The future of international students in the U.S.

The current pandemic has already put the students all over the world in a dilemma. They are sceptical about their studies, exams, and other student concerns. On the rise of the coronavirus pandemic, the public health guidelines issued the social-distancing rule. This led all the schools and colleges to discontinue their classes and shift to online methods.

It was the same in the U.S. Universities like Harvard, MIT, as well as Northeastern University. They all opted for online classes. Moreover, many of them decided to conduct their fall semester online. The international students of these universities also took their classes through online resources.

However, the new regulations announced by the Department of Homeland Security brought uncertainty to the international students of the U.S. This rule requires international students to leave the States whose college or university has moved to fully online education. Otherwise, they have to transfer to an institution that offers in-person classes.

This federal guidance created huge anxiety in the educational sphere of the United States. Above all, Harvard and MIT have filed a lawsuit against the new guidance in the U.S. district court. Northeastern University too supports this lawsuit and raised voice against the unnecessary confusion regarding the new law.

Joseph E. Aoun, the president of Northeastern University, voices his stern disagreement against the new law. Though he claims that the Hybrid NUflex model will help the international students, the university still opposes this divisive approach. He is concerned about the effects of this law on weakening American higher education. Ralph C. Martin II, senior vice president of Northeastern, agrees with Aoun.

He states that “We support the lawsuit because it affirms our values of inclusion, internationalism, and access”.

Northeastern’s Office of Global Services is providing updates on the new rules and the legal action taken by the university. The authority hopes to assure safety and security to international students. They aspire to fight for them in difficult times.

Rubena Bose

Originally published at https://globalshala.com.