On Oct. 5 Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Assembly Bill 21, which requires CSU locations to offer protection and support for DACA recipients, which includes any undocumented students, faculty and staff.

Various methods to offer this protection are stated in the bill, which is to be followed by the ruling bodies of each CSU location, as far as the law will allow.

Chief among these protections is the capability for CSU campuses to help a student hold onto their financial aid in the event that the student is detained or deported while attending a CSU campus.

This will be done so that if and when the student is able to attend classes again, they can still afford to attend.

Other methods to assist DACA recipients include the right to withhold any private or sensitive information regarding a student, staff member or faculty member’s immigration status. This information can only be released if an exception is made, such as a federal warrant.

The bill also requires all CSU locations to take to make a contact list of legal representatives that deal in immigration cases. This list will be provided free of charge to all students who request it so they can receive the legal advice and protection they need.

So far, the bill has received praise from many in the CSU system, including the California Faculty Association (CFA), which is an organization that represents instructors and other CSU faculty members.

CFA’s involvement began much earlier, as Assembly Bill 21 was inspired by a resolution that was passed during a CFA meeting back in March of this year. The resolution called for all CSUs to make their campuses safe-zones for learning.

In a statement given shortly after the signing in of the bill, CFA president Jennifer Eagen commended the bill for fulfilling much of what the CFA asked for in their resolution.

“These are safeguards that will help return a sense of security and peace to our campuses, which in recent months have been riddled with fear due to the current federal anti-immigration agenda,” according to a press release from the CFA.

Andrew Freeman can be reached at [email protected] or at @Andrew_LFreeman on Twitter