Global: A New Federal Policy on International Students Sets Off a Mad

A lawsuit filed by Harvard and MIT suggests the policy’s intended goal “is to create as much chaos for universities and international students as poss [Global] Are you working remotely? Many institutions provide access to premium Chronicle content on campus. If your college or university is one of them, you can maintain that access when you’re at home. Read this helpful [FAQ]( to see how. Your account is easy to set up and will provide you access wherever you are. First Thought Weekly insights from Karin Fischer’s. [Subscribe here]( to Karin's global-education newsletter, latitude(s). A new Trump administration policy, released with no notice on Monday, would block international students from coming to or remaining in the United States if their courses are taught entirely online. Many in higher education viewed it as a backdoor effort to force colleges to reopen for face-to-face instruction, and Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology [sued]( almost immediately to stop it. In the meantime, the policy has thrown colleges and the lives of a million international students into tumult. For students, especially those with health conditions, the regulation forces tough choices: travel to their home countries in the midst of a global pandemic or return to campus. For colleges, as one vice president for international affairs put it, "it’s an all-hands-on-deck exercise." Indiana University at Bloomington, which is planning to operate in a hybrid mode, must issue new student-visa documents to more than 5,000 international students. Michigan State University, which also plans on a hybrid fall, is working to ensure that every student can take a face-to-face course that fits with their academic program and schedule. Across the country, campus officials are being inundated with calls from concerned students. Read Karin's full analysis of the policy and its implications for higher ed: [As MIT and Harvard Sue, Colleges Scramble to Respond to New Federal Policy on International Students]( ADVERTISEMENT [advertisement]( The Reading List - A report by the ombudsman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services identifies a number of [risks to the optional practical training]( program. - Academics in Hong Kong are anxious that a [new security law]( imposed by the Chinese government could chill academic freedom and make it more difficult to hire and retain faculty. - Moody’s warned that the executive order suspending H1-B and other work visas is “[credit negative]( for U.S. universities because it could “aggravate the decline” of international students and weaken colleges’ ability to recruit academics and researchers. Featured This Week "I’ve come to think of learning about being anti-racist the same way I think about learning a language. I’m never going to be perfect at it, I’m going to continue to be corrected, and I’m going to keep trying." —May Lopez, a graduate student at Michigan State University who is from Ecuador. Lopez joined a panel with Karin Fischer for a latitude(s) [coffee hour]( on how colleges can do a better job talking with international students about race and racial identity. One of her suggestions: Colleges should provide safe spaces for international students to talk about race so that they can ask questions they might be embarrassed to pose. [Read more about the discussion, and Karin's key takeaways, in this week's latitude(s) newsletter.]( ADVERTISEMENT [advertisement]( In Case You Missed It [The Cruelty of ICE’s Guidance for International Students]( The Trump administration’s mean-spirited policy borders on extortion for colleges. The Chronicle Review [This Will Be One of the Worst Months in the History of Higher Education]( Layoffs, declarations of financial exigency, and closures are imminent. Here’s who’s most at risk. (PREMIUM) Paid for and Created by Utrecht University [Innovate Your Education? Change the Culture!]( Seeking to create a culture of adaption and education innovation, Utrecht University is facilitating its students and faculty with up-to-date resources along with demand-driven services, fostering a willingness to sustainably innovate as the norm. Subscribe Today Our mission, at a time of crisis and uncertainty, is to make sure you have the information you need to respond effectively, and make the best decisions for your institution and your students. Please consider subscribing today to sustain our continuing coverage. [Subscribe Today]( Latest Jobs Visit [ChronicleVitae.com]( to view the latest jobs in higher education. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Sign up]( for other newsletters, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2020 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037 [The Chronicle of Higher Education](