Dartmouth frequently warns international students to avoid College disciplinary action or legal troubles in order to maintain a legal residency status, but the specific consequences of "breaking the rules" are not well explained, according to International Student Association co-president Mela Omeri '12.
"If you are caught drinking by [Hanover Police], your visa gets suspended and you go home, and your Dartmouth career is over," Omeri said, referring to the general perception among international students.
In fact, Hanover Police Chief Nicholas Giaccone said the consequences of arrests for minor offenses are similar for international students and citizens.
Because of international agreements, though, Hanover Police must notify certain countries when one of their citizens is arrested.
"I think it's more or less so the embassy knows that one of their citizens has been arrested if there are complications," Giaccone said.
One international student has been arrested since the start of Fall term, and his home country's embassy did not require notification, Giaccone said.
The U.S. State Department is only notified if a student on a visa commits a felony offense, Giaccone said. Because unlawful possession of alcohol does not carry a jail sentence, Giaccone said it does not "trigger anything."
International students can face difficulties maintaining their residency status, though, if they are suspended, Robin Catmur, director of the Office of Visa and Immigration Services, said in an e-mail to The Dartmouth.
Because international students must enroll full-time each term, with the exception of an annual "vacation term," to maintain their visas, a student's "immigration record would be terminated in reflection of their academic status" upon receiving a suspension, Catmur said in the e-mail.
That student would then have to reapply for a student visa after being readmitted to the College, Catmur said. She said she did not know of any student who has been unable to obtain a new visa.
Undergraduate Judicial Affairs works to ensure that the two to three international students who face College disciplinary action each year understand the consequences of their punishment, UJA director April Thompson said in an interview with The Dartmouth, noting that not all of these students are suspended.
"We want the student to know exactly what every step of the process could mean for them," she said.
Jenny Thapa '12, a student from Nepal, said most international students' visa issues stem from Homeland Security regulations that do not accommodate the terms of the D-plan, rather than issues stemming from disciplinary action.
International students at the College usually have either an F-1 student visa or a J-1 exchange student visa. An F-1 visa is for a "full-time student who has passed certain requirements to get the visa," while a J-1 visa is more complicated and can be used for students or workers, according to immigration attorney John Wilson.
"There are two main problems students can face in the visa application process: security clearance delays or having the visa denied due to a failure to prove to the officer that he or she will return to the home country at the end of the academic program," Catmur said.
These problems are rare for students enrolled at Dartmouth, Catmur said.
OVIS has an attorney on staff who helps international students review the legal limitations of their student visas. Some students, like Omeri, hire private attorneys to help in the immigration process.
