SDSU Faculty Senate wades into controversy over Trump order on immigration

Pat Powers

A reader just gave me the heads up that the South Dakota State University Faculty Senate has waded into the debate over President Trump’s recent immigration order by issuing a resolution on the topic:

South Dakota State University Faculty Senate Resolution regarding President’s Trump Executive Order “PROTECTING THE NATION FROM FOREIGN TERRORIST ENTRY INTO THE UNITED STATES”.

With our concern in the well-being of the Jackrabbit community impacted by the Executive Order and without affirmation or condemnation of this Executive Order; The South Dakota State University Faculty Senate expresses the following:

1. This Executive Order is causing uncertainty and anxiety in foreign nationals of the seven countries affected, including many students, staff and faculty members of the Jackrabbit community.

2. Diversity is one of our Campus Community core values and we should be compassionate to each other and with everyone.

3. All Jackrabbits are encouraged to embrace those members of the campus community
potentially impacted by the Executive Order.

What do you think?

14 thoughts on “SDSU Faculty Senate wades into controversy over Trump order on immigration”

  1. I think I need to reconsider my annual contribution to this university. SDSU’s “faculty” doesn’t own this college nor do they have the right to have political speech in the name of the college. I can vote with my checkbook. I’m really struggling with what’s becoming of our institutions of higher learning. It seems the faculty allows speech they agree with and makes it very difficult for speech they don’t. If the student body wants to put forth this, fine, its their body. If individual teachers want to put forth views on this, fine. But putting SDSU behind is, I don’t agree with. Teach the kids and try to keep college costs affordable for all.

  2. I can’t stop laughing.

    “uncertainty and anxiety”: Really? From students from these countries where “uncertainty and anxiety” is real. These students are not that wimpy.

    “Diversity is a core value”: Really? Not academic excellence? This from a campus that is 89% Caucasian and 2% non-resident alien. Well, they aren’t very darn good at this core value. I went to a University which is 57% Caucasian and is 10% non-resident alien. These people don’t have a clue what diversity is beyond token non-caucasians.

    “embrace those affected”: How can you embrace them because if they are affected they wouldn’t be on campus? And, since they are 2% non-resident alien students (about 250) on campus, there can’t be more than a handful from these 7 countries unless they have been recruiting from these countries. If they are proportional to population, there is maybe 1 from these countries.

    On a sidenote, so everyone knows who to hug, is SDSU going to give them a special hoodie to wear?

    1. You conveniently left out—This Executive Order is causing uncertainty and anxiety in foreign nationals of the seven countries affected, including many students, staff and faculty members of the Jackrabbit community.

      What does ethnic makeup have to do with–“including many students, staff and faculty”? They don’t matter because they are a minority?

  3. Correction: My statistics on SDSU came this website: http://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/south-dakota-state-university/student-life/diversity/

    According to SDSU, they are 84% White and 7.5% non-resident alien (945 students) from 83 countries. Statistically (unless they recruit from Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia), there still should be less than a handful of students “affected.”

    FYI: According to the State Department, there were just over 100,000 people issued Visas from these countries in 2015.

  5. Was ““PROTECTING THE NATION FROM FOREIGN TERRORIST ENTRY INTO THE UNITED STATES”. actually in the the resolution or was it added?

  6. Additional Statistical Clarification: 1% of all non-resident alien students in the US are from these 7 countries. Thus, statistically, there should be 9 or 10 students (not less than a handful as I extrapolated earlier from broader vs. specific student Visa information) from these countries with half from Iran.

  8. How would they be affected anyway? If students, they are already here. Trump’s order applies to people trying to get into the US, not those already here. And they should only be concerned anyway if they have something to fear from extreme vetting; they should be glad that possible terrorists are getting more scrutiny and hopefully not making it into our country. Or do we want to end up like France or Germany with all their problems because of their open door policies?

  9. You wanna know what’s causing me anxiety??? My kid going here and knowing you are bat shit crazy for thinking the way you just explained.

  10. I think it was a serving of pablum and warm milk to somebody who thought a response was necessary.
    It really doesn’t say anything at all.

    1. Yet SDSU’s websited claims that the senate is composed of 1/20th of the faculty. Ignoring that the senate traditionally does whatever the provost tells them to, the fact remains that 5% of the professors at SDSU spent some time this week crafting this message.

      How many students were not helped during the hours that these state employees labored on this? Has the university solved all of its other problems to the point where time can be squandered on such a serving of pablum and warm milk.

        1. Apparently Anne has never worked with academics. There was probably a special subcommittee formed to analyze the placement of each comma. More feel-good silliness this week with a rally planned for Wednesday night. Said timing to ensure a safe space since the common sense folks will be busy with church.

          Emails from the administration are indicating that the students are all scared, although nobody can state what they are scared of. My kids will not be attending State.

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