Another Iranian Student Has Visa Abruptly Revoked
An Iranian student on his way to college in Boston was detained at the airport, then deported, despite a federal judge’s order that he could stay in the country temporarily. Customs officials removed Mohammad Shahab Dehghani Hossein from the country under an expedited order, saying that he had plans to stay in the United States permanently in violation of his student visa. His lawyers contested that, saying that Dehghani has no criminal record and went through an extensive vetting process to receive his visa. Government officials say they were unaware of the judge’s emergency order. Dehghani is among at least a dozen Iranians to have valid student visas abruptly voided. More than 200 Iranian students and scholars have also signed a petition asking that visa-processing delays to be resolved so they can begin the spring semester at American colleges.
Top Russian University Could Ban Political Speech
A prominent Russian university is considering banning campus political speech. Moscow’s Higher School of Economics is considering new rules that would bar students and university employees from making political statements or taking controversial stances. Offenders would be forced to “delete affiliation” with the university. The proposed regulations also would revoke student newspapers’ status as student organizations. Students at the elite institution have been leaders in protests against President Vladimir Putin and are circulating an open letter among academics internationally, which urges university administrators to preserve free speech.
Florida Scientists Lose Jobs in Widening Inquiry
Three researchers at the University of Florida resigned and one was fired amid a broadening investigation into global research ties. The departures came after the university received a letter from the National Institutes of Health about potential meddling by foreign governments in research grants and funding. In recent months, scientists at Emory University and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have also lost their jobs because of suspicious overseas ties. Florida lawmakers have set up a statewide commission to examine foreign influence on research.
Exploring Accreditors’ Role in a Student-Visa Sting
The University of Farmington, the fake college set up by federal officials as part of a student-visa sting operation, has garnered plenty of headlines. What’s attracted less attention is the role that a national accreditor, the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, played in the sting by giving the phony institution accreditation. Now a group of lawmakers, including Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator and Democratic presidential candidate, is delving into the accrediting group’s part in the operation. In this week’s issue of latitude(s), my global- education newsletter, I delved into this question: Should accreditors be giving their public blessing to a college they know to be fake —– even if the U.S. government makes the request?