By Edward Singleton
Students for Equal Rights will expand services to the South Gate campus to help undocumented students this Thursday at noon in a room to be announced.
SER is a club that helps undocumented students navigate their way through school by offering workshops, legal advice, job finding services and free book sharing programs for all members of the club.
The expansion to South Gate was prompted when new president Keylinne Alonso saw the need from students in South Gate who didn’t have the same access to information as the students at main campus.
“They came to us looking for help so this semester we decided to open a club at South Gate,” Alonso said.
SER which has been chartered since 2007, has a network in association with California Dreamers and the American Federation of Teachers, which allows SER to help undocumented students with immigration and legal problems they may be facing.
Two weeks ago, SER hosted a day-long workshop in which they brought in an immigration lawyer, Shiu Maing, to help answer questions regarding the newly passed deferred action program which allows undocumented students to obtain a work permit and drivers license under Obama’s new deferred action policy.
Alonso helped create the workshop. The workshop hosted 200 people and opened its doors to community members and students alike.
“Here at SER we build leaders and community activists that help make a difference,” Alonso said. SER has also helped undocumented students by offering workshops that teach them how to transfer to a four year university as an AB-540 student.
The club runs a book-sharing program complete with an updated list of the books available. SER is also an active advocacy group that helps promote political awareness for student issues and voter registration.
They have a relationship with AB-540 friendly employers which find undocumented students jobs.
For more information on the club, attend one of their meetings at ELAC on the main campus on Wednesdays at noon in room C2 106, or ELAC South Gate campus on Thursday at noon in a room to be announced.