From the President
Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Ongoing Support for All Students
Jan. 20, 2025
Dear De Anza College Colleagues,
Today marks the unique distinction of both honoring civil rights activist, Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr., and featuring the inauguration of a new U.S. president. The words
of Dr. King have inspired countless individuals for more than half a century. Meanwhile,
the words of the new president have created fear among many in our college community,
including our transgender and undocumented students, and beyond.
I fully support ALL of our students with conviction, including our undocumented students and our DACA
students and employees, and join our Academic and Classified senates and colleagues,
our sister college, the district office, our Chancellor, the Foothill-De Anza Community
College District Board of Trustees, and the California Community Colleges Chancellor's
Office in this united stand. At last week’s board meeting, the trustees courageously
reaffirmed their support for undocumented students and the privacy of student records.
Our undocumented students have rights on campus. The board resolution underscores
their rights to:
- Privacy
- Equal educational opportunity
- A safe, secure, peaceful campus
- Secure personal information
Hopefully you have seen the official posters collegewide that support these rights, advising all in the college community of protocol should immigration agents come to campus. When walking around De Anza College during my first few days as president, it was impressive to witness such a visible demonstration of support for our students. A special note of thanks and gratitude are extended to the Academic Senate, HEFAS, the Office of Communications, the Office of Instruction, and former Interim President Christina Espinosa-Pieb for their work to ensure this important messaging was transparent throughout the campus community.
De Anza College has worked diligently to make various resources available for our students to access for support as needed, and we hope you will refer your students to the following, especially during these next few months as we acclimate to the new U.S. president and the anticipated actions of his administration:
- For extensive information on undocumented student rights and resources, including legal assistance, please see deanza.edu/students/undocumented.html
- For student peer support and additional resources, you are also encouraged to please visit the HEFAS webpage at www.deanza.edu/hefas/
- Any student who feels anxious or stressed can access mental health resources at deanza.edu/mhwc/
- As always, please also feel free to contact me directly with any comments or questions, as I am here to support all of you.
I am deeply proud of the work of our college and our district and thank you all for your continued support of our entire campus community. As Dr. King stated in his commencement speech to graduates from Oberlin College in 1965, “The time is always right to do what is right.” Our genuine commitment to equity is truly palpable, unwavering, and manifested continuously in our support for undocumented students — and all students.
Thank you for all that you do in service to our students and to one another as we maneuver through these next four years together.
Sincerely,
Omar
Omar Torres, Ed.D.
President, De Anza College