As part of the United States government's continuing efforts to counter terrorism, an interagency government committee is considering barring international students at American universities from pursuing fields of study that might be applied to developing and producing "weapons of mass destruction."
Although the government has yet to institute any laws or restrictions on the subjects foreign students can study, the nature of committee's decision will no doubt have profound implications for foreign students studying in the United States.
Dartmouth international students were uniformly opposed to the possibility of such limitations.
"It's very far-fetched ... to say that students studying the sciences is the explanation for the attacks of Sept. 11," said Luminita Dirna '03, a native of Romania.
In a directive President George W. Bush issued on Oct. 29, he indicated that the government would be reviewing the student visa process and the kinds of subjects international students would be permitted to study. However, he did not specify which international students would be subject to the limitations, or which specific areas of study would be off-limits, decisions he has left up to the committee.
According to the directive, "The government shall implement measures to end the abuse of student visas and prohibit certain international students from receiving education and training in sensitive areas, including areas of study with direct application to the development and use of weapons of mass destruction."
Committee members say that they are taking into account both the rights of international students and the contributions these students make to their colleges.
Bush established the committee last November as part of an effort to increase what he has called "homeland security." The panel consists of representatives from the a wide range of various governmental agencies, including the intelligence agencies, the Education Department and the National Science Foundation.
Many academics have complained that the committee does not include any representatives from the very institutions that may be affected by the ban: American universities.
Administrators from Dartmouth's International Office denied having heard anything about the committee and declined to comment.
Dartmouth students from foreign countries expressed nearly unanimous disapproval of Bush's actions, calling his rationale "unfair," "irrational" and "pointless."
Many said that such a ban on the subjects international students can study will ultimately harm the United States, since American universities draw "the best and the brightest" from around the world.
The proposed ban would likely have an effect on the sheer numbers of international students who choose to study in the United States, even if there are no accompanying restrictions on student visas. Many international students tend to pursue the sciences, the same subject area the committee is likely to link with making "weapons of mass destruction."
This propensity to study sciences is due to superior high school instruction in foreign countries, Latchezar Benatov '03 said, adding that many international students would simply choose to study in another country such as England or Germany if restrictions were implemented.
Alexandre Beliakov '05 said this would result in "less awareness about international issues on campus" and would "create a lot of unneeded ethnic tensions."
"Put this into effect, and there goes diversity at college campuses," Faris Rahman '04 said.
To some, that Bush would go so far as to even establish a committee on this subject seemed hypocritical and antithetical to the American ideal of individual freedom.
"This is a country that supports the right of the individual to choose," Dirna said, "but this just seems like an intrusion into people's rights."
According to panel member Jim Griffin of the White House science-policy office, the committee will soon issue a report outlining its recommendations.
Students said they were awaiting the decision with a mix of curiosity and incredulity.
"Realistically, I can't imagine that they'll actually manage to implement this," Rahman said. "It's just so absurd -- it seems unreal."
The Chronicle of Higher Education contributed to this report.
