Latest news with #Capilouto
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UK canceled LBGTQ+, Black student graduations to ‘protect our people,' president says
University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto said canceling graduation celebrations for minority students was required because 'complying with the law is the best way to protect our people.' Capilouto addressed the canceled celebrations in a video message sent to campus more than a week after the university said it would no longer host events for graduating LGBTQ+, Black and first-generation students. The move came as diversity, equity and inclusion policies and practices are being targeted at the state and federal levels. 'We have made tough decisions — decisions that in and of themselves cause concern and in some cases, hurt,' Capilouto said. 'Canceling celebrations for people on our campus who haven't always seen themselves reflected in our broader community is one example. We've taken that action because we believe that's what is required, and we believe complying with the law is the best way to protect our people and our continued capacity to support them.' Earlier this year, the Kentucky legislature passed a law banning all diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, practices at state colleges and universities. Universities must be in compliance with the law by June 30. Nationally, DEI has also come under scrutiny under the Trump administration. The U.S. Department of Education announced it was investigating more than 50 universities for their use of DEI, including UK. UK later said it had cut ties with the organization believed to have sparked the investigation. In the video, Capilouto said protecting and supporting students, faculty and staff 'will always be our first priority.' 'We won't be perfect. We will make mistakes, but we will always, in our hearts and in our actions, resolve to do what we can for you and all those we serve,' Capilouto said. After it was announced the UK minority graduations were canceled, students and community members rallied to offer alternate graduations. A senior salute, organized by the historically Black fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha, will take place May 7 at the Lyric Theater. Another celebration, sponsored by local businesses, took place May 2.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration restores some visas for Kentucky international students and graduates
A statue of "Bowman" on the University of Kentucky campus honors Kentucky Wildcats. The sculpture is located near the Avenue of Champions opposite Memorial Coliseum. The Patterson Office Tower is in the background. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley) Visas revoked by the Trump administration for international graduate students at the University of Kentucky and recent international graduates from the University of Louisville have been restored. University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto announced the reversal following the Trump administration's Friday decision to restore student visa registrations of foreign students that faced legal challenges. In a message to campus issued Friday afternoon, Capilouto said the visas revoked for a small number of international graduate students earlier this month had been restored. On April 4, Capilouto announced the Department of Homeland Security notified UK that the department was revoking some F-1 student visas. 'This week, we learned that this decision has been reversed for those students and their status has been restored,' Capilouto said Friday. 'University officials again immediately informed impacted students. Teams from across the university continue to monitor this important issue and any changes.' Capilouto said UK administration will continue to update students, faculty and staff about how federal policies will affect campus online. International students and graduates at other Kentucky universities — Murray State University, Campbellsville University and the University of Louisville — faced similar situations over the past couple of weeks. A spokesperson for UofL said visas for three recent international graduates have been restored Friday afternoon. Spokespeople for MSU and CU did not immediately return a request for comment Friday afternoon. Earlier this week, campus groups and local organizations rallied on MSU's campus to show support for international students there after a student's visa was revoked. Inside Higher Ed tracked that as of Friday, more than 1,800 international students and graduates across the country had their legal status changed by the U.S. State Department. Meanwhile, Capilouto addressed how changing federal policies at large under President Donald Trump are impacting higher education in a report to UK's board during a Friday meeting. In addition to the revocation of visas for international students, universities across the country are facing pressure to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies or risk losing federal funding. At the state level, Kentucky public universities are weighing how to implement a recent state law that seeks to eliminate DEI in higher education. In response to that, UK and UofL canceled graduation ceremonies for students in some minority groups. Capilouto said in his report UK took 'that action because we believe that's what is required' under the law. To the board, Capilouto said the administration will be 'seeking your guidance on how we can best' navigate this time' over the next few months. 'How do we comply with the law — and the directives we receive — from policymakers at both the federal state and levels … while, at the same time, working every day to support the people … our students … our staff … our faculty … who make our mission possible?' Capilouto said in his report.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UK student visas revoked by Department of Homeland Security, university says
The Department of Homeland Security has revoked the visas of several University of Kentucky graduate students, campus leaders said Friday evening. The move affects 'a small number of international graduate students at UK,' President Eli Capilouto said in a news release. The number of students affected was not specified. It comes as the Trump Administration has targeted diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at colleges and universities around the country. 'We recognize the impact visa and/or status revocation has on our students,' Capilouto said. 'I know, too, that this news will surface many questions. We are working to understand changing federal policies that are impacting many college campuses and are encouraging our international students to reach out to International Student and Scholar Services with immigration-related questions or concerns.' A F-1 visa grants a student the ability to travel to the United States to study at a college or university. According to the Associated Press, students who have their visas revoked are being ordered to leave the country immediately. 'The university will always comply with the law,' Capilouto said. 'We also will make abundantly clear that our more than 1,300 international students and scholars are valued members of this special community.' When asked if UK students who had learned their visas had been revoked would be allowed to stay enrolled and how many students were affected, UK spokesperson Jay Blanton told the Herald-Leader on Friday evening he was unable to provide additional information. Other universities in the region reported similar instances of student visas at risk, including the University of Cincinnati and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, news outlets reported. At Tennessee, four current students and one former student who was working on campus had their visas revoked. During his campaign for president, Donald Trump promised to deport foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian protests. In March, Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil was arrested and held for deportation. It was the first publicly known arrest of Trump's crackdown on college students. Also in March, the U.S. Department of Education announced it would be investigating more than 50 universities for their diversity, equity and inclusion programs — including UK. The university later announced it had cut ties with the organization it believed sparked the investigation, The Ph.D. Project, a networking organization for doctoral students. At the time, Capilouto said there were no UK students actively engaged with the program other than attending an annual conference.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Visas revoked for ‘small group' of international students at University of Kentucky
William T. Young Library at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. (Mark Cornelison | UK Photo) Some graduate students at the University of Kentucky have had their visas revoked, President Eli Capilouto said in a campus-wide message Friday afternoon. In his message, Capilouto wrote that the Department of Homeland Security notified UK that the department was revoking some F-1 student visas. The president didn't specify the number of students affected but said it was a 'small group.' He said university officials contacted the students to offer information and support. 'The university will always comply with the law,' Capilouto said. 'We also will make abundantly clear that our more than 1,300 international students and scholars are valued members of this special community.' UK is 'working to understand changing federal policies' that are affecting campuses, Capilouto said. UK international students are encouraged to direct questions they may have to the university's International Student and Scholars Services center. The news at the Kentucky university comes on the heels of the Trump administration's efforts to ramp up deportations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that the State Department has revoked 300 or more student visas. At the University of Louisville, President Gerry Bradley told reporters Thursday morning that no students there had a visa revoked at that time.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Visas revoked from 'small number' of international students at University of Kentucky
A "small number of international graduate students" at the University of Kentucky have had their student visas or status revoked, President Eli Capilouto announced in a university-wide email obtained by The Courier Journal. It's unclear how many students are impacted by the Department of Homeland Security's action. "University officials immediately reached out to students in these circumstances to provide information and support," Capilouto said. Capilouto said the university is working to understand the changing federal policies impacting colleges around the U.S. and encouraged international students with immigration-related questions to reach out to International Student and Scholar Services. "The university will always comply with the law. We also will make abundantly clear that our more than 1,300 international students and scholars are valued members of this special community," Capilouto said. During a news conference Thursday, University of Louisville President Gerry Bradley said no international students at the institution have had their visas revoked. UofL spokesperson John Karman said the university is not aware of any changes as of Friday. Out of 24,123 total students attending UofL as of the Fall 2024 semester, 818 were international students, according to the Office of Institutional Research, Analytics and Decision Support. Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said more 300 international students' visas have been affected as officials conduct reviews in search of students deemed in conflict with national interest or involved in criminal activity, USA TODAY reported. There have been several high-profile arrests in recent weeks involving international students, some of whom the Department of Homeland Security has purportedly identified as pro-Palestinian protesters or supporters of terrorist organizations. Last week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old Turkish graduate student at Tufts University. The Department of Homeland Security cited her support for Hamas as cause for the arrest, the group that governs Gaza and has been at war with Israel, USA TODAY reported. In another highly publicized case, Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student who served as a negotiator between the university and pro-Palestinian protesters during encampments last year, was arrested in March. Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at kbaarlaer@ or @bkillian72 on X. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Trump administration revokes student visas at University of Kentucky
