Editor’s Note: This letter was submitted to the Daily and is also an online petition.

We are saddened and alarmed by President Trump’s recent executive order barring entry to the United States for all refugees and nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. As a community that stands for diversity and inclusion, we reject actions that discriminate based on race, religion or country of origin — even from the nation’s president.

We, the undersigned, acknowledge President Leath’s letter sent on Jan. 30, 2017, and the letter from Faculty Senate President Dr. Jonathan Sturm on Jan. 31, 2017. But we are not comforted by their words. Our view is more aligned with the president of GPSS and the statement made by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. We want to emphatically say:

To the students, faculty and staff affected by this ban, you are more than just welcome here, and you are valued for more than just your talent — you are essential. If the university’s slogan of CyclONE Nation means anything, it is that we are all part of the ISU community. But, if we accept injustice simply because it is law, then we have compromised that vision to the point of irrelevance. The student community will not surrender to injustice.

We understand that the International Students and Scholars Office has contacted international students, faculty and staff. But the international students, faculty and staff among us do not understand the information that ISSO has sent them because it contains phone numbers and hyperlinks, not answers to their pressing questions. For the faculty traveling internationally to disseminate knowledge through conferences, networks and industry, can they get home? If they travel, do they risk being detained abroad and not being able to return to teach their classes? Many students, faculty and staff go home to visit their families during breaks, or for emergencies, or for holidays. Must they now remain in Ames until the completion of their studies or employment contracts? Can they complete their studies? Many students receive funding from their home countries. If that is cut off, will that mean students have wasted their time here, or can they be funded by separate means? For students, faculty and staff who are supposed to join ISU next year, is their acceptance now revoked because they cannot enter the country? Are they barred from reapplying? Can affected students travel domestically by air?

Instead of acknowledging these concerns, the university has said that the usual services are all that can be offered, and that their hands are otherwise tied. True or not, that is not inclusion. A braver, more proactive effort by the University will help ease the burdening uncertainty that students from the banned countries and their allies are facing. The University should do more:

-Reach out individually to vulnerable students, faculty and staff. Don’t wait for students to opt into information sessions. A personal touch goes a long way to show care and concern. Inclusivity is better served by people than a web page or an information session, though we recognize the efforts of Deb Vance and the International Students and Scholars Office.

-Allocate resources to students who are undocumented as well. The ISSO deals with international students who come here on student visas, but no particular office deals with students who have immigrated here and are undocumented, have residency or who are refugees.

-Afford greater transparency in how ISU is helping affected students, faculty and staff, not hedges about the limitations they accept.

-Declare that ISU PD will not partner with federal, state or other local law enforcement agencies to enforce federal immigration law. The enforcement of immigration law rests with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

-Promise not to provide information on immigration or citizenship status to anyone without consent of the student.

-Provide housing options during breaks for when students from the banned countries cannot return home and for students who are now discouraged from traveling abroad.

-Allocate scholarship funds available to support students if their home countries revoke funding.

-Advocate for students, faculty and staff to maintain and renew their student or work visas.

The supports named above are inclusive. We expect the administration of ISU to lead the formation of structural change necessary to protect students, faculty and staff from aggression. The above must be guaranteed even with the $8 million cut in state funding, especially since international students pay much more to attend than domestic students.

Despite the frequent presence of white supremacist propaganda on campus, presidential orders of hate and aggressions large and small, the undersigned members of the ISU community come together in love and mutual respect. We want to reaffirm our commitment to making Iowa State a safe, inclusive institution that prioritizes access to education for all people of any race, religion, nationality, immigrant status, gender, sexual orientation, ability, ethnicity, age and cultural identity. The ISU community is not perfect all the time, as many of us are still on our own journey to decrease implicit bias and personal prejudice. But we are working hard to overcome these challenges and we expect the administration to do so as well.

Sincerely,

Concerned members of the ISU community