Emily Ford
Contributing Writer
The Undocumented and Immigrant Allyance (UIA) rose as an important part of Dominican University’s information eco-system for the student body.
Located in the Center for Cultural Liberation (CCL) on the second floor of the North Mazzuchelli Building in room 258, the door is always open for student walk-ins.
Dominican’s student body is made up of 60% Latine students, which means that it is considered a Hispanic serving institution. More students and their families that attend Dominican need help with immigration-related questions or issues.
To help students resolve these significant issues, the UIA is dedicated to creating a safe and welcoming space for immigrant students to ask questions and receive the proper resources.
“Being a minority, and especially those that are first-generation students, the college experience can often be very intimidating,” says Ulises Flores, the student president of the UIA. “That is why having a group like UIA can help fellow immigrant students feel more comfortable in the University. One of the most brought-up topics in our club is about how we can help members of our community that are currently struggling with paying for legal fees or any sort of financial aid.”
Flores is the new student president of the UIA and is ensuring that students will continue to receive the help they need through the work of the organization.
His vision for the organization going forward in his new position is to continue fundraising and activism for immigrant students or those who have family members affected by the struggles of immigration and undocumented status.
In fact, majority of the UIA’s team is made up of immigrant students who understand first-hand what specific resources and programs will be most effective for those seeking help.
“The most important topic we discuss would be how we can continue making our space more welcoming, and how we can continue to fight against the forces that continue to marginalize our identity” Flores said.
“Immigrants are always being politicized and are targeted by laws that can stratify and further marginalize them” Flores said. “Every year our identity as immigrants is always questioned by the legal system and our status as residents of the U.S puts us in a state of limbo.”
Though the UIA’s main focus is to help Latine students at Dominican they certainly have everyone of all ethnicities and cultures in mind. Flores mentions that the organization is currently looking into nonprofit and fundraising for the Haitian immigrants that are currently struggling at the US border in recent news.
The overall goal of the UIA is not only to help students feel safe and welcome at Dominican University but it is also to make sure that the identity of these students is respected amongst the community and the wider marginalized immigrant community.
“We plan to keep informing our community since it is constantly updating” Flores said, “this way people can keep up with what they can and cannot do.”
