On Feb. 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the University of Maine Career Center will hold its annual All Majors Career Fair at the New Balance Recreation Center. Leading up to the event, many students across campus voiced concern after discovering that Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) were listed as an attending employer, which prompted progressive student groups to organize online to protest CBP’s presence at the fair. Days after protests escalated the Career Center removed CBP as an attending employer from their website, but neither the Career Center or the university responded to the request to confirm if CBP will be in attendance.
Students were in a frenzy this week, with online rumors circulating on social media platforms like Snapchat and YikYak about the potential presence of CBP. The rumors escalated online to the point where some circulated unfounded rumors that ICE would raid the university while CBP was at the fair. In a recent University of Maine Student Government (UMSG) meeting, Senator Casper Cowan urged senators to confront those spreading rumors that he framed as “misinformation,” specifically those surrounding a potential raid on campus.
This online chaos sparked students to urge everyone to boycott the Career Fair if CBP was in attendance. A Jan. 28 Instagram post from the UMaine Graduate Workers Union and several other campus groups stated “We demand CBP be uninvited from this event! Boycott the Career Fair!”
Attending employers at the Career Fair have a table and spread the word about their company to potential student employees. Samantha Warren, Chief External & Governmental Affairs Officer for the University of Maine system (UMS), commented on the upcoming fair in a statement.
“Our upcoming career fair, scheduled for February 11, is the largest and most significant opportunity for Black Bears to engage directly with a wide range of employers across industries aligned with our academic programs.”
Warren went on to address how organizers will ensure the event remains “safe,” and “inclusive.”
“Consistent with our planning for this event in the past and for any large gathering we host on campus, university leaders are working closely with the UMaine Police Department to ensure a safe, inclusive and productive event focused on student success,” said Warren.
The listing for CBP was taken off the Career Center website first, and following that CBP fully pulled out of the event. Upon removal of CBP from the website, both Warren and the Career Center did not respond in an attempt to confirm that CBP would in fact no longer be in attendance at the fair. However, in a Feb. 7 interview with the Maine Campus, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Vice President Gracie Gebel confirmed that “Border Patrol has pulled out of the Career Fair.”
The Career Fair is still being held, and Warren said students are encouraged to attend.
“We are proud of our UMaine students and alumni, and we want employers to come to our campus to hire them. Ensuring access to a wide range of career opportunities is central to our students’ upward mobility, our mission, and the vitality of Maine’s economy and communities.”
