The lives of undocumented immigrants, as well as kids who are under DACA, tends to be difficult. Adrian said that during high school, his entire family, five total, were living on $18,000 a year. He did not know about the financial struggles until he was old enough but it has taught him humility.  Many parents  and undocumented immigrants in general take whatever job that they can get. As Adrian put it, "Your rough time was very different than my rough time because my parents didn't have choices." When it comes down to it, DACA is about giving more choices to undocumented citizens.

               While DACA allows quite a few things, it does not give as many rights as you would think. The system is setup to allow immigrants to come to the US; it isn't setup to maintain them legally. All the money that Adrian's family makes is reported to the government, however, they are not allowed to have financial help from the government. Moreover, those who come to the US may have all the credentials they need, but cannot get into the job sector that they are trained for; as a result, many of them are forced to take jobs that others normally wouldn't. This is out of necessity, not desire.  

               So what can Regis students do? The answer is, well, not much. Sadly, as Adrian said, those who are undocumented, or grew up in a family where the parents are undocumented are taught to be unseen. At this point, kids who have DACA are more afraid for their families than themselves, because if they tell someone, that gives that person the power to destroy lives. As a result, as Adrian said, "We're the people that have been taught not to take up space.” The best thing to do, Adrian said, is to respect and understand that others are going through what you cannot fully comprehend. The general student body needs to understand that right now, DACA students feel the need to be quiet, to continue working, and to keep struggling, because it is not necessarily the time to speak out, says Adrian. DACA students are here, but they are not visible because they risk losing their family; and if your friend tells you that they have DACA, then it is important to understand that they are giving a huge piece of themselves to you. They are not only giving part themselves, they are making their entire family vulnerable. Respect it.

Margaret Gentry Staff Reporter

Black History Month: What Regis Students Can Do

(Photo: AfricanAmericanHistoryMonth.gov)

               Black History Month is a celebration of African American culture and history. According to Time Magazine, in 1926 Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (previously called the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which he formed with Jesse E. Moorland in 1915), created the first "Negro History Week." Woodson created it, as well as the Association because he was frustrated with how African-Americans were not part of the narrative in history lessons. The predecessor to what is now Black History Month began in the second week of February, as it contains both Abraham Lincoln's and Frederick Douglass' birthdays. According to Time Magazine, the celebrations of the history week picked up quickly. However, in the mid 1960s, during the Civil Rights Movement, colleges and universities expanded on the History Week, turning it into Black History Month. From there, in 1976, President Ford then decreed Black History Month to be a national celebration.

               But to truly understand what Black History Month means, as well as what Regis students can do to support students of color on campus, an interview with the Black Student Alliance (BSA) on the Regis campus proved very insightful. While there were mixed reactions to the perspective of Black History Month, the overall feeling was that Black History Month is not enough. As one member of BSA said, "You say it out loud, but nothing really happens;" there is a feeling of inaction regarding the representation as well as the education of the role that people of color play not only in history but everywhere in academia and beyond. When asked if the BSA is doing anything specific to commemorate the month, the answer was no. While there is Anti-Oppression Week, V-Day, and Justice Week to mention a few campus-wide events, it is expected that the BSA would be the one to completely structure the celebration of Black History Month, which many of the BSA members felt was too much pressure as they would be making something completely new.

               However, Regis students can do things in order to support the people of color on campus. For instance, the inclusion of people of color on flyers or ads around campus, minimizing people of colors' experiences both in and outside campus can help. Along with this, the BSA emphasized the importance of not expecting every person of color to answer every question about their community or the effect a topic has on them. They encouraged us to ask more thoughtful questions whose answers cannot be found by looking elsewhere. One of the biggest forms of support is integrating people of color more into the campus. Another aspect that the BSA talked about was the idea of tokenization; often times, the people of color on campus or outside of it who become tokenized are expected to answer questions or queries for the whole of the community. As a result, the people of color are seen as "other," and not as who they are, which are people, as well as our fellow students.

               For those interested, the Black Student Alliance meets on Wednesdays, from 4pm – 5pm, in Clarke 138.

Margaret Gentry Staff Reporter