By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green city and university are being asked to take stands in support of immigrants and Muslims in the community.
BGSU leadership has been asked to develop “sanctuary” plans for immigrants targeted by expected changes in policies under President-elect Donald Trump. And Bowling Green City Council will soon be asked to support a resolution condemning discrimination against Muslims.
The petition signed by 331 people was submitted to Bowling Green State University President Mary Ellen Mazey, the Board of Trustees and Faculty Senate. The petition calls for the university to provide a “safe haven” for those at risk under intolerant immigration laws.
The petition points out BGSU’s mission of equity, diversity and inclusion – and how Trump’s campaign statements are at odds with that mission.
Proposed city resolution
At the city level, the resolution proposed by council member Daniel Gordon asks the city to stand against violence, hate speech and discrimination targeting Muslim people. The resolution expresses solidarity with the Muslim community and all those targeted for their ethnicity, race or religion.
This morning, the city’s Human Relations Commission reviewed the resolution and voiced support for its spirit.
“This could be labeled symbolic, but even symbolic statements have power,” Gordon said.
“That’s what we’re trying to change here – is attitudes locally,” Bowling Green Mayor Dick Edwards said.
Mayor Dick Edwards talks about proposed resolution.
Edwards expressed some concerns that the resolution should be more localized. “I’m not questioning the spirit, the intent and the initiative behind it,” he said. But “it needs to be more about the city of Bowling Green. We should always be speaking with our hearts and our heads for the people we represent.”
Edwards suggested the resolution could urge local residents to get involved on a local level, and interact in discussions.
Gordon said he drew up the resolution in response to concerns from local Muslim students, “who don’t always feel very safe. They worry about what could happen here.” Though no hate crimes against Muslims have been reported in Bowling Green, there is a “general climate of fear” now in the nation, Gordon said.
“I want to make sure we are a town that stands for inclusion,” he said.
Margaret Montague, of the Human Relations Commission, agreed. “It allows us to take a proactive stance,” she said. “It’s a very important statement by our city council.”
A Muslim woman in the audience said there is great value in the city taking a stand.
“I think the importance is more than symbolic,” she said. On-campus discussions always include students and faculty – but rarely reach the outer community, she added. “This is a good way to start to bring people’s awareness.”
Lynn Kerr, of Maumee Valley Unitarian Church, said Bowling Green is “an amazing place,” but “there are pockets everywhere whether we like to see them or not.”
The resolution could help promote inclusion and heal divides. “We’re a community that’s coming together to show that we are all equal,” she said.
Gordon plans to introduce the resolution at the Jan. 17 city council meeting.
Petition for sanctuary campus
The sanctuary petition was discussed during a Not In Our Town meeting Thursday at BGSU. Alex Solis, from the BGSU Office of the President and NIOT, said the president’s office has received several emails from students who now feel vulnerable due to Trump’s campaign promises.
Because of the level of discomfort and distrust, Solis said that Mazey was planning to go on a “listening tour” of the top 23 campus organizations. During her visits, Mazey hopes to hear from students and come up with solutions to concerns, Solis said.
A meeting is planned for public discussion on the BGSU sanctuary petition on Jan. 12, at 6:30 p.m., in Grounds for Thought, 174 S. Main St.
Solis said the petition will be reviewed by governing groups at BGSU, to see if it garners support. It could be that some of the action requests are accepted and others are not, he said.
The petition calls for specific action from BGSU administration and Faculty Senate. Following is the text of the petition:
“We, the undersigned, believe the Trump administration’s proposed immigration policies pose a grave threat to BGSU’s mission of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Given these dire circumstances, we urge continued conversation and concrete action from the Faculty Senate and the BGSU administration.
”A guiding belief at BGSU is that students and educators belong to a community of diverse scholars, which enables BGSU to be an inclusive learning and working environment and a leader in advancing knowledge and tackling societal needs. These ideals of building a welcoming, safe, and diverse environment are more important now than ever. Throughout the electoral campaign, Donald Trump has advocated aggressive and punitive measures against undocumented immigrants. His election as president presents deep challenges for our campus community. BGSU students, staff, campus employees, and their families are the targets of hate speech and harassment. There are members of our campus community who feel frightened and vulnerable, and who live in fear of deportation. President-elect “Trump has promised to deport unprecedented numbers of undocumented immigrants from the United States, including students, and to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which currently provides temporary deportation relief for undocumented youth and grants authorization to work in the US. Collaborating with federal immigration authorities is beyond the scope of BGSU’s mission as an educational institution as well as a violation of the trust placed in both the university and the federal government by those here under the DACA program.
“These attacks on immigrants and their families are a threat to our entire BGSU community. As faculty and members of the BGSU community, we call upon the university to immediately undertake measures to make the campus a sanctuary for undocumented and other students, staff, contract workers, and their families who have been targeted by President-elect Trump’s proposed policies. We strongly encourage the Faculty Senate and university administrators to develop actionable steps for BGSU to provide a safe haven for all members of our campus community. In moving to ensure a safe and secure environment for education, research, and service, we join over a hundred universities and colleges across the country, among those Oberlin and Ohio State.
“Concretely, we encourage the university to take the following actions:
- Affirm commitment to support and protect all of BGSU’s students and workers, regardless of their citizenship status, religion, ethnicity, or national origin;
- Affirm commitment to not cooperate with federal ICE authorities regarding deportations or immigration raids;
- Take steps to create a policy similar to that of UCLA and other campuses, whereby Campus Police will not engage in helping the federal government with deportations or inquiring as to the immigration status of students.
- Take measures to safeguard the personal information of all students and workers;
- Provide strictly confidential counseling services for undocumented students, DACA recipients, staff, workers, and their families regarding their situations;
- Require that on-campus recruiters from the Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement use civilian clothing, bring no weapons, and drive no official vehicles;
- Reaffirm the university’s commitment to create a campus atmosphere of respect by denouncing all hate speech directed at immigrant, minority, women, disabled, and LGBTQ students and workers, and by informing the campus of existing resources for reporting and responding to bias or hate incidents.
“We recognize that these decisions require thoughtful planning and deliberation. We wish to partner with the university administration to develop a sanctuary plan that will meet the needs of all members of the BGSU community.”
Other efforts in the community
Also at the Not In Our Town meeting on Thursday, member Julie Broadwell said the City-University Relations Commission has heard from international students at BGSU, who feel unsafe in the community. The commission will hold a public meeting Jan. 10, at 7 p.m., in the BGSU Student Union, Room 315, to hear specific concerns from international students.
