Hundreds at UBC fall under U.S. ban
University says its stature depends on staff and students’ ability to travel abroad freely
The University of B.C. believes about 350 students and 30 staff and faculty will be impacted by the Trump administration’s executive order on immigration.
UBC spokeswoman Susan Danard said staff combed through citizenship- and immigration-status data to identify roughly 380 people from affected countries who are at the university on a work or study permit.
President Donald Trump’s order, which he has referred to as a “ban” and “extreme vetting,” bars travellers from seven Muslim-majority nations — Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen — from entering the U.S. for 90 days. Trump signed it Friday.
About two-thirds of the 350 UBC students affected by the executive order are in graduate studies, Danard said, adding undergraduates are also often internationally focused, looking for work experience and study terms across the border.
Danard said the number could change but reflects people who will be directly impacted.
More than 61,000 students attended UBC Vancouver and Okanagan in the 2015-16 academic year. About 22 per cent were international students.
Danard said the executive order will prevent some of them from staying in the U.S. on work terms, attending conferences or meeting with colleagues pursuing similar lines of study.
“Which is unfortunate ... because most scholarships build on the work of others and in most disciplines, it’s an international collaboration,” she said.
Danard said the group identified doesn’t include dual citizens and those with permanent residence in Canada. The White House said Saturday that dual citizens would be barred by the executive order, however, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office later said Canadians will not be turned away at the border.
The UBC Alma Mater and Graduate Student societies issued a joint statement Tuesday condemning the executive order, while expressing condolences to those killed in a shooting at a Quebec mosque Sunday.
Both societies said they stand in solidarity with members of the Muslim community.
“The AMS and GSS remain committed to building a diverse community within and outside the university, where students feel safe and have room for self-expression and participation without fear,” the statement said. “We are currently working with the UBC administration to assess the impact of these recent events on UBC students.”
UBC president Santa Ono’s office issued a statement Sunday saying the university is “deeply concerned” by the executive order. The statement said $250,000 has been budgeted for a task force to immediately begin work to determine how the university can help those affected. The university will also work with governments, responsible agencies, community groups and other universities on its response.
“UBC’s academic strength and stature depends upon the freedom of our faculty, staff and students to travel abroad for purposes of scholarship and study, and upon our ability to welcome the most talented individuals from around the world to our campuses,” the statement said. “Actions that restrict this movement based on a person’s nationality or birthplace go against our values as a university.”