US colleges scramble to deal with new order affecting student visas

Schools rush to modify plans for autumn semester; Harvard, MIT file lawsuit challenging directive

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON • Many United States colleges were scrambling on Tuesday to modify plans for the autumn semester in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic a day after the Trump administration issued an order that could force tens of thousands of foreign students to leave the country if their schools hold all classes online.

The announcement blindsided academic institutions grappling with the logistical challenges of safely resuming classes, particularly after the federal government had granted exceptions to the rules limiting online learning for foreign students when colleges and universities in March rushed to shutter campuses and move to online classes as the pandemic forced lockdowns.

Mr Ken Cuccinelli, acting deputy secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, told CNN on Tuesday that the new rules would "encourage schools to reopen".

Business and conservative groups have urged the reopening of schools safely, saying it is important for getting parents back to work and reviving the US economy.

There are more than a million foreign students at US colleges and universities, and many schools depend on revenue from foreign students, who often pay full tuition.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency said institutions moving entirely to online learning must submit plans to the agency by next Wednesday.

Schools that will use only in-person learning, shortened or delayed classes or a blend of in-person and online learning must submit plans by Aug 1.

The guidance applies to holders of F-1 and M-1 visas, which are for academic and vocational students.

During a roundtable in Washington on reopening schools, President Donald Trump criticised a decision by Harvard University to conduct courses online in the coming academic year. "I think it's ridiculous, I think it's an easy way out," Mr Trump said. "I think they ought to be ashamed of themselves."

Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology sued the Trump administration yesterday, seeking to block the new rule. The two universities filed a lawsuit in federal court in Boston asking for an emergency temporary restraining order on the directive.

The lawsuit filed by the two elite US universities is the first to challenge the order. Earlier, Harvard president Larry Bacow said the institution was "deeply concerned" that the ICE guidance imposed "a blunt, one-size-fits-all approach".

The country is experiencing a new surge in Covid-19 cases, especially among younger people, raising concerns about the increased risk of spread to vulnerable adults at home as well as older teachers and school staff if in-person classes resume.

  • >1m

    Number of foreign students at US colleges and universities. Many schools depend on revenue from foreign students, who often pay full tuition.

In a survey by the Chronicle of Higher Education newspaper, the majority of the hundreds of colleges around the country said they will offer either in-person instruction or some sort of hybrid model with on-campus and online courses, although many are still sorting out their plans.

Most students attending schools with that type of blended curriculum, as well as those with full-time in-person instruction, would be exempt from the new rules if their plans are approved by ICE.

The chancellor of Rutgers University-Newark, Dr Nancy Cantor, said in a statement on Tuesday that the school, along with other colleges across the country and lawmakers in Congress, was working "to fully understand and respond to this announcement".

Dr Cantor tried to assure foreign students that the university's model for the autumn would be a hybrid of online and in-person classes.

Dr Lee Bollinger, president of Columbia University in New York, called the administration's actions "deeply misguided" and said the university would take a number of steps in response, including structuring courses so they fit into the hybrid model.

Ms Toni Molle, director of public affairs at California State University, the nation's largest four-year public university, said the institution was reviewing the new guidance to determine the impact on students.

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 09, 2020, with the headline US colleges scramble to deal with new order affecting student visas. Subscribe