KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Rockhurst University President the Rev. Thomas B. Curran, S.J. signed his name to a statement by the presidents of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities that was released Thursday, Nov. 30. The statement called to attention the status of undocumented students in the post-election environment.

The recent events surrounding the election of President-elect Donald Trump has raised feelings of uneasiness around the nation.

The AJCU released a statement last Thursday in response to the recent tensions in the U.S. “As Presidents of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities we feel spiritually and morally compelled to raise a collective voice confirming our values and commitments as Americans and educators,” the statement read.

The AJCU says that they are called to “embrace the entire human family, regardless of their immigration status or religious allegiance.”

The statement goes on to list four points that the AJCU will continue to work toward including, “to protect to the fullest extent of the law undocumented students on our campuses; to promote retention of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA); to support and stand with our faculty and staff regardless of their faith traditions; and to preserve the religious freedoms on which our nation was found.”

DACA, which is referenced in the statement, is a program that was implemented by President Barack Obama to protect eligible immigrant youth from deportation who came to the U.S. when they were children. The program also gives children of age a work permit and expires after two years, but is renewable.

Tensions on college campuses around the country have been high at times since Trump’s election. Hampshire College, a small liberal arts college in western Massachusetts, found its way into the national limelight when the college’s president decided on Nov. 21 that the U.S. flag would not be flown on campus.

Hampshire College has since begun to fly the flag again. “We did not lower the flag to make a political statement,” Hampshire College president Jonathan Lash said recently. “We acted solely to facilitate much-needed dialogue on our campus about how to dismantle the bigotry that is prevalent in our society.”

The AJCU statement can be seen in its entirety here.