The Undocumented Student Organization helps guide undocumented students on campus through financial aid troubles, getting on-campus jobs, and taking part in the Loyola Community.
The Undocumented Student Organization helps guide undocumented students on campus through financial aid troubles, getting on-campus jobs, and taking part in the Loyola Community.
The Undocumented Student Organization at Loyola is pushing for equal opportunity and access to on-campus jobs for students who are undocumented.
By guiding students through financial aid troubles and providing access to workplace necessities, the organization is working to ensure everyone, no matter their legal status, can take part in campus life and work towards achieving professional goals, according to Tofa Oteju, a third year nursing student, and intern for the Undocumented Student Organization.
An undocumented student is a student who isn’t a citizen of the U.S. due to reasons such as expired visas or failure to receive an inspection, said third-year social worker and elementary education major and organization intern, Aniqa Jewa.
The Undocumented Student Organization was founded in 2020 with the help of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, according to Jewa
Jewa said she plays a large role in communicating with the different schools within the university and bringing awareness to the struggles faced by undocumented students in their job search. This can include the inability to retrieve fingerprints or background checks sometimes needed during the hiring process, according to Jewa.
Oteju emphasized the passion and affinity this organization offers for those in need. She said she was compelled to join the team because of her passion for promoting diversity and inclusion on campus.
“I particularly joined the Undocumented Student Organization because of how small it is,” Oteju said. “I feel like it’s such an underrepresented community.”
Though the organization has been trying to grow their community, they have faced challenges with undocumented students feeling comfortable enough to join, according to Jewa and Oteju. Both emphasized they’ll continue to create a safe space and hold closed meetings for anyone who wants to join.
“I have undocumented friends and I also come from a family where I have members who are undocumented,” Oteju said. “So I feel like it was very important for me to show them they have a place at Loyola.”
All students are eligible to join the process of finding an on-campus job, but not everyone is qualified or approved, according to Loyola’s Student Worker Employment Guide.
“Because undocumented students aren’t able to get background checks or fingerprinting done, and a lot of programs do ask that you do that,” Jewa said. “We basically just build that bridge
that connects the government to the students.”
Oteju emphasized the hardships someone without documentation can face when they don’t have access to a Social Security number or a work permit in the U.S.
“I think that they should have the same opportunity as other students,” Jewa said. “They didn’t choose this life.”
One of the biggest questions many of the students in the organization have is what they will do after graduation, according to Jewa. As stated in Loyola’s admission requirements, the application process only calls for a high school transcript, optional standardized test scores, and a recommendation letter.
After undocumented students receive their degree, Jewa said they aren’t given a sponsorship for a social Security number or work permit, leaving them with just a degree and diploma.
To prevent this, the Undocumented Student Organization is trying to spread awareness for their group by co-programming and collaborating with other clubs including Ramblers Analyzing Ideas and Career Services.
Oteju said how their program is pushing to meet with the dean of each school to tell them how they can assist any students with undocumented concerns, like filing FAFSA and fingerprinting.
“Our plan is to have specific representatives from each department who are gonna help educate about the undocumented community,” Oteju said. “In the previous years many students were complaining that they did need help, but they were passed around and never had one person they could go to.”
Oteju said right now they’re in the works of creating a set resource within each school at Loyola for undocumented students to seek out.
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