Latest news with #SchoolofJournalism
Saudi Gazette
2 days ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
'Scary and stressful': Indian students reconsider plans for US education
DELHI — When 26-year-old Umar Sofi received his acceptance letter from Columbia University's School of Journalism, he thought the hardest part of his journey was over. After trying for three years, Mr Sofi had finally been admitted to his dream university and even secured a partial scholarship. He quit his job in anticipation of the big move. But on 27 May, when the US suddenly paused student visa appointments, the ground slipped from beneath his feet. "I was numb. I could not process what had happened," Mr Sofi, who lives in Indian-administered Kashmir, told the BBC. Some 2,000km (1,242 miles) away in Mumbai, 17-year-old Samita Garg (name changed on request) went through a similar ordeal. A day after she was accepted into a top US university to study biochemistry — her first step towards becoming a dermatologist — the US embassy halted student visa appointments."It is scary and stressful," Ms Garg told the BBC over the phone. "It feels like I've been left in the lurch, not knowing when this will end."Both Mr Sofi and Ms Garg now have only a few weeks to secure their visas before the academic year begins in August, but little clarity on whether they can go ahead with their month President Donald Trump's administration asked US embassies across the world to stop scheduling appointments for student visas and expand social media vetting of wider move followed a crackdown on America's elite universities like Harvard, which Trump accused of being too liberal and of not doing enough to combat decisions have had far-reaching repercussions in India, which sends more international students to the US than any other the last month, the BBC spoke with at least 20 students at various stages of their application process, all of whom echoed deep anxieties about their futures. Most chose to remain anonymous, fearing retribution from the US government and worried that speaking out now could hurt their chances of obtaining a visa, or renewing than 1.1 million international students were enrolled in US colleges in the 2023-24 school year, according to Open Doors, an organization that collects data on foreign a third of them, or more than 330,000, were from consultants report that applications to US universities for the upcoming autumn semester have dropped by at least 30% because of the uncertainty."Their biggest fear is safety — what if their visas are rejected or they're deported mid-term?" said Nikhil Chopra, founder of TC Global, an international education say many students are now either deferring their plans or switching to countries perceived to be more "stable" like the UK, Germany, Ireland and Unni (name changed on request) was accepted into three US universities for a master's in data analytics. But instead of preparing for the move, he decided to forgo the opportunity altogether."There's uncertainty at every step — first the visa, then restrictions on internships and part-time work, and the constant surveillance while on campus," Mr Unni said. "It is very stressful."The halt on visa interviews is the latest in a series of policies tightening immigration rules for students. A few weeks ago, the US warned that students who drop out or miss classes without proper notification risk having their visas revoked, and could be barred from future decisions have come around the time of the year when 70% of student visas are issued, or renewed, sparking great unease among Indian students."No student wants to go to a country and then have the visa policy suddenly change," Chris R Glass, a professor at Boston College told the BBC. "They need stability and options."The uncertainty will have long-term consequences — both for the aspirations of Indian students, but also for the US's future as a coveted higher education hub — says Prof student enrolment in US universities was slowing even before Trump's latest to The Indian Express newspaper, the US denied 41% of student visa applications between the fiscal years 2023 and 2024, the highest rejection rate in a decade, and nearly doubling from from Student and Exchange Visitor Information Systems (SEVIS), which tracks foreign students' compliance with their visas, showed a nearly 10% drop in international student enrolments as of March this year compared with the same period in students are a financial lifeline for many US colleges, especially regional and state universities offering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and other master's students pay significantly higher tuition fees than US the 2023–24 academic year alone, foreign students contributed $43.8bn to the US economy, according to Nafsa, an association of International educators. They also supported over 375,000 jobs."This really isn't about a short-term disruption of tuition revenue. This is about a long-term rupture in a strategic relationship that benefits both countries," Prof Glass decades the brightest Indian students have depended on an American education in the absence of top quality Indian universities or a supportive research turn they've helped plug a skills gap in the land highly sought-after jobs after they finish their courses — in particular, representing a significant pool of skilled professionals in sectors like biotechnology, healthcare and data science — and have even gone on to lead iconic from Google's Sunder Pichai to Microsoft's Satya Nadella went to the US as this has often led to concerns of a "brain-drain" from India, experts point out that India is simply unable to solve the problem of quality and quantity higher education in the immediate future to provide a domestic alternative to these say it will be a lose-lose situation for both countries, unless the cloud of uncertainty lifts soon. — BBC
Business Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Times
Gloomy days ahead for American journalism
I RECENTLY returned from the reunion celebrations of my (1980) class at Columbia University's School of Journalism in New York City with a sense that American journalism is facing a major crisis. Dr Jelani Cobb, the dean of the Columbia Journalism School, expressed fears about the threats that America's free press may be facing under President Donald Trump. Dr Cobb pointed to access issues, such as President Trump barring the Associated Press from White House pool events for refusing to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as 'Gulf of America', as well as the investigations by the Federal Communications Commission into media outlets such as NBC, ABC, CBS. Taken individually, all of these actions might seem like one-off cases, but when put together they paint a really alarming picture of deteriorating media freedom in the US. But the challenges facing American journalism go beyond potential threats to freedom of the press and are existential on many levels. The reality is that fewer people read newspapers these days. People tend to receive most of their news from the Internet, and in particular from the unreliable social media. Many of the large local markets that used to have two or three newspapers now have none, and even the big news organisations, such as the Washington Post, face economic problems and end up being financially dependent on the support of billionaires, such as Jeff Bezos of Amazon. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Indeed, Bezos – mindful of his interest in maintaining a good relationship with the Trump administration – has berated the Washington Post, which he owns, for its criticism of President Trump's policies and demanded to have full control of its editorial page. Moreover, some of those attending the meetings at Columbia University over the weekend recalled that there was a time when a graduate of the journalism school would not only have no problems getting a job; he or she would be bombarded by many offers from media organisations. But young men and women these days should probably think twice before choosing a career in journalism where the job opportunities have become limited, with very few graduates landing jobs in the large media outlets, and instead ending up mostly in low-paying part-time positions. The template for a journalism career used to be the following: After graduation you looked for a job in a newspaper in a small town and after gaining experience you moved to a larger market, hoping that one day you would be hired by the New York Times. These days, however, there are no small-town newspapers where a young journalist could launch a career. And on some level, there is a sense that working in journalism lacks the influence it once had. Most Americans, according to the opinion polls, don't trust journalists, particularly those who are regarded as liberal and elitists. In a way, many of those residing in Middle America agree with President Trump's dismissal of what he refers to as the 'legacy press' that is out of touch with most Americans. This is a political and media reality very different from the one that members of the Class of 1980 had faced 45 years ago when the sky seemed to be the limit when it came to the job opportunities in journalism – and also to the prestige that we enjoyed as members of a free and vibrant press.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former Charleston radio DJ dies from complications of pancreatic cancer
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A former Charleston-area radio DJ has passed away due to complications of pancreatic cancer. Lori Morris, known to many throughout the 80s and 90s as Lori Niks, died Monday at her Goose Creek home, according to an online obituary. Morris was born in Lansing, Michigan, and later moved to Moncks Corner where she went on to graduate from Berkeley High School in 1980. She attended the School of Journalism at the University of South Carolina and soon began her career in broadcasting as a personality on WAVE FM (96Wave), and later spent 13 years on WEZL. 'She had always loved music, so music radio was just right,' her obituary said. Morris eventually left broadcasting in 2002 after purchasing a small business with her brother, Joel, in Summerville. Family members say Morris was comfortable in widely different situations like classical music concerts in Chicago or at a Garth Brooks concert at the North Charleston Coliseum. They said she was a 'stalwart captain who spoke to City Council about the needs of her tennis teams, and she was a diplomatic leader.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
