July 8, 2020
Dear Cougar Community:
We want to be crystal-clear: Washington State University fully
supports the ability of all international students to pursue a
college degree.
We feel compelled to make this public statement in light of
the announcement earlier this week by U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE) that it would discontinue visa
exceptions for international students on F‑1 visas who take all
of their courses online. The decision could force hundreds of
thousands of international students to leave the United States
and threatens the academic work of more than 2,100 students across
the WSU system.
The new federal policies are unjust and damaging. At a time
when universities nationally are creating plans and contingencies
to ensure the safety of students, faculty, and staff during the
COVID‑19 global pandemic, flexibility in delivering classwork
is critical.
International students are an incredibly important part of
the WSU experience for all of our students. They contribute to
the vibrant cultural and intellectual life of the University,
bringing a valuable perspective and deeper global understanding
of cross-cultural issues to our community. We stand with our
international students—who already are dealing with a host of
anxieties created by the current pandemic—and pledge to continue
working to support them and reverse this federal decision.
Toward that end, WSU will join with other universities
nationally to pursue options for protecting our international
students. We are heartened by the bipartisan support of our
Congressional delegation, many of whom are calling on the
federal administration to rethink these new policies. They,
and other elected leaders in our state, such as Gov. Jay Inslee,
have long-supported our international students. Already, more
than 15,000 faculty nationally have added their names to an
online petition urging ICE to rescind its decision. Harvard and
MIT have filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the decision.
Our Office of International Programs is working tirelessly
to develop strategies to retain our international students.
Plans are proceeding to ensure students enrolled in fall semester
receive a balance of live and remote courses. Virtual programming
has been introduced to build community and an online town hall
recently was held to listen to and address students’ concerns. In addition,
an International Student and Scholars Fund Emergency Aid Fund was
reestablished in partnership with the WSU Foundation. If you need
any assistance or have questions, please send an email to
ip.intlservices@wsu.edu.
Despite the continuing challenges we face, we remain committed
to ensuring the opportunity for all of our international students
to pursue higher education. It’s ingrained in our land‑grant mission,
and it’s the right thing to do.
Kirk Schulz
President
Bryan Slinker
Interim Provost and Executive Vice President
Elizabeth Chilton
Incoming Provost and Executive Vice President
Asif Chaudhry
Vice President for International Programs
Mary Jo Gonzales
Vice President of Student Affairs
Colleen Kerr
Vice President for External Affairs and Government Relations
