Penn Nursing Dean Antonia Villarruel acknowledged feelings of “angst, concern, and uncertainty” among students and staff amid an increased national presence of federal immigration officers in a Friday email.
The Jan. 30 message — sent less than a week after United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot and killed ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis — described the difficulty of balancing Penn Nursing’s “shared cause of advancing health” with recent current events. In a separate statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Villarruel wrote that Pretti’s death “deeply resonated with our nursing community on campus.”
“In times like these, we need to continue to center on what our roles and responsibilities are to our communities and society more broadly,” Villarruel wrote in the email.
She cited the American Nursing Association’s Code of Ethics, urging students and faculty to focus on creating a society that “treats everyone with respect and dignity, balances justice and compassion, and regards humanity without hierarchy.”
According to Villarruel, the need for “justice and compassion” in the field of nursing is “more important today than ever.”
Villarruel wrote to the DP that her motivation for writing the email stemmed from the “tragic loss of Alex Pretti.”
“The reflection I shared with our nursing faculty, staff, and students was a show of support for the feelings and concerns triggered by this unfortunate event,” Villarruel added. “It was a call for reflection on the role nurses play in ensuring health for all and a reminder that we are all united not only in grief today but also in hope for a better and more just tomorrow.”
Her email was sent alongside a separate “message of support” for undergraduate students from Vice Provost of University Life Karu Kozuma and Associate Provost and Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé.
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While the Jan. 30 email similarly acknowledged “concerns and fear stemming from current events,” it did not reference particular incidents.
“So much is happening all at once around the world, affecting members of the entire Penn community, both directly and indirectly,” Kozuma and Dubé wrote. “It is understandable to feel anxious, unsettled, or vulnerable. If you are feeling this way, you are not alone.”
Requests for comment were left with spokespeople for University Life and Penn Wellness.
The email affirmed Penn’s commitment to the “safety, wellbeing, and dignity” of the campus community, adding that students and staff should feel encouraged to utilize University resources — including International Student and Scholar Services.
Dubé and Kozuma also referenced previous guidance from the Provost's Office regarding how to interact with “external law enforcement.”
In late January, hundreds of protesters gathered in Center City Philadelphia to oppose ICE’s actions in Minneapolis, including the killing of Renee Good. Speculation surrounding ICE presence in Philadelphia also became prominent on social media in recent weeks.
Philadelphia councilmembers also introduced legislation to limit ICE activities across the city last week.
“Even when the world feels overwhelming, you do not have to carry it alone,” Dubé and Kozuma wrote. “Penn is a community, and we are here for you.”
