New Rules Planned for International Students
BU IN DC
Joshua Barocas of the School of Medicine participated in an Infectious Diseases Society of America media briefing on July 1.
Kevin Outterson of the School of Law spoke at the launch of the AMR Action Fund, a new global antimicrobial resistance initiative, on July 9.
NEW RULES PLANNED FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
In an abrupt departure from a policy issued in March, Immigration and Custom Enforcement at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced plans on Monday to require international students whose institutions will hold classes exclusively online this fall due to the coronavirus pandemic to return to their country of origin. President Robert A. Brown joined a chorus of university leaders and lawmakers who urged DHS to reverse course, writing to Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf to request he withdraw the planned changes to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey and Representative Ayanna Pressley led 99 Members of Congress in sending a letter to Acting Secretary Wolf requesting that the changes to the proposal be rescinded. A lawsuit filed against the proposal by Harvard University and MIT is currently moving through the courts.
POLICYMAKERS DISCUSS COLLEGE REOPENINGS
On Tuesday, President Donald J. Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos urged college presidents to reopen their campuses during a White House event and a conference call with state leaders. The President specifically criticized Harvard University for its decision to shift to online teaching in the fall. Across town, the House Higher Education and Workforce Subcommittee held a hearing on how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting higher education. The Subcommittee’s Democrats pledged to help colleges defray the cost of personal protective equipment and new technology needed to safely resume classes in the midst of a pandemic this fall, while Republicans expressed concern about the “bloated postsecondary education sector.”
BUZZ BITS…
- The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis recently released its Congressional Action Plan to transition to a clean energy economy. Among other recommendations, the plan calls for further investment in clean energy research over the next ten years. The plan will guide House Democrats as they draft a climate bill this year.
- The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released a report at their June 30th meeting on how the federal government can strengthen Industries of the Future. The report further demonstrates the Trump Administration’s support for research in artificial intelligence and quantum information science.
- The House Budget Committee held a hearing on Wednesday to examine the importance of federally-sponsored research in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawmakers heard from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Council on Competitiveness, among others.