February 20, 2003 Feature
Story
Utah
State University Meets New INS Regulations
Utah State officially met regulations designed by the Immigration
and Naturalization Service to regulate the flow of information
about international students.
If the university had failed, it may have lost its ability to
admit international students.
The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS)
is a computerized system designed to keep direct, close contact
with international students throughout Utah and the United States.
Technological challenges and lack of funding delayed the program
for several years. However, when Congress passed the USA Patriot
Act after Sept. 11, 2001, it required nationwide compliance
to SEVIS by Jan. 1, 2003.
Throughout this process, the Office of International Students
and Scholars at
Utah State is making sure international students, faculty and
staff, and the community are aware of SEVIS and its new requirements.
Workshops are being held throughout the semester so all who
are affected will be aware and informed.
"SEVIS is a very efficient system," said Negar Davis,
director of International Students and Scholars at Utah State.
"We're moving from a paperwork-based system to an electronic
data transferal system which enables the INS and universities
to receive changes in students' immigration status immediately."
More than 150 entries must be provided for each student, including
their current address, changes in major, courses of study and
employment authorizations. Records are updated daily, and students
who fail to maintain good status may be deported. With approximately
1,300 international students and scholars at Utah State, it
will be a challenge to input accurate information, said Davis.
"It's quite a time consuming project, but it has to be
done," said Davis. "The first year will be a challenge
because we are just implementing SEVIS. Once everything has
been entered into the system and is in place, maintenance will
be easier."
Although universities, including Utah State, receive no funding
from the federal government to implement SEVIS, they are expected
to comply with the new mandate, Davis said.
The INS will audit Utah State based on the new requirements
every two years.
According to a recent report, 582,996 international students
attended colleges and universities and contributed nearly $12
billion last year to the U.S. economy in money spent on tuition,
living expenses and related costs. If Utah State and other universities
throughout the country do not meet SEVIS requirements in the
future, Davis feels that it may have a negative impact on the
economy.
"More importantly, as a society we will miss out on the
tremendous value that cultural diversity contributes to our
campuses and to our social interactions in a global context,"
Davis said.
February 19, 2003
Writer: Shalee Sucher, 797-1350, shalee@cc.usu.edu
Contact: Negar Davis, 797-8091, Davisn@cc.usu.edu
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