Higher education association officials in Washington have been monitoring Congressional and Bush administration efforts to strengthen policies related to international students in the wake of the terrorist attacks. CIC has endorsed association letters to President Bush and members of Congress that call for full funding of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), which will electronically track foreign students in the U.S. and provide the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) with information on all international students enrolled, including their address, visa classification and date it was issued or extended, and current academic status.
The letter stated that, "Our colleges are…strongly committed to international exchanges and believe that student exchanges have paid great dividends for the United States. Many foreign students leave the U.S. at the conclusion of their studies to become leaders in government and industry in their home countries, but all leave with a deep appreciation of the benefits of personal freedom and democracy. In this respect, international education can only foster greater cultural understanding—the antithesis of terrorism." The letter urged that President Bush designate $36.8 million of the Emergency Supplemental appropriations package (P.L. 107-38) to the INS to implement SEVIS.
    An October 25 memorandum on anti-terrorism legislation from the American Council on Education outlines provisions that will have an impact on colleges and universities in the recently enacted "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism ("USA PATRIOT") Act of 2001." For example, the memo states that the law amends the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act to allow colleges to disclose education records to federal law enforcement officials without the student’s consent; permits federal agencies to collect information from colleges about students, such as address, visa classification, and disciplinary action resulting from criminal conviction; and expands the scope of technology-related information (i.e., voice-mail messages, phone records, etc.) that law enforcement officials may obtain through warrants, subpoenas, and court orders. The document is available on ACE’s website at www.acenet.edu.

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Last updated: November 26, 2001
Copyright © 2001 The Council of Independent Colleges