February 2, 2017  |  News & Events, Timely Announcements

February 2, 2017

The Center for International Education is thankful for the expressions of support and concern received from UWM students, faculty, staff, and administrators in response to the President’s Executive Order: “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States.” The order effectively suspends the issuance of visas to people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, and prohibits students and scholars from these countries from traveling to the US.

The Executive Order imposes hardship and uncertainty on the individuals who are directly affected by it. It creates additional concerns for other members of our international community, particularly but not only those students who come from countries with large Muslim populations.

UWM has 92 students from the affected countries who are here, and another 23 who have not yet arrived in Milwaukee. Of the students in Milwaukee, all but five are graduate students:

  • Iran – 84 graduate, 3 undergraduate students;
  • Iraq – 1 graduate student;
  • Sudan – 1 ESL student;
  • Syria – 1 graduate, 2 undergraduate students.

UWM currently has three visiting scholars from the affected countries. We do not have centralized information about UWM’s US permanent resident employees but are aware of a number of faculty with ties to the affected countries.

CIE is supporting UWM’s international students through information gathering and assessment, and campus and community outreach:

  • CIE’s International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) staff are monitoring the news from our professional associations and the media to understand how the Executive Order is being applied and how our students will be affected. There is still a great deal of confusion about how the order is being interpreted and what to expect after the initial 90-day period for the country-specific ban ends. We are advising students:
    • not to leave the US;
    • to be careful not to engage in activity that will endanger their legal status;
    • not to make plans yet to travel after the initial 90-day period because we do not know what will happen; and
    • that CIE, their advisors, and their faculty are here for them.
  • Jennifer Gruenewald (Director of International Student & Scholar Services) has been working with University Relations to coordinate messaging and respond to media requests.
  • Chancellor Mone sent an email to the students from the affected countries on Monday. Those same students were invited to a meeting at CIE on Tuesday to learn what we know and ask and obtain answers to both their general and individual questions.
  • On February 3, CIE held a meeting with UWM international students on the Executive Order as it impacts them. The focus was on the students, their questions and concerns, and resources available to support them.
  • We are working with Norris Health Center to publicize Let’s Talk walk-in sessions to international students.
  • We are talking with the Student Association and Student Affairs about coordinating efforts.
  • We are coordinating a “Hate has No Home Here” messaging campaign in support of our students and international learning.
  • Students from the affected countries tell us that opportunities for dialogue and community education are very important to them right now.
    • Professor A. Aneesh and his teams are planning a campus community panel talk as well as the Institute of World Affairs’ Fireside Forum series (https://uwm.edu/cie/iwa/campus-community-programs/fireside-forum/ ), which focuses broadly on “Wisconsin and the World in the Trump Era” and, on February 16, more specifically on “Beyond the Wall: Immigration, Refugees and Society.”
    • We have agreed to use CIE’s email lists to disseminate information about student-sponsored informational activities on behalf of UWM’s international students.

For those seeking ways that they can support UWM’s international community, I would encourage you to (a) reach out to your international students to let them know you are concerned; and (b) participate in and initiate campus dialogue that promotes cross-cultural learning, whether in the classroom or through co-curricular programs.

In case it may be helpful in your work with students who may be in distress, following is the list of contacts that Jennifer shared with the Deans yesterday:

  1. Center for International Education, 229-4846, best email isss@uwm.edu, open advising hours for students Monday-Thursday 10:00-12:00 and 2:00-4:00
  2. Office of Graduate Education, 229-6569, gradschool@uwm.edu
  3. UWM Counseling Services, 229-4716, hours M-F 8-5. For emergencies please call 9-911.
  4. Dean of Students, 229-4632, dos@uwm.edu. If you have concerns about a specific student (student in distress, health and safety concerns or threatening behavior), please complete an on-line report at http://www.uwm.edu/reportit
  5. CIE cannot recommend a specific immigration attorney but attorneys from two local law firms (http://grzecalaw.com/, and http://hmrvisa.com/) have visited campus and spoken with students. The American Immigration Lawyers Association, http://www.ailalawyer.com/, has an online form to locate an AILA attorney.

Many UWM faculty and staff are very concerned about the effects of the Executive Order on UWM students. If asked, please refer any inquiries to Jennifer Gruenewald (jgruene@uwm.edu, 229-3039) or to me (swtully@uwm.edu, 229-3767).

Thank you for your ongoing support for our international students and scholars during this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Sara

Sara West Tully
Executive Director
Center for International Education
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
P.O. Box 413, Garland Hall 102
Milwaukee, WI 53201

Johannes Britz
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs