“We feel that MSU has a duty to be welcoming and protecting of all students who wish to apply here,” Fernando said. “Unfortunately, that hasn’t been happening because we see that undocumented students are more likely to pay international tuition and not have access to resources or support that they so desperately need.”

Protesters demanded three changes at MSU: making the university a “sanctuary campus,” hiring a full-time employee for undocumented affairs and creating a scholarship for non-citizens.

A self-declared sanctuary campus enforces policies to protect immigrants and undocumented students, such as banning ICE officers without a warrant from campus. 

In the state of Michigan, non-citizen students need to apply to qualify for in-state tuition. Fernando knows students who have been bounced back and forth between multiple offices looking for support and resources to go through this process.

“I think by having someone who’s designated as a support person, they can have a point of contact to go to and get all their information, get all their answers from so we can hopefully assist people,” Fernando said.

Vice President Raquel Acosta asked protesters to donate to a scholarship fund that would support immigrant and undocumented students financially. They raised a total of $775, exceeding the original goal of $500. 

“We were very thankful, that number basically doubled while we were (at the rally) so that was crazy to see,” Acosta said. “Some of our very, very generous donations came from our faculty who were on the sidelines supporting us. It was very nice to see.”

At the rally, Acosta read a statement her dad wrote about the importance of education and challenging oppression. Her dad was a migrant worker who picked blueberries on a farm in Michigan. 

“Schools are always looking to push diversity quotas, but not looking to help and support diverse students,” Acosta said. “He kind of has always instilled that value in me. He attributes almost everything in his life to his ability to gain an education.”

After attending and graduating from MSU, Acosta’s dad is now a practicing social worker in the Chicago Public School District. 

“He always wants to make a presence even though he can’t physically be here in supporting students and their stories,” Acosta said. “(Education has) been the best thing for him, so he hopes that if at least one other student gets that help that that’s one life changed and so he’s had one positive impact.”

Acosta hopes the rally helped to spread awareness of DreaMSU’s presence on campus and is thankful for the student and faculty’s support.

“In the core root of things, equitable education, that is what needs to happen,” Acosta said. “MSU has some work to do, to say the least. I’m hopeful that there are some changes going on on campus right now that people are stepping behind and actually supporting both physically, monetarily, any way that they can. It’s just important to have their voices heard.”