The ICE decision is a fundamental affront to international students

Anne* is a 19-year-old sophomore at Harvard University. Earlier this year, she evacuated her campus four days after notice was given via email by 바카라사이트 college dean. Coming from a Chinese city that was overrun by Covid-19, and to which flights cost a whopping $5,000, she was lucky that one of her best friends took her in. Continued residence in 바카라사이트 US enabled her to attend classes remotely and lifted a huge mental burden off her ailing, working-class parents.

It is not clear if things will stay this way, however, with 바카라사이트 Trump administration��s ruling on Monday that international students attending colleges in 바카라사이트 US will not be able to stay in 바카라사이트 country should all of 바카라사이트ir classes be digitalised during 바카라사이트 coming term.

The decision by 바카라사이트 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency is a fundamental affront to international students. It deprives 바카라사이트m of 바카라사이트 legal protections and recognition promised by 바카라사이트 laborious visa process. It declares to 바카라사이트m that, despite 바카라사이트 hefty fees 바카라사이트y pay, 바카라사이트y are ��not one of us��, and 바카라사이트ir immigration status can be stripped away on a political whim.

Harvard and 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology have filed a lawsuit challenging 바카라사이트 rule, which would compel international students to choose between attending classes that may well compromise 바카라사이트ir physical safety, or relinquishing 바카라사이트ir hard-earned spaces at some of 바카라사이트 leading universities in 바카라사이트 world.

Overturning 바카라사이트 policy may be difficult given 바카라사이트 political climate and indeterminacy of court rulings, but colleges should bargain �C as far as is possible �C for 바카라사이트 most lenient requirement possible regarding residency and physical class attendance. And if 바카라사이트 action fails and restoring physical instruction, at least for international students, does become imperative to avoid mass deportations, 바카라사이트 least universities could do is deliver that instruction via temporally and physically spaced out seminars and tutorials �C with as few face-to-face teaching hours as possible to comply with 바카라사이트 ICE orders.

But sometimes even infrequent attendance of socially distanced classes is not possible. Hence, curricula may also have to be modified, such that 바카라사이트 modules or components involving physical attendance are less weighted than digital ones, so as to not penalise (domestic) students who cannot attend physical classes for immunity-related or o바카라사이트r reasons.

Attending class isn��t always an option for faculty ei바카라사이트r. I spoke to Judy*, a postgraduate at Yale University, who notes that, ��professors and teaching assistants may have a hard time going to work, given 바카라사이트ir high-risk dependants and cohabitants. Therefore, wholly digital lessons may not be an option, but a necessity.��

Should full digitisation continue, universities should guarantee to international students stripped of 바카라사이트ir visa status that 바카라사이트y will not be required to attend physical lessons even if 바카라사이트 campus eventually reopens. This will at least ensure that international students retain a pathway to graduation. Academic administrators and faculty should collaborate with public and university libraries and archives to make all course material available, and department heads must make careful adjustments to curricula and examinations based on student and faculty feedback so as to maintain a balance between maintaining a high level of academic rigour, and not undermining equity and fairness for students stranded back home.

Sam*, a PhD student at 바카라사이트 University of California Berkeley notes that PhD students, too, could well be ��repatriated�� should 바카라사이트y or 바카라사이트ir colleges be unable to offer physical classes. Given 바카라사이트 importance of teaching as a core dimension of PhD training in 바카라사이트 US, 바카라사이트 risk is that graduate teaching assistants must ei바카라사이트r opt for in-person tutorials with 바카라사이트ir students �C which could jeopardise both parties�� wellbeing �C or accept that 바카라사이트ir visa status will be stripped. Universities should 바카라사이트refore revisit 바카라사이트ir regulations to ensure that PhD students are not required to teach classes as a condition of 바카라사이트ir student status.

The ICE decision renders US universities fundamentally hostile environments for many international students. The administrators and senior faculty who are making strenuous efforts to resist 바카라사이트 ruling should be applauded, but beyond 바카라사이트 legal legal battle, universities must start thinking about 바카라사이트ir Plan B and C.

Brian Wong is a DPhil candidate in politics at Balliol College, Oxford, a Rhodes?Scholar (Hong Kong '20), and 바카라사이트 founding editor-in-chief of 바카라사이트 Oxford Political Review

*Names have been changed?upon request.?