The first Student Media Teleconference of the academic year for California Community Colleges was Oct.6. This also served as the first teleconference hosted by the new Interim Chancellor, Daisy Gonzales.

The teleconference covered a wide variety of topics that pertained to California Community College students, with a heavy focus on immigration. The first of such to be touched on was a series of changes that came as a ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which left the legal status of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) up in the air.

As a result, the State of California and the California Community Colleges system are urging any and all DACA students to renew their status immediately.

When speaking to The Rip and other Community College news outlets across the state, Chancellor Gonzales reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to its undocumented students, stating, “California Community Colleges, the University of California, and California State University systems’ mission has not changed; we serve everyone who comes through our doors.” Following this statement, the Chancellor segued to the start of the sixth annual Undocumented Student Action Week, which begins the week of Oct. 17.

The week serves as a way to highlight and focus on advocacy for and the professional development of undocumented students across the state.

And, in accordance with the theme of academic and professional development for undocumented students, two weeks prior, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law SB1411. This allows AB540 students’ education to be more accessible and affordable by cutting the three-year requirement that prior legislation contained, which often led many students to take non-credit courses in order to fill that requirement, costing extra money.