To: CUBoulder and Board of Trustees:

Millions of refugees worldwide are unable to pursue their dream of a college degree due to their circumstances. Thousands of schools have been destroyed, unfairly depriving students from their right to education. Millions of students are now refugees, with no nearby school. And millions more are to afraid to go to school because a bomb could fall on their school at any time.

While many host countries and the UNHCR are able to provide primary education to some refugee children, the older refugees pursuing a higher education face a much more difficult scenario. With language, logistical, and financial barriers to overcome, these students are unable to continue their education without institutional assistance.

We are calling on CUBoulder to offer scholarship opportunities for all refugee students, not just Syrian refugees. University of Colorado Boulder accepts over 18,000 students every year, offering many generous scholarships. As students of CUBoulder, we implore that ten scholarships be focused towards students who identify as refugees and would otherwise face a substantially decreased opportunity at higher education.

The Office of Student Affairs mission is to "[create] and [sustain] a diverse, multicultural, socially just and inclusive campus climate by learning about, recognizing and honoring the diverse backgrounds, histories, identities, and life experiences of all our students, faculty and staff. Social identities with the potential to divide us are recognized and embraced. Our challenge is to create a campus in which all community members can thrive in an environment where they feel at home, welcome and safe." The best way to achieve this goal is to further diversity and culture on campus by extending educational opportunities to those who have had it taken away. Bringing more refugee students to campus will not only benefit student refugees but it will also benefit the university climate by bringing in diverse perspectives to our educational system, but also demonstrate our support for refugees everywhere.

We hope that CUBoulder can be a leader to universities around the world by offering these refugee students a second chance at getting their education. Please help us in supporting refugees so that they may regain lost educational opportunities and continue their path to a stabilized future.

Sincerely,

Students Organize for Syria (SOS) at CUBoulder