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Time of India
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
US: ICE issues warning to international students regarding SEVIS terminations
Live Events US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued warnings to international students on Optional Practical Training (OPT) visas, stating that failure to report employment within 90 days of starting their OPT could lead to termination of their legal status in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) and potential deportation to a report by Inside Higher Ed, at least 35 students have received such notices, with one university reporting that 28 of its students were affected. The letters, similar to those sent during the Trump administration in 2020, now include signatories from ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, in addition to the Student and Exchange Visitor on OPT are permitted a total of 90 days of unemployment within a 12-month period. Failure to report employment status within this timeframe may result in SEVIS record termination and initiation of removal development follows recent policy updates that expand ICE's authority to terminate SEVIS statuses, resuming efforts to deport student visa holders weeks after restoring the statuses of thousands of students, as per the report by Inside Higher Ed.(Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates)The impact of these warnings on students with STEM OPT extensions remains unclear. University officials and international student advisers are closely monitoring the situation and advising affected students accordingly.
Forbes
12-05-2025
- General
- Forbes
Promoting Collective Effervescence And A Sense Of Belonging On Campus
A group of college students getty According to a 2024 report by Inside Higer Ed, a sense of belonging is a key factor in student retention. A 2025 report on also suggested that a sense of community is a potent source of health and well-being for many students. Because of such findings, many colleges and universities invest in ways to enhance a sense of community and belonging on campus. There are perceived barriers to establishing a sense of belonging and community on campus. As explained in another 2025 report on DEI bans often prevent public schools from reaching out to specific communities of students, and these bans even limit mental health professionals. Furthermore, the size of some campuses mirrors the sizes of cities, making community building appear to be a difficult task. However, research on collective effervescence suggests that promoting belonging among students does not require an extraordinary community building event, or a shared relationship history, and might even occur while interacting with strangers. Dr. Shira Gabriel is a Professor of Psychology at The State University of New York at Buffalo and the current president of the Midwestern Psychological Association. She has authored numerous publications on the concept of collective effervescence and is currently writing a book on this topic. According to Gabriel, 'Collective effervescence is the psychological experience that we sometimes have when we are in a crowd of people — often a crowd with strangers. For example, people often report it at concerts, or protests, or sporting events.' A 2022 report by Frontiers in Psychology states that the term collective effervescence was coined by Emile Durkheim and refers to the shared emotional experience and sense of connection that individuals feel when they participate in a collective activity. Gabriel stated, 'We have done a lot of research on this and found that there are two things that happen that define collective effervescence. The first is that we feel a sense of connection to other people. We don't think these strangers next to us at a concert are going to become our best friends. This isn't the kind of connection we feel with close friends and family and romantic partners. Instead, they remind us that we are socially embedded. They remind us that we have a place in our society and that is a primal and important human need.' In 2020, Gabriel co-authored an article in the Journal of Positive Psychology, which argued that there's an enhanced survival value of a collective life, resulting in people having internal mechanisms that naturally propel them into collectives. These mechanisms allow people to assimilate quickly to groups and to experience pleasure, increase life satisfaction, and positive emotions from a collective, even without a shared relational history. The researcher continued, 'The second component of collective effervescence is a feeling that something sacred is happening. We feel like the moment transcends the ordinary day-by-day and is special. We may feel connected to something bigger than ourselves. We may lose our sense of time passing. And that is another human need — we want life to have meaning. We want it to feel special. Collective effervescence gives us that.' Gabriel explained the possible mental health benefits for collective effervescence. 'We are finding that collective effervescence increases the feeling that our lives have meaning. It increases our feeling that we are thriving. It increases happiness. And it increases satisfaction with our lives. Some very new work in our lab suggests that a powerful collective effervescence experience can increase wellbeing for at least six months!' These benefits are consistent with a 2025 report by The New York Times, arguing that there is a significant association between feeling connected with others and happiness. According to this report, even fleeting social interactions can improve happiness. Thus, it's apparent that higher education has the potential to be a natural source of collective effervescence for many students, which could provide a sense of meaning and happiness. Gabriel's work suggests that schools don't need to spend a lot of money to promote belonging through collective effervescence. She said, 'You don't need to feel connected to the group beforehand. For example, some people feel it waiting in line or in an elevator. But there is a feeling that the group is not just strangers but instead community members or fellow members of society…' Most schools utilize mascots and messaging to symbolize how students are fellow members of a campus community. Gabriel gave other examples of how schools can promote collective effervescence on campus. 'Having events that students can attend may increase collective effervescence. Even small things like having students chat with one another before class starts.' The researcher also stated, 'It might help to encourage people to find collective events that work for them. Think about their interests and attend events related to those. Because this is a primitive need, people often don't realize that they have it and thus don't do things to fill it.' Not only do many people not realize their need for collective effervescence, but it also appears that many people don't realize or acknowledge that higher education can be a key source of collective effervescence for many emerging adults.
USA Today
03-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
How many international students had their legal status changed? Maps show Trump's impact.
How many international students had their legal status changed? Maps show Trump's impact. After thousands of international students had their visas revoked in April, the Trump administration reversed course, saying it is restoring the student visa registrations of potentially thousands of foreign students in the United States. The Justice Department announced the decision in a filing April 25 in U.S. district court in Massachusetts, where a lawsuit had been filed in response to the terminations. Data from Inside Higher Ed shows at least 280 colleges and universities reported more than 1,800 international students and recent graduates had their legal status altered by the State Department. Universities reported some students being forced to leave the United States immediately, in many cases after discovering their visas were canceled in the federal Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS) or via an unexpected text or email. Universities and the government use the database to track foreign students, and students rely on it for their authorization to remain in the country. The terminations sparked more than 100 lawsuits. NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, has tallied roughly 1,400 revocations. Erasing records from SEVIS is different from revoking visas, USA TODAY has reported. These records allow international students to stay in the United States legally and attend classes. As of the 2023-2024 school year, an estimated 1.1 million international students study in the United States. USA TODAY reporters looked at which universities host the most international students and where the concentration of student visas were revoked. Which states revoked student visas? A database tracking total student visa terminations found that more than 1,800 international students and recent graduates had their legal status changed. The data is based on public reports and direct correspondence compiled by Inside Higher Ed. The number could be even higher − the database notes that several universities did not indicate the amount of visas that had been revoked. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in April that he revoked at least 300 visas from students. And at Colorado State University, officials said six students there lost their visas. It was unclear whether the students have the right to appeal their visa revocations, USA TODAY reported in April. Which universities had the most student visas revoked? Reported cases of student visa terminations are shown in the map below. A number with an asterisk indicates a positive change in the count, such as a visa reinstatement, according to the author of the database. The California State University system reported a total 70 student visas revoked, and the University of Texas system reported 170, according to Inside Higher Ed. Immigration experts said they've never seen the federal government make such sweeping changes to the ordinarily low-profile process of hosting international students. The National Immigration Project is challenging the visa cancellations, which have affected students in California, Colorado, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Massachusetts and Florida, among others. How many international students are in the U.S.? According to the federal government, California is home to the largest number of international students, and the most popular majors among international students are computer science, language, and business administration and management. People from India and China represent the largest proportion of international students, accounting for about half of the overall enrollment, according to federal officials. New York University has the largest concentration of international students with 22% of its student body from foreign countries, an Open Doors report shows. Northeastern University in Boston follows with the largest international student body population. What happens next? Chief U.S. Judge Dennis Saylor set another hearing in the Massachusetts case for May 6. CONTRIBUTING Bart Jansen
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NC State international students' visas restored after Trump reversal, university says
The visas of two international students at NC State University have been restored after the Trump administration initially revoked them earlier this month. NC State spokesperson Mick Kulikowski confirmed to The News & Observer by email Tuesday that the students' records in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, or SEVIS, have been 'restored to active.' The Trump administration throughout early April enacted sweeping terminations of immigration records for international students across the country. The actions impacted thousands of students, according to a count by Inside Higher Ed, including more than a dozen in North Carolina. In addition to the two students at NC State, six students at UNC-Chapel Hill and six at UNC Charlotte also had their visas revoked. All of those students' records have been restored, according to reporting by The N&O and The Charlotte Observer. Two Duke University students and an alumnus were also impacted by the administration's terminations, according to the Duke Chronicle, but the outlet reported Friday that it is unclear whether their records have been restored. The visa restorations in North Carolina and around the country come after the U.S. Department of Justice announced in federal court Friday morning that it planned to restore the statuses of the students who were impacted by those actions, as reported by Politico and other outlets. International students are required to obtain visas to enroll and study at colleges around the United States. In addition to visas, international students are assigned records in the federal SEVIS database maintained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. If a student's visa is revoked, it does not automatically mean they must leave the country. But if a student's SEVIS record is terminated — as the NC State students' records initially were, according to the university — they could be subject to deportation or other removal proceedings. The two NC State students who were impacted by the visa revocations left the country after consulting with their lawyers and the embassy in Saudi Arabia, the students' home country. NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson told The N&O that both students were in 'good standing' with the university.' NC State's Office of International Services previously said the university did not initiate the terminations. It remains possible that the Trump administration could target visas again. Inside Higher Ed reported that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would work to develop a framework for future terminations following the administration's reversal in court Friday. 'As this remains an evolving situation, we will continue to monitor and work with students on an individual basis as needed,' Kulikowski wrote. 'Over the past several weeks, the university has provided students with ongoing support, with the priority of helping them complete their studies.' NC State enrolls the most international students of any school in the public UNC System and hosts the second-most international students of any university in the state, according to federal data. According to a 2024 report by the U.S. Department of State, the university enrolled more than 3,700 international students from more than 100 countries during the 2023-24 academic year, most of whom were graduate students.
Saudi Gazette
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Trump administration restores visas for hundreds of foreign students after backlash
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has reversed its decision to terminate visas for hundreds of foreign students, a move that had sparked widespread panic and legal challenges across US universities. US Justice Department attorney Elizabeth Kurlan informed a federal court that immigration authorities are now working on a new framework for reviewing and terminating visas for international students. The announcement came after more than 100 lawsuits were filed by students who suddenly lost their legal right to study in the US. An estimated 1,800 students and 280 universities were affected, according to a tally by Inside Higher Ed. The visa terminations appeared to disproportionately impact students who had participated in political protests or had minor previous criminal charges, such as traffic infractions. Previously, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration would terminate the status of individuals whose actions were deemed counter to US interests. The controversial policy triggered fear and confusion across the higher education sector, with some students choosing to leave the US preemptively to avoid detention or deportation. In a federal court hearing on Friday, the Justice Department stated that students' records would be restored in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), the government database that monitors compliance for foreign students. However, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) retains the authority to terminate SEVIS records if students fail to maintain their nonimmigrant status or engage in unlawful activities. Attorneys for the impacted students have argued that the visa revocations violated their legal rights and severely disrupted their education. Many students reportedly had their SEVIS records restored in recent days. "This is a reprieve for many students who have had their status reinstated," said Elora Mukherjee, director of the Immigrants' Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School. "But this doesn't mean this ordeal is over for those who had their records terminated." — Agencies
