President Messitte’s response to POTUS executive order on immigration

The following message was released by the Office of the President to the Ripon College campus community Tuesday, January 31, 2017, in response to President Trump’s executive order on immigration.

Dear Ripon College Community,

On Friday, January 27, 2017, President Trump issued an executive order that bans anyone with passports from Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq and Sudan from entering the United States for 90 days or longer, regardless of visa or green card status. The order also directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit a list of other countries for which issuance of visas and other immigration benefits may be suspended.

Ripon College values a learning environment that emphasizes internationalization and celebrates those in our community who come from different cultures, faiths and areas of the world. Indeed, we are proud of the global diversity of our students, faculty, staff and alumni. As someone who was born outside the United States, holds dual citizenship and has worked, lived and studied abroad for extended periods of time, I am proud to stand with the rest of our campus community and support — today and everyday — all who come to Ripon to study, learn and develop their talents “far within Wisconsin’s prairies.” Ripon College considers applicants for admission regardless of immigration or citizenship status.

Ripon College’s highest priority is, and always will be, our students. And we care about our students regardless of their nationality, citizenship or faith. We respect the privacy of all of our students and take our obligations under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) very seriously. The College will continue to protect the privacy of the personal information of all of students, faculty and staff, unless compelled to do otherwise by the law.

I encourage all members of the Ripon community to offer words of support, respect and compassion to our international students and employees on campus in the coming days.

Sincerely,

Zach Messitte
President, Ripon College

Posted January 31, 2017 in Political Publications.

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