Lizzy Donker, Editor-in-Chief
Amid recent federal changes to the educational visa rules and regulations, international students and University officials alike are doing what they can to comply with a series of new restrictions and ensure the well-being of all in Sewanee’s college community.
The Office of Global Citizenship (OGC), which has been heavily involved in this process, spoke to The Sewanee Purple about how these changes could affect Sewanee’s international students.
“In March, reports began coming through of [the] emergence of immigration enforcement targeting different non-citizen students and other campus community members along a large range of Universities, public and private,” explained International Student & Scholar Advisor Travis Parker.
“What several Universities are seeing since then are student records being revoked in the SEVIS system by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).” SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) describes DHS’s database to monitor international students.
“Those actions have generated a whole lot of questions and concerns and frankly, a lot of uncertainty, both among students and scholars as well as people that are in the field of international education,” said Parker.
Parker said no currently enrolled Sewanee students have faced visa revocations or changes, and the administration has carefully monitored changes in policies to ensure students and the University as a whole comply with the new rules and restrictions.
But the wider student body may not know about the University’s response because of the strategic way that administrators have chosen to advise international students and reassure them about their importance to the Sewanee community.
Director of the Office of Global Citizenship Andrea Del Balso said the U.S. has historically had a system of processes for international individuals to legally come into the U.S. to work and study.
“Historically, we’ve created these pathways for individuals from outside of the U.S. to come into the U.S. and to contribute to the life in the U.S., to enrich the lives of our fellow students, to enrich the workforce, to bring expertise that really enhances and contributes to the U.S. wealth of ideas and knowledge, and also to the U.S. economy, right,” said Del Balso.
This new administration has, however, brought unprecedented changes to this process, according to Del Balso.
One of those changes, according to the Office of Global Citizenship, includes a proposed draft of a Travel Ban List that includes 43 countries.
The Travel Ban List prohibits individuals from entering the country from a country listed on the banned travel list, which is “sort of to be expected”, according to Del Balso. The difference, now, however, is that the current proposed draft list is bigger than it was in previous iterations, according to Del Balso.
“We’ve also seen enhanced scrutiny over students as far as their social media presence as it relates to freedom of speech, we’ve seen a little bit of use of certain laws that have never really been used before as a reason to inhibit, I would say, the freedom of speech for students in the U.S.,” said Del Balso.
Students at other institutions have gotten into trouble for voicing support for Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Del Balso said federal officials are “categorizing that now under participation in terrorist activities, and they are revoking visas and terminating status.”
Del Balso also noted that there is a difference between a visa revocation from a termination of status. “In the past, the U.S. government, any government, really has revoked visa status if someone violates their visa, if they do something, they’re arrested, for example, or something like that, they will revoke a visa but they don’t terminate the status of the individual,” said Del Balso. “But what we’re seeing now is that they’re not just revoking visas, which, like I said, they’ve done in the past…but they’re also terminating the [status of the] students, and that’s something we’ve not seen before.”
Del Balso and Parker explained that the termination of status has historically been the decision of the school that the international student is attending, but that is no longer the case. “What makes this so different than what has been the historical precedent is that this would be ICE, not only revoking the visa, but also terminating their visa status,” Parker said.
Asked for his perspective on the federal policy changes, Provost Scott Wilson said he “cannot identify the Trump administration’s particular motivations and objectives with regard to international students. There is a pattern from the first and current Trump administrations with regard to immigration.”
Due to these patterns, the University has recommended that international students, especially those on the draft list, consider the risks before traveling.
“Given the volatility of the situation, we recommend that they don’t leave the country in the foreseeable future,” said Del Balso.
Students are also being advised to log out of their social media and email accounts while traveling, as the Border Control has the right to search any belongings, including cellphones and other electronic devices, when visa holders enter or leave the country, according to Del Balso.
“We’re not saying don’t travel. We’re saying, just realize that there are risks associated with travel, and consider the risks over the summer. And here’s some guidance that we might have for you, just to make your travels go as smoothly as possible,” said Del Balso.
Students have been notified of these recommendations via email, such as one that was sent out to international students on March 28 entitled “Important: Changing Immigration Practices.” That email summarized concerns about international travel while trying to reassure students about the University’s support.
“Those who wish to remain in Sewanee over the summer break should contact the Office of Global Citizenship to discuss on-campus housing options and any interest in securing research or work opportunities. Non U.S. citizens planning to study abroad during fall 2025 are advised to register for on-campus courses and on-campus housing, should their fall travel plans change.”
Amid the rapidly changing policies, Sewanee’s international students are taking steps to change their summer plans.
One international student, who is not from a country listed on the Draft Travel Ban List, said they have altered their summer plans.
“I was planning to go back home because it’s been a while, and I just wanted to see my family and just go. But they have said that you should be adjusting and changing them [plans], or like, maybe just stay back so that you’re safe, or at least your visa is safe,” said the student, who has decided to stay in Sewanee for the summer.
To be as careful as possible, the student said, they have also chosen to no longer post or be active on social media as a precaution. “It’s a risky situation. You never know when things are gonna go against you.”
The student spoke about the support they have received from the OGC during this stressful time, especially from International Student Advisor Travis Parker.
“He has been quite helpful, and he always tries to inform us ahead of time so that we know what’s happening. And we have also met together more than once in McClurg. He had all the international students come up to him, and he just explained the whole situation to us, which is good.”
The student said that Director of the OGC Andrea Del Balso has also been helpful in sending out emails on what steps students should take to not put themselves at risk.
“I have had a really bad time, but I think these are the things you have to worry about all the time when you are not from this country. And you’re always thinking about your own country, like going back or something like that, and then there is a regulation for which you have to leave all of your studies behind and not go back and fulfill all of the dreams that you had,” said the student. “But if you compare that [to] you’re just going back home, which is also fun, then it’s not that bad either. So you’re just always trying to console yourself that there’s something good in the bad.”
Parker spoke on the toll these current changes have taken on Sewanee’s 66 international students living on campus. “Certainly from a mental health stance, I don’t think it’s outrageous or inaccurate to say that this has created something of an environment of fear.”
That fear is being felt on campuses across the U.S. A recent Wall Street Journal article described how international students around the country are increasingly requesting the removal of their names from newspaper articles, particularly those involving pro-Palestine views. And a New York Times article reported on the “anxiety and confusion facing international students as the administration has moved to cancel more than 1,500 student visas in recent weeks.” As of Friday, April 25, however, many students had their status restored, according to the Times.
When asked to detail the University’s views, Provost Wilson responded: “Vice-Chancellor Pearigen has signed a statement, along with more than 400 college and university presidents, that was organized by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. That statement argued “against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education,” which encompasses some of the concerns related to the status of international students.”
The full letter from the American Association of Colleges and Universities can be read here.