DACA resources available for University of Arkansas students
The University Libraries offer free resources to help undocumented community members and University of Arkansas future or current DACA students.
UA library research guides offer city, state and national resources for undocumented students to use without fear of reprisal.
The research guide is a website designed to be used by students who were brought into the United States by family and are here under a program called DACA, said Marianne Williams web-designer and librarian-in-residence. Accessibility to the website aids current and prospective students who are affected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
“People don’t want to identify themselves as DACA recipients or have that linked into them in anyway,” Williams said. The public benefits from the informative website because it doesn’t collect any of their data.
The job of the library is to direct people to reliable information, and that was Williams’ goal. She met with Magdalena Arroyo former Latinx Outreach Coordinator at La Oficina Latina. The website was a direct response to UA Chancellor Joseph Steinmentz’s public support of DACA students, Williams said. The UofA strongly believes that society is strengthened by educated men and women, and that the presence of these students enriches the community, he has said. DACA students have been part of the community and contribute and the university supports federal, state laws and policies for these students.
The UA had no resources for DACA students or the community prior to 2017.
Williams and Arroyo made it their goal to contribute useful information to the university. The digital research guide they developed contains national and regional resources. There are social justice organization resources for the community.
Any events that provide extra information for community members about DACA are published and updated on the website. One of those events included the UofA School of Law Immigrant Clinic, which provides students and community members legal assistance.
The website has prompted a “surprising number of people” to email Williams, she said.
“Last year I [received] a lot [of emails] from high school counselors about different issues or wanting to find out more about DACA recipients at the UofA,” she said. Williams redirects those who have more in-depth questions.
The UA library provides what Williams describes as “miniature websites” to bigger topics. Her research focuses on diversity, including LGBTQ, disability, art and feminism. Her website can be found https://uark.libguides.com/prf.php?account_id=141223 along with the DACA resources https://uark.libguides.com/DACA.