Cañada Undocumented Student Advocacy Coalition

History of CUSAC, Formerly the DREAMers Task Force

Started in 2012, the DREAMers Task Force was a collective of Cañada College faculty, staff, administrators, and students whose aim was to inform more undocumented students about the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) so they could apply and benefit from the financial aid available. Over the years, the advocacy and successes for the DREAMers Task Force include: establishing a physical DREAM Center, staffing the Center, supporting the undocumented students & the student-run Dreamers Club. The Cañada Undocumented Student Advocacy Coalition went through a name change process in Fall 2023 as it became an Operational Working Group under the Equity and Antiracism Planning Council.

Membership:

  • Open to all campus & community members
  • All who participate and engage have a voice in the decision making process
  • Members agree to be advocates for & disseminate information and resources to our undocumented community
  • Members will commit to engage in learning opportunities to expand their capacity to be advocates for undocumented students and mixed status families

To join the email distribution list and receive calendar invitations, reminders about meetings, and more, please contact: 

Adolfo Leiva (Director - SparkPoint Center)

Student Services - SparkPoint

Alison Field (Professor)

Humanities and Social Sciences - History

Group Objectives

The purpose of the group is to create a welcoming college environment for undocumented students and students from mixed status families, specifically by:

  1. Support + host professional development opportunities
  2. Support student clubs & leaders by providing mentorship + resources
  3. Sharing and updating community on information for undocumented & students from mixed status families, and making sure it is accessible, around:
    • AB 540
    • California Dream Act Application (CADAA)
    • Legal Resources
    • 6 or Fewer units Non-Resident Tuition Fee Waiver
  1. Create a community of support & learning to better equip ourselves to support undocumented students and students from mixed status families

Meetings

The meeting schedule is determined by the lead/co-leads for CUSAC at the start of the semester. Meetings take place once a month during the fall and spring semesters.