[ATTW-L] the ICE memo on international students

Thu Jul 9 00:14:43 UTC 2020

Thanks Sam. Today's updates from so many different types of institutions
have been heartening, and the sign-on letter Dr. Ding shared upthread has
over 21K signatures this evening.

Lots of potential avenues for association members who want to take this
further with administrators in their institutions, or with others working
outside their institutions on the public/pop narrative.
As I said to a colleague this morning, the fall semester isn't that far
away, and this is one of those cases that will require several
complementary strategies moving at once.

Keisha

On Wed, Jul 8, 2020 at 6:43 PM Dragga, Sam <Sam.Dragga at ttu.edu> wrote:

> More and more institutions are stepping up.  This more supportive message
> from mine arrived this afternoon (
> https://www.ttu.edu/administration/president/communications/letters-and-memos/letter-07.08.2020.pdf
> ):
>
> “We are working closely with our peers in the Big 12, the Association of
> Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU), and the Council of Graduate
> Schools to advocate for our international students and communicate the
> value of their experience, not only for our international students, but for
> our entire campus and the Lubbock community.”
>
> Note also this message from the Council of Graduate Schools (
> https://cgsnet.org/ice-guidance-unnecessarily-puts-international-students-risk):
>
>
> “By limiting the ability of institutions to change the modes by which
> courses are delivered in response to evolving local and regional health
> concerns, the new guidance severely undermines the capacity of colleges and
> universities to best serve students.”
>
>
>
> And this from APLU (
> https://www.aplu.org/news-and-media/News/aplu-statement-on-new-ice-policies-on-international-students):
>
>
> “The administration’s new policies for international students studying in
> the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic are incredibly unfair, harmful, and
> unworkable. We are in unchartered and unprecedented times. Rather than
> extending appropriate flexibility, the federal government is imposing
> rigid, impractical rules about how instruction can be delivered to
> international students. Blocking and possibly expelling international
> students in the middle of their studies serves no one’s interests and would
> set back the United States’ ability to attract the world’s brightest minds
> to study here.”
>
>
>
> Sam
>
>
>
> Sam Dragga
>
> Professor Emeritus, Texas Tech University
>
> Editor, *Technical Communication*
>
> sam.dragga at ttu.edu
>
> 1-806-543-6099
>
>
>
>
>
> *From: *"Long, Thomas" <thomas.l.long at uconn.edu>
> *Date: *Wednesday, July 8, 2020 at 10:10 AM
> *To: *Sam Dragga <Sam.Dragga at ttu.edu>, "attw-l at attw.org" <attw-l at attw.org>
> *Subject: *Re: [ATTW-L] the ICE memo on international students
>
>
>
> Our provost’s message (excerpted) today:
>
>
>
> “Our Global Affairs team and The Graduate School are working swiftly with
> other University partners to study these new restrictions and develop
> guidance and strategies to do all we can to allow our international
> students to continue their studies as smoothly as possible. We are also
> seeking congressional and legal assistance to have this directive reversed
> and be consistent with previous directives for online learning for
> international students during the pandemic. We will be in touch as we know
> more but please know now that we are distressed by these developments and
> we are exploring additional avenues that we may be able to use to assist
> affected students.”
>
>
>
> Get Outlook for iOS
> <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Faka.ms%2Fo0ukef&data=02%7C01%7CSam.Dragga%40ttu.edu%7C7e2683db827645c6191508d82361c8c0%7C178a51bf8b2049ffb65556245d5c173c%7C0%7C1%7C637298250193989524&sdata=QbEuMQ7yr1B8UStsAtWbHFc5otmwmHXgKQ27TVvJFk0%3D&reserved=0>
> ------------------------------
>
> *From:* ATTW-L <attw-l-bounces at attw.org> on behalf of Dragga, Sam <
> Sam.Dragga at ttu.edu>
> *Sent:* Wednesday, July 8, 2020 12:21:36 PM
> *To:* attw-l at attw.org <attw-l at attw.org>
> *Subject:* Re: [ATTW-L] the ICE memo on international students
>
>
>
> *Message sent from a system outside of UConn.*
>
>
>
> Instructors might also review how their institutions are addressing the
> new ICE policy.  For example, mine is voicing only patient compliance (
> https://www.depts.ttu.edu/international/news/2020/temporary-exemptions-for-nonimmigrant-students.php
> <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.depts.ttu.edu%2Finternational%2Fnews%2F2020%2Ftemporary-exemptions-for-nonimmigrant-students.php&data=02%7C01%7CSam.Dragga%40ttu.edu%7C7e2683db827645c6191508d82361c8c0%7C178a51bf8b2049ffb65556245d5c173c%7C0%7C0%7C637298250193989524&sdata=Oot7iLUlOQ%2BFy6CCzX8joj4Cv3QG3KtGH7pHGQUrSug%3D&reserved=0>)
> while Harvard is offering vigorous resistance (
> https://www.harvard.edu/president/news/2020/supporting-international-students
> <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.harvard.edu%2Fpresident%2Fnews%2F2020%2Fsupporting-international-students&data=02%7C01%7CSam.Dragga%40ttu.edu%7C7e2683db827645c6191508d82361c8c0%7C178a51bf8b2049ffb65556245d5c173c%7C0%7C1%7C637298250193999522&sdata=yAwBtU18B%2BgqTzEGNGdDck3hp7WGb2TJxwjjS0%2F6FFU%3D&reserved=0>
> ).
>
>
>
> Sam
>
>
>
> Sam Dragga
>
> Professor Emeritus, Texas Tech University
>
> Editor, *Technical Communication*
>
> sam.dragga at ttu.edu
>
> 1-806-543-6099
>
>
>
>
>
> *From: *Huiling Ding <hding at ncsu.edu>
> *Date: *Wednesday, July 8, 2020 at 6:34 AM
> *Cc: *"Savage, Gerald" <gjsavag at ilstu.edu>, Sam Dragga <Sam.Dragga at ttu.edu>,
> "attw-l at attw.org" <attw-l at attw.org>
> *Subject: *Re: [ATTW-L] the ICE memo on international students
>
>
>
> Dear colleagues,
>
>
>
> Thank you for keeping this important discussion going and for supporting
> our international students at a worst time who are forced to choose between
> possible risky exposure or deportation. As we all know, public health
> crises are often political. COVID-19 clearly shows the socio-economic and
> geo-political dimensions of pandemics.
>
>
>
> One of my colleagues at NC State shared a national petition from faculty
> at four-year colleges titled "Open Letter Against the Student Ban," which
> has gathered over ten thousand signatures. If you want to take a look, here
> is the url:
>
>
>
>
> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScnWNY7Qk-zW4mZKupEyCgswrNdtU8FX6QDWc_ZCmBI5OjqTA/viewform?fbclid=IwAR1MjaFEfTEpCXiZM6NkxjQHl9WmInsQcffyLKxeUu7rXOCD4r49b11l8Hk&edit_requested=true&usp=embed_facebook
> <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fforms%2Fd%2Fe%2F1FAIpQLScnWNY7Qk-zW4mZKupEyCgswrNdtU8FX6QDWc_ZCmBI5OjqTA%2Fviewform%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1MjaFEfTEpCXiZM6NkxjQHl9WmInsQcffyLKxeUu7rXOCD4r49b11l8Hk%26edit_requested%3Dtrue%26usp%3Dembed_facebook&data=02%7C01%7CSam.Dragga%40ttu.edu%7C7e2683db827645c6191508d82361c8c0%7C178a51bf8b2049ffb65556245d5c173c%7C0%7C1%7C637298250193999522&sdata=P9dgvBqSJFDMP5%2BmMgkAjEh3Losc2lzUNKQYnCR1dww%3D&reserved=0>
>
>
>
>
> Thank you all for your support for our international students and best
> wishes.
>
>
>
> Huiling
>
>
>
> On Tue, Jul 7, 2020 at 10:15 PM Long, Thomas <thomas.l.long at uconn.edu>
> wrote:
>
> Well said, Dr. McKenzie, and I hope we take  your admonition to heart.
>
>
>
> Cruelty in the current regime is a design feature, not a design flaw.
>
>
>
> Tom
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------------
>
> Thomas Lawrence Long, PhD
>
>
>
> Professor in Residence
>
> School of Nursing, University of Connecticut
>
> 231 Glenbrook Rd. U-4026
>
> Storrs, CT 06269 USA
>
>
>
> Pronouns: He | Him | His
>
>
>
> Suite 313 Storrs Hall | Phone: 860.486.5794
>
>
>
> Skype: dr.thomas.long | Twitter: @thelongviewtom |
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>
>
>
> Technical Editor, UConn Center for Nursing Scholarship & Innovation
>
> Associate in Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies
>
> Associate in American Studies
>
> Curator, Dolan Collection of Nursing History
>
> In-Residence Representative, President's Research Advisory Council
>
> Senator, University Senate
>
> Co-chair, Delta General Education Taskforce II
>
> Director, Nursing House Learning Community
>
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>
> Editor, NursingWriting.com
>
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>
>
>
> *From: *Keisha E. McKenzie <k.e.mckenzie at gmail.com>
> *Sent: *Tuesday, July 7, 2020 8:57 PM
> *To: *Savage, Gerald <gjsavag at ilstu.edu>; Sam Dragga <sam.dragga at ttu.edu>
> *Cc: *attw-l at attw.org
> *Subject: *Re: [ATTW-L] the ICE memo on international students
>
>
>
> *Message sent from a system outside of UConn.*
>
>
>
> Dear Jerry: as a former international student, I can't confirm whether
> obfuscation is prized at DHS but can confirm that DHS departments are
> exceptional at obfuscation! Options for non-citizens have also narrowed
> considerably in the last half-decade.
>
>
>
> Sam: thank you for sharing this memo. It's worth analysis as an instance
> of executive branch communication and I appreciate the invitation to read
> it as such.
>
>
>
> I also read it as a prompt for academics and program administrators to
> speak and act against the temporary final rule itself. Could this be a time
> for ATTW to coordinate with other professional organizations like
> NCTE/CCCC
> <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcccc.ncte.org%2Fcccc%2Fcccc-and-cwpa-joint-statement-in-response-to-the-covid-19-pandemic&data=02%7C01%7CSam.Dragga%40ttu.edu%7C7e2683db827645c6191508d82361c8c0%7C178a51bf8b2049ffb65556245d5c173c%7C0%7C1%7C637298250194019514&sdata=YNmZftEXNDQWpo6cpUyeLXb1tHWEbKPNSI%2BsY7w%2FBfY%3D&reserved=0> about
> possible responses?
>
>
>
> All: The procedures in the memo force international students to choose
> between COVID-19 exposure and the risk of deportation. Encouraging school
> transfers or travel out of the country mid-pandemic means endangering
> students, instructors, professors, and their families and communities here
> and abroad.
>
>
>
> This move is also the latest in an inhumane policy trajectory, and if left
> unanswered it won't be the last instance.
>
>
>
> I urge those of you who are citizens and who teach, advise, or work
> alongside non-citizen students or colleagues to engage your campus
> administrators and international student offices with as much energy as you
> can and as quickly as you can.
>
>
>
> Please engage, not merely to protect departmental budgets or labor forces,
> but because it is unethical to sacrifice people as this policy requires and
> there's at least a 30-year tradition in technical communication scholarship
> that points us to that conclusion.
>
>
>
> Thank you to each of you who has spent the last four months pivoting,
> adapting, and trying to preserve educational options for your students.
> They need your continued advocacy now.
>
>
>
> Regards to all despite the relentless nonsense of this era,
>
> Keisha
>
>
>
> Keisha E. McKenzie, PhD
>
>
>
> On Tue, Jul 7, 2020, 3:26 PM Savage, Gerald <gjsavag at ilstu.edu> wrote:
>
> Thanks, Sam. Obfuscation must be a highly prized talent at Homeland
> Security.
>
>
>
> Jerry
>
> *From:* ATTW-L <attw-l-bounces at attw.org> on behalf of Dragga, Sam <
> Sam.Dragga at ttu.edu>
> *Sent:* Tuesday, July 7, 2020 2:52 PM
> *To:* attw-l at attw.org <attw-l at attw.org>
> *Subject:* [ATTW-L] the ICE memo on international students
>
>
>
> *[This message came from an external source. If suspicious, report to
> abuse at ilstu.edu <abuse at ilstu.edu>] *
>
> If you are looking for a striking example of technical writing with a
> direct impact on your classrooms, consider the memo released yesterday by
> the US Department of Homeland Security (
> https://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/bcm2007-01.pdf
> <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ice.gov%2Fdoclib%2Fsevis%2Fpdf%2Fbcm2007-01.pdf&data=02%7C01%7CSam.Dragga%40ttu.edu%7C7e2683db827645c6191508d82361c8c0%7C178a51bf8b2049ffb65556245d5c173c%7C0%7C1%7C637298250194019514&sdata=tjrVBlZgkIBBI5Mrfnv4qKNnX%2Fpfwulrgl6S67wNJsk%3D&reserved=0>).
>
>
> The memo explains to college administrators that their international
> (nonimmigrant) students must take either onsite courses or a mix of
> onsite and online courses in the Fall 2020 semester to remain in the United
> States.
>
> In addition to raising awareness of the extraordinary conditions for
> international students, the memo offers the opportunity to discuss clarity
> in writing (e.g., note the 33-word opening sentence in the 116-word opening
> paragraph but also the headings and numbered or bulleted lists).
>
> And given the experience of the Spring 2020 semester and the ongoing
> COVID-19 crisis, the memo raises ethical questions about putting the
> following key piece of information in a 63-word sentence in the middle of a
> 151-word paragraph on page 2 of a 3-page memo [italics mine]:
>
> *If a school changes its operational stance mid-semester, and as a result
> a nonimmigrant student switches to only online classes,* or a
> nonimmigrant student changes their course selections, and as a result, ends
> up taking an entirely online course load, schools are reminded that
> nonimmigrant students within the United States are not permitted to take a
> full course of study through online classes.
>
> Sam
>
> Sam Dragga
>
> Professor Emeritus, Texas Tech University
>
> Editor, *Technical Communication*
>
> sam.dragga at ttu.edu
>
> 1-806-543-6099
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
>
>
> --
>
> Huiling Ding
>
> Associate Professor of Technical Communication and Rhetoric
>
> Director, MS in Technical Communication
>
> Department of English
>
> NC State University
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