Erik Bitterbaum
Editor's Note: SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum released the following statement to faculty, staff and students today:
To the SUNY Cortland Community,
SUNY Cortland has always been a college of access; a place where first-generation college students from all backgrounds can gain the education needed to realize their dreams. It’s a tradition that has transformed lives, broken cycles of poverty and strengthened the many-hued fabric of our nation.
That’s why I am so disappointed by today’s decision to end the protections offered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy.
Without DACA, hundreds of thousands of young people who were brought to this country illegally as children will lose their opportunity to take part in the American dream. Through no fault of their own, bright young minds will go unnourished and potential contributions to our nation will be lost. Families will be devastated, and the beacon of hope that our nation of immigrants shines out to the world will dim.
As the leader of a higher education institution dedicated to opportunity and fairness, I strongly urge Congress to vote DACA into law. And I promise that SUNY Cortland will continue to admit, educate and assist people from all backgrounds regardless of citizenship status.
Erik J. Bitterbaum
