BEMIDJI — As higher education institutions across the country grapple with turbulence in the student visa program, leaders at Bemidji State University report no such issues but are working to be proactive with their international community.
The U.S. government is reversing the termination of legal status for hundreds of international students across the country, but concern may still remain as the government develops a new framework for canceling student visas.
Bemidji State has hosted international students for more than 50 years, and while no BSU student visas were canceled this semester, BSU International Program Center Director Matt Hiller said he plans to remain vigilant as other Minnesota institutions reported students with canceled visas.
"Certainly this is new in the world of international education in the United States,” Hiller said in an April 17 interview. "Like many of my colleagues around the country, we're doing daily, if not more than daily, checks in our SEVIS system.”
SEVIS, the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, tracks all three types of visas international students can pursue to study in the United States.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bemidji State typically hosted 100 students from 37 countries. This year, Bemidji State had 65 international students from 35 different countries, according to data provided by the university.
Bemidji State also hosts students and faculty from abroad through its North Star Visiting Scholars program. Visiting scholars from Jishou University and Huaihua University in Hunan, China, were reported crowd favorites at BSU’s 51st annual Festival of Nations on April 5, with traditional Chinese dishes: hand-shredded chicken, braised pork belly and egg-wrapped pork rolls.
The festival is a longstanding tradition organized by a committee of international students celebrating the global Beaver community, showcasing music, dance and food.
Bemidji State’s spring semester is wrapping up with its 106th commencement on May 9, and while no international students were available for comment due to the “current political climate surrounding anyone who is visiting this country,” Hiller shared he’s been hearing from worried international students.
“It's a legitimate concern for our students," Hiller said. “They of course follow the news and see fellow students in the U.S. from [their] home country, or other countries, around the U.S., seeing things happen to them.”
Campus Safety Magazine reported up to 800 student visa cancellations, with foreign-born faculty and students at the country’s elite institutions facing detainment or deportation, with some arrests even happening on campus.
Hiller shared that BSU is aiming to be proactive by communicating with the international student community and collaborating with other institutions on next steps.
BSU President John Hoffman was one of hundreds to sign an Association of American Colleges and Universities letter to President Donald Trump against “unprecedented overreach and political interference” into America’s institutions of higher learning.
