The Division of Diversity and Community Engagement was founded on the ideal that the strength of The University of Texas at Austin is due to our wide range of perspectives and experiences, which in turn enrich our learning community. And for the last decade we’ve been focused on expanding opportunities for students from all backgrounds, especially those who have been historically underrepresented.

Yesterday’s decision to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) has many implications for our students who have benefitted from the act – some implications that are yet unknown. I want to thank and echo President Fenves for his support and for joining higher education leaders from across the nation in urging the U.S. Congress to pass long-term legislation in support of our undocumented students.

As President Fenves wrote in his message to campus, “Some of those young immigrants are UT students and they are vital members of our campus community. Each one of them is valued. Each one of them contributes to the UT experience.”

The DDCE will continue to offer support to all of our students through units and programs such as the Multicultural Engagement Center (MEC), Gender & Sexuality Center (GSC), and the Monarch Student Program in our Longhorn Center for Academic Excellence.  the cost of counseling services.

For any student seeking assistance, the MEC (SAC 1.102) offers two walk-in counseling sessions per week: Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and Wednesdays from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The GSC also holds a counseling session from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoons in SAC 2.112. Sessions at both centers are held in conjunction with the UT Counseling and Mental Health Center with diversity counselors.

Students who are affected by DACA remain valued members of our campus community and we are committed to assisting them through this uncertain time.

Leonard N. Moore
Interim Vice-President for Diversity and Community Engagement
George Littlefield Professor of American History