In the wake of Sept. 11, international students studying at UW-Madison and at universities across the country are facing tighter scrutiny and increased controls on their immigration status.
But according to Sheila Spear, director of the UW-Madison Office of International Student Services, the university has been required to monitor these students since the 1950s.
OISS held a briefing Tuesday to inform international students as to their legal rights and new concerns of which to be aware.
Reports surfaced last week indicating two or three UW-Madison students had been questioned by authorities. Initial reports indicated the interviews were part of the nationwide plan by the U.S. Justice Department to question Middle Eastern men who entered the country on visa after Jan. 1, 2000. No law enforcement agency has yet claimed responsibility for the interviews.
Representatives from OISS and the American Civil Liberties Union fielded questions on how to respond if students are interviewed, as well as how students should prepare before traveling home.
Spear said the atmosphere of regulating international students' activities \loosened up"" in the late 1980s, but after the World Trade Center bombing in 1993, ""renewed pressures"" were in place. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, there has been a ""threatening and disturbing climate"" for students from abroad, she said.
Kelda Roys, a UW-Madison law student and president of the UW-Madison chapter of the ACLU, recommended international students find the telephone numbers for local immigration attorneys to have with them at all times. Before speaking to any officials, she said, students should consult legal representation.
""Do not waive your rights'verbally or by signing something,"" Roys said, explaining to what students should do if they are interviewed.
She also told students that the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service has less regard for civil rights than most law enforcement agencies and ""can do almost whatever it wants.""
""Always be polite,"" she added. ""Never be belligerent. Never be hostile. Never be rude.""
Students in attendance voiced anxiety mainly regarding traveling over the holiday.
""Coming back into the country is my main concern,"" said Farhan Savani, a UW-Madison sophomore from Kenya.
""As soon as they see a Kenyan passport, they are going to be curious"" because of terrorist activity in Kenya in recent years, he added.
Although UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley stated that the university will not aid in the interviews of Middle Eastern students, Spear said the university is ""still supportive of any students who may be subject to this kind of interview.""
OISS offers walk-in advising to students Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to noon and 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
