Kirk Carrapeza
Appearances
Up First from NPR
Iran Loses Regional Ally, U.S. Colleges Prepare For Trump, Drone Sightings
Hey, good morning, Steve. What exactly are colleges saying? Well, most colleges aren't saying much, but there are some. The ones you mentioned and a handful of schools here in New England, UMass Amherst, MIT, and Wesleyan have all reached out to international students urging them to return to the U.S. before January 20th. Harvard also contacted its international students this week.
Up First from NPR
Iran Loses Regional Ally, U.S. Colleges Prepare For Trump, Drone Sightings
The college suggested those traveling overseas for the holidays, quote, budget time ahead of Martin Luther King Day, which coincidentally is also Inauguration Day.
Up First from NPR
Iran Loses Regional Ally, U.S. Colleges Prepare For Trump, Drone Sightings
Well, I think many administrators are revisiting Trump's track record. You know, in his first term, new foreign student enrollment dropped by 12 percentage points. You'll remember there was the travel ban targeting several majority Muslim countries, heightened visa scrutiny, and then in 2020, the mandate for all international students to attend classes in person, even during the pandemic.
Up First from NPR
Iran Loses Regional Ally, U.S. Colleges Prepare For Trump, Drone Sightings
Now, this time around, Trump is promising even stricter policies. At a rally in New Jersey this summer, he warned foreign students involved in campus protests.
Up First from NPR
Iran Loses Regional Ally, U.S. Colleges Prepare For Trump, Drone Sightings
No, there are no concrete proposals at this point from Trump or his transition team. But, you know, these colleges are trying to make sure their students don't get stuck out of the country when the new semester begins.
Up First from NPR
Iran Loses Regional Ally, U.S. Colleges Prepare For Trump, Drone Sightings
They're really anxious. You know, behind closed doors, they tell me they're worried. Ted Mitchell is president of the American Council on Education, and he calls the potential decline of international students a tragedy because he says these students create a global atmosphere that's critical to American campuses.
Up First from NPR
Iran Loses Regional Ally, U.S. Colleges Prepare For Trump, Drone Sightings
And Steve, you know, some faculty members I talk to, they tell me their students are genuinely afraid. Here's Professor Gerardo Blanco. Blanco runs Boston College's Center for International Higher Education. And he says there's a real disconnect on campus between students and administrators.
Up First from NPR
Iran Loses Regional Ally, U.S. Colleges Prepare For Trump, Drone Sightings
But Blanco says many students are already very concerned, and these colleges are taking precautions to protect them and ease their anxiety.