MONDAY, DECEMBER 9. 2002
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 5A
Target
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
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Mohammed Malahifi, a senior from Aleppo, Syria, said the new regulations were no surprise, but the emphasis on international students, particularly those from Arab nations, borders on discrimination.
"They have a right to protect their security, but at the same time, they could be more fair about it," he said. "If they're going to do it, do it right."
Immigration and Naturalization Services now requires certain noncitizens from several middle-eastern nations, including Iran, Iraq and Syria, to go through "special registration." These people, which include men ages 16 and older, are photographed, fingerprinted and interviewed.
At KU, International Student and Scholar Services must explain the rules to the University's more than 3,000 international students. It's important that all of them, from incoming freshmen to graduate students, understand the law, said Joe Potts, director of international services.
Mariane Hovgaard, a graduate student from Veijle, Denmark, was a group leader at the New International Student Orientation, a 10-day introduction to the United States, Kansas and KU.
Thanasis Seouros, Lymbia, Cyprus, junior, said the regulations he had to follow, like being restricted to working on campus, are expected and understandable in light of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
But this fall's orientation, the third that Hovgaard has worked, may not have reached all new international students.
"Even if you're good in English, when people speak fast and use slang and terms that are very specific, it can go over your head," Hovgaard said.
Not all students attended, and some of those students who were there may not have understood or paid attention, Hovgaard said.
Red tape nightmare
International students must follow a certain set of conditions, including reporting changes of address and major and staying enrolled in 12 credit hours. These regulations existed before the passage of the PATRIOT Act and other new laws, but the penalties for noncompliance will
Potts said the tighter regulations controlled the conditions of staying "in status," or the requirements of staying in the country, and what happens if an international student falls out of status.
"They have a right to protect their security, but at the same time, they could be more fair about it. If they're going to do it,do it right."
Mohammed Malahifji
Aleppo, Syria, senior
be harsher. Potts said.
A proposed rule that goes into effect next year may make it more difficult for international students to seek reinstatement after violating one of the terms of their visas.
If an international student falls out of status now, he or she can fill out a reinstatement form, follow instructions like showing proof of progress towards a degree, and pay a $140 fee. In most cases, the INS approved these petitions, Potts said.
The new rule almost eliminates the paper application for reinstatement. Starting next year, students who drop out of status may have to leave the United States, reapply for a visa and sit out at least a semester of classes Potts said.
Raed Al Bibbisi will graduate about a year later than expected after waiting months for his visa.
Al Bilbissi, a senior from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, went home early last summer to renew his visa. The Saudi Arabian company that is paying for his education warned that the renewal process would take five weeks.
It took five months. And Al Bilbissi was lucky. Of the 70 students sponsored by the company, Al Bilbissi said he was one of less than 20 who was able to renew his visa. The rest are still waiting, he said.
Waiting was the worst part, Al Bilbissi said. When he called the embassy about his visa, he repeatedly was told the same thing: "We'll call you back."
He started to worry that he would never complete his computer science degree at KU. Two years of hard work would amount to nothing.
"Itwould destroy me," he said.
"I don't think I could start all over again."
Potts said about 20 international students at KU were unable to get back into the country this fall after going home. Most of those students, like Al Bilbissi, have resolved their visa problems and will return in time
"If the policies we put in place to monitor international students in the long run leave a bad taste in students' mouths, the loss is incalculable."
Joe Potts
Director of International Student and
Scholar Services
Joe Potts
Malahifij isn't going to risk problems with his visa by attempting to visit home.
for spring classes, he said
"I'm going to stay and not see my family for the second year," he said. "It's depressing."
Scaring students away?
Starting in January, universities nationwide will begin using an Internet-based program that will notify the INS with the click of a return key about a student's change in status.
The program, called the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System or SEVIS, has been in the works for years. Potts said. Sept. 11 sped up the process of replacing the old paper-based system.
The University is spending $80,000 to cover the costs of starting the program, including hiring a new employee to run it. The money came from $8.6 million set aside from the tuition increase to make improvements throughout the University and was given to international services to ensure that its programs weren't hurt by the costs of adopting SEVIS.
An 1-94 card is given to an international visitor upon arrival into the country. The card contains the date of entry and the required departure date. International students are required to carry them at all times.
Potts admitted the old tracking system was flawed. Several of the Sept. 11 hijackers were in the United States on student visas, and two of the hijackers were awarded student visas in March, six months after they died in the attacks.
But Potts is concerned the
tracking system and tougher rules may push international students to study in other countries.
International students bring different points of view to American universities, Potts said. Domestic students can learn a lot from international students, and vice versa. Friendship between international and domestic students improves the relationship between the United States and other nations, he said.
"If the policies we put in place to monitor international students in the long run leave a bad taste in students' mouths, the loss is incalculable," Potts said.
Saouros and Malahifji both said most of their American friends didn't understand the rules that international students must follow.
"When they hear about it, it sounds stupid and ridiculous," Malahiffi said.
All international students must keep track of their "papers." They must ensure their passports, which contain their visa information, are valid and not expired. They also must carry with them at all times their I-94, a small white card that identifies them as international students.
Although these rules are not new, they were often overlooked before Sept. 11, Potts said.
Saouros staplen his I-94 card into his passport for safekeeping. He rarely carries either document for fear of losing them, because replacing a lost I-94 or passport would be difficult.
Saouros is at KU on an exchange program. Exchange students must be approved by the government to have a job. He had to ask permission from the government to get his job grading math tests.
"I don't want to find out how much paperwork I would have to fill out," he said.
Other international students who are on an academic student visa, like Malahifji, can work on
campus without permission, but laws prohibit any international student from working off campus.
International students are guaranteed certain rights, Hardesty of KU Legal Services said.
If approached by the police, FBI or INS, an international student has the Fifth Amendment right to remain silent and the Fourth Amendment right to be protected from unreasonable searches and seizures.
Because international students do not have the right to a government-appointed attorney, Hardesty recommends that international students seek legal advice from an attorney if they think they are in trouble.
Rights for international visitors can be fuzzy, Hardesty said. For example, it is unlawful discrimination to search someone at an airport solely because of his or her appearance, but it happens anyway.
"A lot of times, international students get treated differently," Hardesty said. "And not in a good way."
Singled out
Hovgaard speaks with little trace of an accent and said many people were surprised to learn she's an international student and not "one of us."The "us"and "them" distinction has been sharpened in the past 15 months, she said.
"I know it's not meant in that way, but it makes you feel pretty awkward," Hovgaard said.
Even when it's not consciously done, the idea of "us" and "them" can be discriminatory, she said.
"You're sort of implying that difference makes me inferior," Hovgaard said.
Some international students are treated worse than others, Malahifji said. For example, the students who had to sit out a semester waiting to get back in the country were Arabs.
"I see all these people not getting back, and I don't want to be one of those guys. I want to finish what I came for," Malahifji said. "Imagine being here four years and not getting back in."
FORMS OF IDENTIFICATION
Visa: a permit that authorizes a visit in another country. The visa is placed in the passport.
1-94: a white card issued when an international visitor arrives in the United States. The card is collected when the visitor leaves.The card includes the date of arrival and the date when the card expires.
Passport: a booklet that certifies a person's identity and citizenship.
Al Bibbissi knows the feeling. Technically, home might be in Saudi Arabia, but for the past two years, his life has been in Lawrence.
"For me, I had my girlfriend, I had my car, I had my house," he said. "I had everything."
Like Malahifi, Al Bilbissiwon't be returning home any time soon.
"Not until I finish. Not again. Something might happen," he said. "It's like risking my life. It's everything I've got."
Saouros, who visits his family in Cyprus twice a year, suspects his appearance triggers suspicion at airports, and the random searches no longer surprise him.
The airport staff is, for the most part, professional and not aggressive, he said. After enduring several searches in the two times he has been home since Sept. 11, Saouros has gotten used to them.
"It's no longer a coincidence," he said. "I get checked every time."
- Edited by Matt Norton
Contact Gise at mgise@kansan.com
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