International Students

Comment to Regents Regarding International Student Support

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 23:12:49 +0000

Comment to Regents Regarding International Student Support Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/12/2020 - 17:12

Today, GPSG Director of Legislative Affairs Matt Harvey submitted the following statement to the Board of Regents requesting they take steps to provide security for our international students and their academic progress.

GPSG statement to Board of Regents

As we approach the Fall Semester, the Graduate and Professional Student Government (formerly UGGS) is concerned about the university’s plan to protect and preserve the well-being of our international students as an invaluable community within CU Boulder. Although the ICE guidelines on international student visas have been rescinded, GPSG still has concerns about the university’s dedication to preserving the degree progress and funding support for international students. These concerns are compounded by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which raises uncertainty for our international student community, due to their financial dependence on university support in the form of teaching and research appointments. In essence, we at GPGS would like to Regents to speak to the steps taking to ensure our international students can remain part of the campus community, and have the security needed to continue their degree progress uninterrupted.

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Comment to Regents Regarding ICE Rule

Anonymous — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 15:16:45 +0000

Comment to Regents Regarding ICE Rule Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 07/07/2020 - 09:16

Today, UGGS submitted the following statement to the Board of Regents requesting they take action against the recent rule from ICE restricting certain international students from enrolling in online classes. We recognize that international students make up an invaluable part of our campus community and will continue to fight for them.

UGGS statement to Board of Regents

Regents,

I am writing to you in regard to a proposed rulemaking recently announced by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Specifically, changes to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) that will require nonimmigrant students on F-1 and M-1 visas to return to their home countries if their school operates entirely online as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

I am formally requesting that The University of Colorado Board of Regents sue The United States Department of Homeland Security and Acting Director Chad Wolf on behalf of the students in the CU system affected by this decision.

It is obvious and apparent to any reasonable person that this rulemaking is in clear violation of federal law. Specifically, the Administrative Procedure Act requires that government rulemakings be justified on the administrative record after notice and comment. A government rulemaking is arbitrary and capricious and in violation of federal law if, “the agency entirely failed to consider an important aspect of the problem, [or] offered an explanation for its decision that runs counter to the evidence before the agency.” Motor Vehicles Manufacturers Association v. State Farm Insurance 463 U.S. 29 (1983).

The decision at hand clearly meets these factors. The Agency has failed to consider the massive implications of forcing students to leave their institutions of higher education and travel back to their home countries during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The Agency has offered no explanation for its decision, and the evidence before the agency clearly shows that immigrants students are an invaluable part of U.S. Colleges and Universities and we would be at a loss without them. There is no reasonable basis to require international students to leave the U.S.

The Regents of The University of California just won a virtually identical case in the Supreme Court where the Department of Homeland Security made an “arbitrary and capricious” decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. A brief review of the DACA case shows that the government is attempting to take the same illegal action here and violate the Administrative Procedure Act.

The implications of this decision are massive and far-reaching and if fully carried out, will be felt for years to come. The students of the University of Colorado system deserve to be protected from arbitrary government decisions. I hope that as the Board of Regents you will have the courage and determination to defend their interests.

I look forward to hearing your reply.

Matt Vondrasek

President, United Government of Graduate Students

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Updates for Online International Students

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 21:53:15 +0000

Updates for Online International Students Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 07/06/2020 - 15:53

Link to original ICE announcement.

On July 6^th, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) released modifications to temporary exemptions for international students under F-1 and M-1 Visas. Specifically, under the direction of the Trump Administration, ICE is suspending residency rights for international students for students that are operating entirely online, and states that “The U.S. Department of State will not issue visas to students enrolled in schools and/or programs that are fully online for the fall semester nor will U.S. Customs and Border Protection permit these students to enter the United States.” ICE further directs international students currently enrolled in such programs to ‘depart the country’ or transfer to a school with in-person instruction in order to remain in the country legally.

While CU Boulder is currently planning on adopting a hybrid model under the current pathway to Fall 2020 guidelines, ICE mandates that schools that switch from a hybrid to online only model partway through the semester are required to update their Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, and that international students with F-1 or M-1 visas will then be required to depart the country, unless they obtain a medical exemption or alter their course load or transfer to another institution.

International students at the undergraduate and graduate levels have faced systemic barriers to obtaining research funding, securing employment at the university, and securing housing in Boulder. As COVID continues to spread in the United States and uncertainty around the University’s pathway for Fall 2020 continues to increase, we at UGGS stand with international students as they face disproportionate threats to their academic and professional paths forward. We also recognize these new rulings for what they are the byproduct of structural racism and xenophobia, and the failure of the federal government to rise to the challenge of combating COVID and preserving the health and safety of residents within its borders.

As a call to action, we ask that you contact your members of Congress and make clear that CU Buffs stand with each other, and international students are a critical element of that community. You can view their contact information here.

If you are an international student and have questions about how this change impacts you, please reach out to International Student and Scholar Services.

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Information on International Student Stipends

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Jul 2019 06:00:00 +0000

Information on International Student Stipends Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 07/01/2019 - 00:00

This is an archive page including a clarification on how stipends work with international student finances

Download the memo here

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