By Hailey Murphy
Students across Western are raising money for their elected Associated Students VP for Governmental Affairs, Ana Ramirez.
When Ramirez was elected as AS VP for Governmental Affairs last spring, a complication arose– Ramirez is an undocumented student. Without Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and without citizenship, Ramirez wasn’t allowed to fill the position.
“Federal law indicates undocumented individuals cannot hold a position that includes compensation, such as an Associated Students elected position which includes pay,” Paul Cocke , director of University Communications and Marketing, said
However, there has been some disagreement by students as other universities in California and Eastern Washington have found ways to compensate undocumented students in similar positions through scholarships or other means.
Despite this, since Ramirez doesn’t have DACA (her application is currently pending), she was told she’d either have to work without pay or step down.
This led to the creation of the AS Consultant for Governmental Affairs position by the AS Board. However, pending approval of the job description, Ana is working without an official job title, the ability to vote on the board or pay.
“I feel like, honestly, people don’t appreciate my work here in the AS,” Ramirez said. “They don’t appreciate that I have to be here 19 hours a week, and everyone else gets paid to be here, and I don’t. People just expect me to keep working without acknowledging that I’m doing this for free, in my free time.”
Western’s lack of leniency with Ramirez has frustrated much of the student body and has spurred action to help Ramirez. A GoFundMe page had been made. Additionally, Students for Anti-Racist Action (SARA) held a fundraiser on November 2 and 3 to contribute to the GoFundMe.
“Part of what we do as a club is fundraise for causes led by people of color,” SARA member Maddy Gehr said. “We saw that Ana was not being fairly compensated for her labor and organized this event as a way to get her some compensation and to bring attention to the treatment of her and other undocumented students on campus.”
SARA sold goodies to students passing through vendor’s row. Whether it was a baked treat, a piece of art or a button, students relinquished just a few bucks to help their elected representative.
They also had a jar for donations, and a computer open to the GoFundMe page. The page was created by Ramirez’s friend and Western graduate Alan Alatorre. It’s raised $1,310 as of November 1.
“I honestly can’t believe people would want to donate money to me,” said Ramirez. “It’s just mind blowing… Especially because money is really important. [Students] don’t have a lot of opportunities to get money.”
While the fundraisers won’t equal what Ramirez should be making (the position pays $950 a month), it’ll certainly supplement her funds at this time. Meanwhile, she’s proposed to the board that funds allocated for her salary get redirected to the Ethnic Student Center and Representation and Engagement Programs.
SARA hopes this fundraiser will not only provide assistance to Ramirez, but will also shed light on an underrepresented group of students.
“While we are organizing the fundraiser, our goal is really to draw attention to the issues that Ana and the Blue Group are dealing with,” Gehr said.
Blue Group is a club of undocumented students and their allies who have advocated for undocumented students on campus and in Bellingham..
SARA believes that Western must do more to value undocumented students. They’ve called for President Sabah Randhawa to follow through with his claims that undocumented students on campus are valued. If Ramirez’s situation isn’t being properly addressed, then this claim has little merit, they say.
Cocke says Western’s hands are tied.
“Our existing policy is in Section 5 of the WWU Student Employee Handbook: Student Employee Eligibility. This requirement is transparent and consistent: students who are not legally eligible to work cannot be employed at Western,” Cocke said. “Western values undocumented students and has a deep commitment to inclusion… We will continue to consult our legal and policy experts as we look for the best solutions.”
Even her volunteer position is seen as work in the eyes of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, according to Cocke.
Without any further explanation from adminstration about why other university’s solutions would not work, ,Ramirez will simply be our consultant for Governmental Affairs until her DACA is approved at some point in the future. But if you want to help, you can donate to the GoFundMe at: https://www.gofundme.com/unpaid-undocumented-asvp-for-gov.
If Western’s lack of action upsets you, find SARA or Blue Group on Facebook and join their effort to support our VP for Governmental Affairs and undocumented students on campus in general.
Correction: An earlier version of this story said that Ramirez’s official title was AS Consultant for Governmental Affairs, however the position description has yet to be approved by the AS Board. As a result, she continues to do the duties of her position without an official title or pay.