Sponsors
Motion
Section I
1.1 WHEREAS: February 25th, 2026, The ASUO Senate passed the resolution, “Resolution to Demand the Establishment of a UO Latinx Center” demanding the establishment of a Latinx Cultural Center and institutional protections to support the safety and success of Latinx and undocumented students at the University of Oregon;
1.2 WHEREAS: the University of Oregon’s mission statement states its values as including the “success of the students, faculty, and staff who work and learn here”, and “our shared charges to steward resources sustainably and responsibly.”
1.3 WHEREAS: 14.5-20% of the student body at the University of Oregon is Latine/x
1.4 WHEREAS: 11% of the faculty at the University of Oregon is Latine/x
1.5 WHEREAS: Shared governance and student representation are core values of the university, and students are guaranteed participatory roles in governance and policy on their education, health, finance, and wellbeing;
1.6 WHEREAS: A Chicano Student Union was formed on this campus in 1967, which later became MEChA in 1969; Muxeres was formed on this campus in 1995 “by women as a support for Latinas and Latine students on campus”; and the Latiné Male Alliance was formed on this campus in 2017;
1.7 WHEREAS: Only Nine of the eighteen universities in the Big Ten actively maintain dedicated centers serving their respective Latinx communities.
1.8 WHEREAS: The Higher Education Act defines HSIs as not-for-profit colleges and universities where at least 25% of the full-time equivalent (FTE) undergraduate enrollment is Hispanic.
1.9 WHEREAS: The University of Oregon has publicly pursued designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) - framed as an “Emerging HSI” university - through enrollment projections, without yet establishing the structural or cultural infrastructure necessary to meaningfully serve the Latine/x community;
1.10 WHEREAS: Institutional reports and planning documents, including the 2023 HSI Task Force report, center concerns about declining white enrollment, federal funding opportunities, and research prestige over the immediate needs, safety, and belonging of Latine/x students, reflecting institutional priorities that emphasize enrollment, funding, and research outcomes without corresponding structural investment in the Latine/x community;
1.11 WHEREAS Recommendations aimed at improving Latine/x representation and support, including hiring Latine/x faculty, creating postdoctoral pipelines, and establishing implementation infrastructure, have not been accompanied by clearly communicated implementation or sustained collaborative engagement;
1.12 WHEREAS: Since taking office, President Trump has signed executive orders that directly harm immigrants and the latine/x community. Executive Order 14159 switched deportation and detainment priorities from what the Biden Administration classified as “violent criminals” to all undocumented immigrants, expanded federal immigration law enforcement power, and expanded expedited removal to the interior of the United States.
1.13 WHEREAS: These policy changes have led to ICE encroaching on cities and states throughout the country, including Eugene, OR. This change in immigration enforcement priorities and practices has harmed the Latine/x community because it has contributed to an environment in which many community members experience heightened fear, uncertainty, and concerns about safety. These policies have led to deportations, detainments, and state violence occurring without judicial review or any due process.
1.14 WHEREAS: Executive Order 14161 revoked visas of immigrants already living in the United States, which immediately rendered them - in violation of immigration law - subject to deportation without due process or justification. Further, these orders have resulted in the assault, battery, and killing of people in the United States by ICE and have led to substantial protests and unrest in many parts of the United States.
1.15 WHEREAS: in April 2025, DHS revoked the visas of four international UO students, and in response, student, staff and community organizers mobilized toward a sanctuary campus “that defends our students, free speech and higher education” through an“ICE Off Campus” rally and fundraising for legal fees, spurring ASUO and GEO to connect affected students with state-funded legal services like Equity Corps of Oregon (ECO).
1.16 WHEREAS: there has been a 7,900 percent increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol arrests over the past year after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched Operation Black Rose, bringing ICE and Border Patrol agents from across the country to conduct illegal warrantless arrests in Oregon;
1.17 WHEREAS: these actions have enabled aggressive enforcement practices, including actions that have raised constitutional and civil liberties concerns;
1.18 WHEREAS: UO students and residents of the Eugene–Springfield area have reported ICE activity, alongside confirmed incidents in January 2026 of federal agents shooting 40mm CS Skat Shells, CS Pocket Tactical Grenades, LIVE-X PepperBalls, and PAVA/OC FN-303 rounds at protestors and arresting individuals at the Eugene Federal Building, demonstrating a pattern of aggressive and militarized enforcement;
1.19 WHEREAS: University of Oregon administrators have repeatedly expressed reluctance to utilize the UO Alert system to inform students and campus workers of ICE or other federal law enforcement activity on or near campus, despite the system’s stated purpose of promoting campus safety;
1.20 WHEREAS: the systemic effect of federal immigration policies, expanded ICE enforcement, and the University of Oregon’s Administration has not consistently ensured timely communication or sufficient protective measures for students. This has fostered an environment of fear, uncertainty, and diminished safety for Latine/x, immigrant, international, and POC members of the university community;
1.21 WHEREAS: the University of Oregon Senate, in conjunction with the Associated Students of the University of Oregon (ASUO), condemns the University administration for its inaction amid escalating federal immigration policies, enforcement practices, and related harms, and for its insufficient action to fully protect, inform, and provide accessible resources to Latine/x, immigrant, and international community members;
1.22 WHEREAS: A dedicated Latinx Cultural Center is not only a long-overdue cultural and academic resource, but a necessary infrastructure of safety - providing Latine/x, undocumented, immigrant-origin, and mixed-status students with a trusted, student-led institutional home where they can easily access legal resources, culturally competent support, and community in an era of escalating federal enforcement and institutional ambiguity; the absence of such a center leaves the University of Oregon structurally unable to adequately support its students under current political conditions;
1.23 WHEREAS: The need for a Latinx cultural center extends beyond the immediate present. As the University of Oregon pursues HSI designation and Latinx enrollment continues to grow, the absence of a dedicated center will increasingly represent a structural failure to support Latine/x students and faculty, making its establishment both an immediate imperative, and a necessary institutional responsibility;
Section II
2.1 Therefore, let it be resolved that the University Senate affirms ASUO’s resolution and strongly endorses the establishment of a dedicated, centrally located Latinx Cultural Center that is visible, accessible, and integrated into campus life. This center shall provide services in line with the standards of LatinX Centers across our peer institutions, and as defined by the “Resolution to Demand the Establishment of a UO Latinx Center”.
2.2 Let it be further resolved that we, the University of Oregon Senate, believe the University of Oregon must take proactive, public-facing steps to ensure that Latinx, immigrant-origin, undocumented, and mixed-status students are able to live, learn, and participate in campus life without fear, surveillance, or institutional ambiguity.
2.3 Let it be further resolved that the University Senate calls upon the University of Oregon Administration to prioritize and advance the immediate planning and implementation of a Latinx Cultural Center and associated protections.