Harvard, MIT file suit challenging ICE rule on foreign students
Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have asked a federal court to temporarily block a Trump administration rule that would bar foreign students from remaining in the United States if their universities are not holding in-person classes this semester, Harvard’s president said in an email on Wednesday.
Trump Visa Rules Seen as Way to Pressure Colleges on Reopening
International students will be required to take at least one in-person class to keep their visas, at a time when many universities are prioritizing online instruction. LOS ANGELES — A directive by the Trump administration that would strip international college students of their U.S. visas if their coursework was entirely online prompted widespread confusion on Tuesday as students scrambled to clarify their statuses and universities reassessed their fall reopening policies amid the coronavirus pandemic.
International Students Banned From Online-Only Instruction
New guidance for the Student and Exchange Visitor Program issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has stoked anger and confusion from students, faculty and immigration advocates. The new temporary final rule, issued Monday afternoon, prohibits international students from returning to or remaining in the United States this fall if the colleges they attend adopt online-only instruction models amid the pandemic.
All Harvard University students will take online classes this fall amid coronavirus
Harvard University is allowing some students to live on campus this fall amid the coronavirus, but all classes will be taught online, the university announced on Monday. “All course instruction (undergraduate and graduate) for the 2020-21 academic year will be delivered online,” Harvard officials wrote to the campus communuty. “Students will learn remotely, whether or not they live on campus.”
ICE says international students taking online courses have to transfer or leave the US, as dozens of schools shift to remote learning in response to COVID-19
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said on Monday that it will no longer issue visas to students enrolled in only online courses.
Generals Die in Bed
Years ago, I performed a timid act of civil disobedience in my English composition course at Fullerton Community College. I arrived early, and on the empty blackboard at the front of the class, I drew a massive peace sign and then took my seat. The professor, an aging and taciturn man (probably my age now), looked quietly at the peace sign, erased it and wrote in large letters, “Generals die in bed.”
The Coming Fall Crisis
Three months ago, many of us thought our nation would bring the COVID-19 virus under control. With business and recreation closures, social distancing, and testing, we believed we could flatten and reduce the curve and slowly return to normality. Unfortunately, it is clear the disorganized and politicized U.S. effort to contain the virus has failed. A vaccine is probably a year away. Cases are skyrocketing. This puts higher education in a terrible position. You think things are bad now? Wait until fall.
Students are taking a gap year because of COVID-19: ‘It won’t be a normal first year’
The novel coronavirus has changed nearly every aspect of daily life in Canada — and now, it’s the reason a whole cohort of students have decided to put their studies on pause and take a gap year. For some, the decision was made easy by the lack of in-person classes. McGill University, the University of British Columbia and the University of Ottawa are just a few of the major post-secondary institutions that have already moved online as the COVID-19 outbreak drags on.
Money Fix: College gap year inquiries are experiencing a surge
Decisions, decisions, decisions. Many 2020 high school graduates, amid the backdrop of the pandemic, are debating whether they should put off going to college in the fall and take a gap year. For sure there’s a lot for them and their parents to think about. “There has been a surge in inquiries about gap years for this fall, more than I’ve ever seen,” says Katherine Stievater, founder of Gap Year Solutions in Boston, which provides gap year planning for students.
What Happens if Someone Throws a Party? Questions and Answers on the Model Reopening Campus
President Martha E. Pollack announced on Tuesday the University’s intentions to reactivate campus for the fall semester, which would begin on Sept. 2. Despite criticisms that this decision could put the health and safety of the Cornell community at risk, Pollack and Provost Michael Kotlikoff cited modeling that indicated it would be safer to reactivate campus, and subject students, faculty and staff to extensive testing than to commit to a virtual semester.