David Garland: Response to "Sanctuary Campus" Petition
Dear Baylor Family,
The Baylor University administration has become aware of a petition composed by a group of Baylor students and signed by many members of our campus community requesting that the University declare itself a “sanctuary campus” that will “refuse to comply with immigration investigations or deportations to the fullest extent possible, including denying access to university property.”
As I stated last month in a message to the Baylor Family — in the wake of President Donald Trump’s signing of an Executive Order concerning immigration laws — those of us who serve Baylor as administrators, faculty members and staff are committed through our Christian convictions to practices that support hospitality, community, respect and the open exchanges of ideas. We welcome and extend our unwavering support to the more than 800 students and scholars from more than 70 countries who have chosen to be a part of our campus, and Baylor is blessed to be served by faculty and staff who hail from countries worldwide.
In the weeks since my last communication, staff members in our Center for Global Engagement have been in direct communication with our students – and others who have significant ties to them – whose homes are in the countries identified in the President’s Executive Order. On February 2, the Center for Global Engagement held an open meeting with all international students at Baylor to discuss the executive order, how it might or might not affect them in the future and to keep open the lines of communication between the Center and our students. Four days later, I welcomed Baylor students and scholars from the impacted countries to Allbritton House for a lunch, during which we continued this open dialogue and I expressed our firm commitment to supporting our global Baylor Family. While the Executive Order is still working its way through our nation’s legal system, we will continue to provide advice and support to our students and scholars whose lives may be directly impacted by it.
Baylor is committed to an academic community in which the freedoms that create a marketplace of ideas are safeguarded and to a faith-based community in which dialogue, mutual respect and compassion are expected and encouraged. The Baylor administration recognizes that the sanctuary petition has been written and signed by those who wish to express their strong support and encouragement of our diverse campus community. I believe they have done so out of a commendable spirit of compassion.
During times of uncertainty such as these, it is important that we draw upon our strength as a community of scholarship and faith to model for others how we can offer hospitality and support to our students and scholars while operating within established governmental authority. While we appreciate the heart of those who have signed the petition, I believe we can continue to support and care for our students, faculty, staff and scholars without creating a designation, such as a “sanctuary campus,” which has no specific meaning beyond what one assigns to it. That said, many of the concerns raised in the petition are issues for which Baylor already has policies and practices in place that are rigorously followed. For instance, Baylor is bound by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to protect the privacy of student education records; therefore, we have not and will not release information regarding a student’s immigration status to any enforcement agency without proper authorization or legal authority.
Just as we are bound by FERPA to protect our students’ private information, as a non-profit institution of higher education chartered by the State of Texas we also are bound to uphold all other federal and state laws. Accordingly, it is not in the University’s best interests — nor in keeping with our legal covenants — to declare Baylor a “sanctuary campus” without the proper authorization or legal authority.
Baylor aspires to be a place of compassion and hospitality, as reflected in our University mission: “To educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community.” We welcome individuals from around the world to our campus just as Christ welcomes all into his arms. Be assured that Baylor will continue to be guided by our long-held and faith-based commitments to love one another as ourselves and, in so doing, be a force for good in the world.
Sincerely,
David E. Garland
Interim President