Reverse course now
Forcing foreign students to choose health or continuing college in U.S. compounds crisis.
In a move with no discernible benefits but dire consequences, the American government is forcing international students to pick a priority: safeguarding their health against COVID-19 or continuing college in the U.S.
The ultimatum, Rice University President David Leebron told the editorial board this week, is “surprising in its clarity and cruelty.”
“We should relish the fact that students from all over the world are choosing to come here, and not, in the midst of this health crisis, impose additional risks and burdens on them,” Leebron said.
We couldn’t agree more. The Trump administration must reverse course, now — lest it compound one academic crisis with another.
When universities responded to the outbreak this spring by switching to online courses, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement rightfully suspended requirements that international students must take in-person classes to keep their visas. With the coronavirus nowhere near under control, higher education officials expected those exemptions would continue at least through the fall semester.
On Monday, the government announced that it was going back to business as usual and international students at schools offering only online classes must either transfer to an institution that offers face-toface instruction or leave the country.
“You don’t get a visa for taking online classes from, let’s say, the University of Phoenix, so why would you if you were just taking online classes generally?” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Wednesday.
This response may make sense at any other time, but it blatantly ignores the public health dangers and the larger ramifications for American colleges and universities. They’ve been thrown into chaos by the short-sighted move.
And let’s face the pragmatic truth: The rule means colleges and universities already suffering financially due to the pandemic now risk losing some of their best-paying customers, international students, who generally pay full price and may help subsidize American students.
Universities that planned in the fall to replace most or all in-person classes with online courses, including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, are suing the government.
Students forced to leave the country can continue their U.S. studies online but they face obstacles. They may have to break leases. Travel restrictions can make trips home difficult. They’d have to reapply for visas if they wish to return to the U.S. Students may also miss out on internships, higher education officials said, because permission for such work requires students to be in the country for the preceding year.
The harm also extends to the broader economy. International students contributed more than $2 billion to Texas alone during the 2018-2019 academic year, part of the more than $40 billion that they added to the U.S. economy. The United States benefits not only financially, but by harnessing talent from all over the world.
International students bring diverse perspectives and cultures, making for a richer, more rigorous educational experience for all students, better preparation for the global marketplace and help building crucial lifelong ties that improve America’s standing in the world.
These are all benefits that other countries — including Canada, Australia and Singapore — are more than happy to take from us.
“International students have opportunities to go other places and we certainly want to be competitive,” said Richard Walker, vice president for student affairs at the University of Houston. “We want to be providing opportunity, not presenting obstacles.”
Rice, where more than 40 percent of the graduate student body is international, and UH, with more than 3,400 international students, will have online and in-person options that will accommodate the government’s requirements. But if the outbreak worsens, officials fear their students will be left with limited choices.
President Donald Trump also pushed this week for public K-12 students to go back to school, a move in keeping with his efforts to downplay the effects of the pandemic and reopen the economy regardless of the cost.
There’s something perversely askew in this country when a winwin for the president means a loss for America.