Public Employee Press

DREAM Act on the agenda at CNR forum

The DC 37 Campus of the College of New Rochelle held a lively panel discussion, “Immigration, Migration and Deportation,” at union headquarters Nov. 7.

CNR professors David Luciano, M.A. Samad-Matias and Enzo Soderini made up the panel, which was moderated by CNR’s Dr. Nibaldo Aguilera.

During his presentation, Luciano stressed the importance of building support for passing the federal Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, known as the DREAM Act.

The legislation would pave the way to U.S. citizenship for undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children and have graduated from American high schools and stayed out of trouble. These students would become temporary legal residents who could obtain permanent residency by earning a two-year college degree or serving in the military for two years during the following six years.

“This would be a very important positive change for our immigrant students,” said Luciano.

M.A. Samad-Matias pointed out that the United States would be a very different country if the Native Americans had a restrictive immigration policy.

“The issues of immigration and citizenship are critical to our students, our communities and our nation,” said Campus Director Dr. Patrice Gouveia-Marks.

The program was the first of a new series of academic forums announced by Gouveia-Marks upon her appointment in August. The forums will “go beyond course work to help prepare our students for the world outside the four walls of the college,” she said.

CNR will present three additional ­forums early in 2009. Topics will include religion and politics in February, United States foreign policy in March and race and ethnicity in Africa and Latin America in April. The exact dates will be announced as soon as possible. For more information call CNR at 212-815-1710.