Fewer foreign students from the Middle East are attending the University and other schools around the country, a decline directly attributable to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and events in their aftermath.
Although all foreign students now face tougher VISA rules and greater government scrutiny, the most noticeable decline has been in students from the Muslim world.
"Applications from most of the world were about the same, with the one exception being the Mid-East and South Asia," said William Quandt, vice provost for international affairs.
Quandt said he thought most American colleges and universities are experiencing similar drops in enrolled Middle Eastern and South Asian students.
The Enhanced Border Security Act and Visa Entry Reform Act, legislation President George W. Bush signed into law in May, requires foreign students to provide more information to Immigration and Naturalization Service agents before they are allowed in the country.
Under the new law, applicants for student visas must list their address and the addresses of their parents, spouse, children and siblings.Applicants also must provide contact information for people who can verify this information.
Student visa applicants also must give INS officers a list of the names and addresses of previous employers.
Both houses of Congress unanimously passed the bill.
The law does not aim to prevent foreign students from attending school in the United States, but instead to ensure those who do attend are screened and monitored sufficiently, said Elizabeth Wenk, spokeswoman for Congressman Michael N. Castle, R-Del., a lead sponsor of the legislation.
"We need to know who's in this country, where they are, and what they're doing there," Wenk said.
The legislation was partially prompted by fears in Congress that terrorists could gain entry into America by posing as students. The alleged suicide pilot of the plane that crashed into the Pentagon, Hani Hanjour, entered the country on a student visa to Holy Names College but never attended the school.
A gaffe by INS in the spring further prompted the visa reforms. In March, only six months after Sept. 11, INS posthumously granted student visas to two of the alleged Sept. 11 terrorists, Mohamed Atta and Marwan Al-Shehhi.
Such a breakdown in INS's visa screening system led to the ultimate passage of the Enhanced Border Security Act and Visa Entry Reform Act.
Possibly as a result of the new legislation or possibly because of increased enforcement of existing laws, international students entering the United States have had trouble getting visas in time for class.
Some international students accepted to the University have had their visa applications denied, while others have had their visas delayed significantly, said International Studies Student Advisor Richard Tanson.
"Most visa applicants are being scrutinized at a higher level of security," Tanson said.
The State Department has said applicants can expect visa delays of six to eight weeks as a result of the tougher rules, said Ursula Oaks, a spokewoman for NAFSA, the Association of International Educators. NAFSA is a Washington D.C.-based organization that promotes the exchange of students and scholars to and from the United States.
Such delays can cause international students and teachers to be unable to attend or teach classes in the United States, Oaks said
"A delay of a few weeks can be very significant," she said.
Although new students have faced trouble getting their first visas, students already in the country have had less trouble, Tanson said.
Muslim Students Association President Zeenat Iqbal agreed.
"Renewal of visas hasn't been very difficult," Iqbal said.
Aside from more carefully scrutinizing those who enter the country, the federal government also has plans to keep closer tabs on foreign students now studying in America.
As part of the anti-terrorism legislation that Bush signed into law last year, the federal government ordered the creation of a foreign student database by January 2003.
Whether the new, more stringent visa requirements and increased monitoring of international students is justified remains a matter of some debate.
Tanson said that although new visa rules may be inconvenient, national security interest necessitates such policies.
"They haven't gone too far at all," he said.
Oaks stressed the need for moderation in government policies toward international students.
"What we hope is that we will find a way to improve security, while still finding a way to accept legitimate international students," she said.
Some critics also question whether the federal government is treating international students and others applying for visas the same regardless of religion or country of origin.
Tanson, for one, thinks government visa policies are consistent.
"The federal government, both in their stated intentions and their implementation are being very even-handed," he said.
But although the federal government may not consider religion or country of origin when offering visas, it has created different standards based on age and gender distinctions.
One new visa form, known as DS157, is exclusively for men between the age of 16 and 45, Oaks said.
Tougher visa rules also may have deterred some international students from applying to American schools altogether.
"There was a hesitancy because of the tighter regulations," Iqbal said.
Another possible explanation for the reduction in applications is that Arabs and Muslims feel unwelcome entering America in the post-Sept. 11 environment.
More than 1,000 Muslims in America were secretly detained in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks and many have since been deported for alleged immigration violations.
Though such incidents might make some foreigners think they are unwanted in America, public support for foreign students at American schools remains high.
A poll released last week by the American Council of Education showed that 80 percent of Americans think international students enrich the learning experiences of Americans at colleges and universities.
University officials are doing their best to make foreign students feel welcome, Quandt said.
"We do what we can if the students want to come and can come," he said.
So far the University is doing a good job, Iqbal said.
"For the most part the University has been supportive," she said.
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