Dear Editors,
I am writing in response to Ms. Sabine Adamson’s guest editorial last week and her call for Wellesley to reconsider its admission policy for undocumented students.
I would like to clarify our current policy: Wellesley accepts applications from undocumented and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students and considers them for admission. In reviewing applications from undocumented students, the Board of Admission considers these applications in the same way that it considers applications from international citizens. Based on student feedback, the Admission Office has updated the Frequently Asked Question section of its website to more clearly describe to applicants and the campus community our current policy for reviewing applications from undocumented students and for funding them once they are admitted.
At Wellesley, we are fortunate to have a standing committee of Academic Council, the Committee on Admission and Financial Aid, that reviews and makes recommendations to the president and the dean of admission and financial aid regarding admission and financial aid policy. The group consists of faculty, students, and administrative staff who are well versed in Wellesley’s current admission and financial aid policies and who understand the implications of our policies for individual students, faculty, administrative offices, and College finances. Because of the committee’s charge and expertise in these areas, President Bottomly has asked that it review the College’s current admission policy for undocumented students and make any recommendations to President Johnson and me in the next academic year.
I look forward to working with the Admission and Financial Aid Committee as we explore this issue in more detail and to meeting with Ms. Adamson and other representatives from her group.
Joy St. John
Dean of Admission and Financial Aid
