This spring, the Academic Senate forged new ground with Utah’s congressional delegation by drafting a letter addressed to all of the Beehive State’s senators and representatives, recognizing their support of the U’s international students and offering ongoing collaboration on behalf of students. On Monday, July 14, Academic Senate Immediate Past President Harriet Hopf presented the letter to the office of Senator Mike Lee, marking a new step toward a hopeful path of continued communication.
“All connections, in my mind, are valuable,” Hopf said of the in-person meeting. “This is a starting communication, and it is valuable here because we have not traditionally communicated with this group. We took the opportunity to say, ‘How could we work to make the lives of our international students better together?’ I feel optimistic and excited about what we might be able to do to find ways to work together.”
The creation of the letter was inspired by 22 students at the U who had their visas unexpectedly revoked in early April. Members of the Academic Senate were concerned about the abrupt and unusual approach the U.S. Department of State took in this process and wanted to take action to support the students. Normally, the university would be informed and involved in helping students work through the process to retain their visas. But in this case, students received emails directly with unclear instructions, and the U’s Office of Global Engagement was not informed. Because of this, the Academic Senate worried that international students and faculty at the U would feel unsafe on campus, and that new students and faculty would be deterred from joining the community.
The visas were reinstated in late April. Meanwhile, Hopf, acting as Academic Senate president, followed through on a suggestion made by her fellow senator Michael Mejia, associate professor of English, to craft a letter to the state’s congressional delegation in support of their continued advocacy for international students. On April 28, the Academic Senate unanimously approved the letter and asked Hopf to deliver it to the elected officials. She met with Lee’s Deputy State Director Jessica Christopher recently to discuss the letter and explore ways to expand support and understanding of the U’s international student population.
“We had a great conversation,” Hopf said. “This is a starting point.”
The letter, addressed to Sens. Mike Lee and John Curtis, and Reps. Blake Moore, Celeste Maloy, Mike Kennedy and Burgess Owens recognize “your ongoing work to help resolve these cases” and thanks the recipients for their efforts. It also asks for more information on what offenses can lead to visa cancellation, transparent communication with university administration about actions to be taken against international students and scholars, and support for students to have due process before being imprisoned or deported.
Hopf said she is looking forward to exploring more options to build support for international students, including the possibility of the inclusion of an international student intern in a representative’s office.
“The Academic Senate does a lot of work on policy approval and making sure things run well, but it also has the opportunity to discuss important issues for the campus and think about ways to make the university a better place,” Hopf said. “This is really a part of that.”