On July 6th, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced "Nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students attending schools operating entirely online may not take a full online course load and remain in the United States" and that "The U.S. Department of State will not issue visas to students enrolled in schools that are fully online for the fall semester nor will U.S. Customs and Border Protection permit these students to enter the United States". [1] There have been multiple international students at W&J who have had to stay on campus due to current border restrictions. For example, countries such as China, Jordan, most European countries, and other locations represented on our campus have their borders closed. Since March 21, 2020, there has been a level 4 worldwide warning on the US Travel website, which is the highest warning rating that can be given, urging travelers not to leave the US. International travel is not only dangerous at this moment, but can be virtually impossible for some students. [2] These recent developments put international students lives and careers in jeopardy in an already unstable and risky state of affairs. 

W&J has had a long standing tradition of encouraging international travel and providing support to our international community. After listening to some student's worries, I demand that our college puts the following in place to protect our international student's and ensure their safety:

1. Should W&J go online due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in neighboring counties and the country in general, our college will provide immigration lawyers and use their connection with prominent alumni in law to provide these services free of charge for these students. 
2. Provide at least 2 classes that can be offered to only international students in person regardless if we are forced to evacuate campus at any point in the fall semester. This will ensure that they will remain in lawful status regardless of any changes. Please ensure with all faculty members that their classes are also adaptable for online. With a difference in time zones and resources, not everyone's academic experience will be the same, and there needs to be a policy set in place to help all students regardless of where they reside. 
3. There are a wide range of international students who find themselves in a variety of economic backgrounds. Rather than lumping them all into one group, we want to see policies that will work for all of these students. 
4. Allocate some emergency funds to international students. Many of them may need money for medications, housing, groceries, travel tickets, visa extensions, job applications, and any hidden costs that may not be visible at first. 
5. International students are unable to receive federal financial aid or loans. These students come to the US to seek valuable degrees and invest in their future, and there should be some kind of scholarship money offered to these students to make college more affordable to them. 
6. Should any international student be forced to leave, tuition, flights, transportation to Pittsburgh International Airport or any other destination point, visa costs should be reimbursed for these students. Online learning should not cost as much as in person. As someone who was forced to take all of my lab based courses online last semester, I was not given the same education as I would have gotten before in a hands on class, and this experience of mine is applicable to many other programs of study. There needs to be some kind of access to insurance for these students regardless of where they go in the US as some of them may only be insured in PA.
7. Have the Student Health and Counseling Center reach out to this group of students in order to directly ask what kind of support they can offer to these students who have unique sets of problems. 

Universities are forced to make these decisions by July 15th, and the time is now that we take a stance that allows all members of our community to remain safe during a global pandemic. ICE has declared that if our college adopts a hybrid model, students are allowed to take more than 1 class online to remain in lawful status. [1] Our motto Juncta Juvant matters more than ever now, and I urge every administrator to give our international community a sense of security and safety at W&J for the duration of 2020 and beyond. 

Resources:

[1] https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/sevp-modifies-temporary-exemptions-nonimmigrant-students-taking-online-courses-during#wcm-survey-target-id

[2] https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/travel-advisory-alert-global-level-4-health-advisory-issue.html