Latest news with #crewteam
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
The Harvard sports teams that could be wiped out by Trump's visa threat
Some of Harvard 's sports teams would be virtually wiped out by a Trump administration decision announced on Thursday. Donald Trump's administration vowed to block Harvard University from enrolling international students and is forcing currently enrolled foreign students to leave the university or risk losing their legal status in the country. The decision would make the Ivy League school with the nation's largest athletic program ineligible for international student visas, throwing the future of many of its athletes into question. Seven of the eight rowers on the men's heavyweight crew team that just won the Eastern Sprints title and is preparing for the national championships list international hometowns on the school's website. Mick Thompson, the leading scorer last season, and Jack Bar, who was a captain, are among a handful of Canadians on the men's hockey roster; 10 of the 13 members of the men's squash team and more than half of the women's soccer and golf rosters also list foreign hometowns. Harvard's 42 varsity sports teams are the most in the nation, and Sportico reported last month that 21 percent of the players on the school's rosters for the 2024-25 seasons — or 196 out of 919 athletes — had international hometowns. The site noted that some could be U.S. citizens or green card holders who wouldn't need one of the international visas at issue in an escalating fight premised by the administration's assertions that the school failed to protect Jewish students from antisemitism. The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday revoked Harvard's ability to enroll international students, saying the school has created an unsafe campus environment by allowing 'anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators' to assault Jewish students on campus. The move could force as many as 6,800 foreign students at the school outside of Boston — more than a quarter of its total enrollment — to transfer or leave the country. Harvard called the action unlawful and said it is working to provide guidance to students. President Alan Garber, noting that he is himself Jewish, said last month after filing a lawsuit to halt a federal funding freeze that the school 'will continue to fight hate with the urgency it demands as we fully comply with our obligations under the law. That is not only our legal responsibility. It is our moral imperative.' Harvard athletic director Erin McDermott previously declined an interview request from The Associated Press on the potential impact of the visa ban. A Harvard athletics spokesperson on Thursday referred a request for comment to the school's main media information office, which did not immediately respond. The AP also requested comment from three Harvard coaches, who did not respond. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, a former Harvard hockey player, declined to comment when contacted by the AP. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat who played basketball at Harvard, said the athletes are among 85,000 foreign students who come to the state to 'study, conduct research, start businesses, and create jobs and innovations.' 'President Trump is punishing our students and hurting our economy, all as part of his agenda to silence anyone who disagrees with him,' she said. 'The only ones who benefit from Donald Trump 's actions are China and other countries who are already recruiting these students. It's the exact opposite of America First.'
CBS News
23-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Michigan high school rowing team heading to nationals
The crew team at St Mary's Preparatory High School in Orchard Lake, Michigan, has been competing since the 1970s, taking home 28 state championships and numerous national appearances. For decades, the historically all-boys school competed in the men's races. But five years ago, the school accepted its first class of girls, an idea that was met with skepticism by some in the school's community. "I will be the first to admit that I was not enthusiastic about the girls starting here, I mean, we've been an all-boys school since 1885. But I couldn't be more wrong about something," said head coach and English teacher Chris Czarnecki. "They are very much a mirror image of the boys. Ambitious, driven, competitive." Student Sadie Ross will be heading to the nationals in her boat. She tells CBS Detroit that when she was a freshman, there were no senior girls. "I'd say it's weird, especially considering it's an all-boys school and coming in and being like, oh there's a whole bunch of girls here," she said. "I think we've worked really hard to create this sisterhood instead of a brotherhood. And I'd say, honestly, all the girls, it's like we're one big family." "It's nice to have that coed group because it's not just around all guys the entire time," said sophomore Evan Cadieux. "They're all very hardworking, and it's nice to be around them." The athletes carry their boats to the dock and carefully lower them into the water. Once they are far enough out in the water, they begin their drills. Assistant varsity coach David Stration is an alumnus of St. Mary's Prep and graduated when it was still an all-boys school. "Obviously, when everyone found out, there was a lot of apprehension with it," he said. "A lot of people were talking, like: 'Is this a good idea, is it not?' But it's been amazing to have them. It just adds so much more to the school and to the rowing program as a whole." The women's team has remained competitive against established programs across the state due to a rigorous training schedule that includes two practices a day near the end of the season, with the first practice starting at 5 a.m. Stration said he's proud of what the team has accomplished in such a short time. "The fact that within five years we've already had a national championship on the girls' side, we've sent multiple, multiple boats to nationals, we've won a Midwest medal in the eight, which is one of the more prestigious medals to be winning," he said. "It's wonderful to see how fast and how quickly they've taken on and really made it their own."
