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FOREIGN SCHOLAR SERVICES • Two-thousand three was highlighted by implementation of the federal government’s expansive efforts to implement the spirit of the Patriot Act, including deployment of SEVISbased forms production, mandatory registration of individuals from most Muslim countries, the fingerprinting and photographing of each visa entrant, the introduction of compulsory interviews for each visa applicant and the attendant, broadly-interpreted discretion consular officers were given to order background checks. Taken separately each of these changes would have generated enough activity to disrupt the regular flow of business. Taken together, as they were presented to us, these changes created some fundamental obstacles to the flow of scholars to Stanford in particular and to US institutions of higher learning in general. • The most obvious problem created by the new security-conscious federal environment is the significant delays engendered by background checks. These checks are carried out following a schedule of disciplines, professions and name comparisons. While applicants from some countries, such as China, are almost routinely considered for a name check (likely due to the paucity of Chinese surnames), others are mysteriously delayed for weeks on the basis of circumstances at which we can only guess. Consular interviews, now required for every visa applicant, are nothing new in countries such as India; in other countries; however, the burden of having to interview every applicant created massive delays. Various sources of assistance have been engaged, including the local member of Congress as well as helpful employees of the State Department itself. Unfortunately the Department of Homeland Security now owns the territory and defines the rules by which we now do business. • Departments, hosts and visitors are naturally unhappy at the prospect of an exchange being delayed indefinitely; some are ultimately denied a visa and are unable to come to the US at all. The literature tells us that international scholars are beginning to turn to other countries for academic exchanges. Britain, Canada, Australia as well as Continental European countries are becoming an attractive alternative as they eagerly seek out international students and scholars rather than submitting them to harassing interview and background check protocols. The Canadian Consul approached us with a request to conduct a “poaching session,” in which he described the litany of opportunities and benefits that lie north of the border. This session was very well attended, to our gratification and, at once, dismay. • We are obliged to focus our attentions and efforts inward rather than conducting outreach to the extent we would like. In this new and difficult environment, we undertook a closer relationship with Stanford’s external immigration counsel, who is associated with the University through the Office of the General Counsel. Ms. Serafina Sands, a member of Pearl Law Group, has helped us interpret aspects of the law, which as non-attorneys we are not qualified to do. She also undertakes those cases that lie somewhat beyond the scope of what the University is obliged to offer as a facilitating condition of employment. In meetings with the larger “immigration task group” comprising Ms. Sands and interested members of the University’s management, the essential Guide Memorandum, 28.1, is being amended to define more carefully the obligations and benefits of Stanford’s immigration environment. We are ambivalent about this in that the “visa infrastructure” is being consolidated; at the same time we are aware that we are beginning to be regarded as an extension of the federal authority that speaks to our national interest. • Other institutions appear also to be concentrating their efforts on the new technology and procedures inherent in the Patriot Act. Our quarterly meetings of California schools now feature almost exclusively discussions of how we are dealing with the procedural and technical challenges created by some aspect of the new order. 17
SERVICES TO INTERNATIONAL FAMILIES Services to International Families are designed to: • facilitate adjustment to the campus and community by all members of the international student and scholar family, • assist spouses/partners/families with information and advice on local resources relevant to the many areas of transition they face, • provide opportunities for spouses/partners to share skills and talents with the Stanford community by presenting classes and programs open to all, and • build a sense of community through which international families establish friendships and become acquainted with a variety of cultures and perspectives. In keeping with these goals, the I-Center: • Provided ongoing counseling & advising on topics such as: - Options for pursuing higher education, - Career development and transitions, - Options for studying English as a Second Language, - Volunteer work as a means to further one’s career, - Children’s schools, pre-schools and child care options, - Tenant-landlord relations, - Cross-cultural adjustment, - Personal and family issues, - Local and Bay Area resources relevant to each individual or family. • Sustained and continued to develop the Resource Center for International Families, a comprehensive collection of information and advising that enables spouses and family members to build a stimulating and worthwhile experience for themselves during their time accompanying a student, visiting scholar or faculty member at Stanford. Significant steps this year included recruiting and training a volunteer staff of 17 multilingual spouses, obtaining translations of Resource Center publicity in 12 languages, creating specialized language notebooks containing welcome letters and basic information in Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese, installing display racks to hold pertinent handouts, and adding resources on distance education. A dedicated community volunteer has been essential to the project, organizing and updating materials, coordinating training and arranging the staffing of the Center. This year 17 volunteer advisers speaking 16 languages have staffed the Center and provided valuable assistance to users. Visitors to the Resource Center this year have come from at least 25 countries. • Presented Welcome Program (series of 9 programs) for spouses, partners and families of international students. This included recruiting and training a Welcome Committee for International Families consisting of 35 individuals speaking 27 languages. Committee members played an active role in organizing welcome events and staffing information tables to acquaint new families with local and campus resources. • Developed new materials and revised handouts to help newcomers with a variety of needs, such as how to find shops that carry international goods, places to take children on outings, and referrals to local services recommended by current student families. • Helped organize Graduate Spouse & Partner Welcome for ALL new graduate couples, in collaboration with the Graduate Life Office, Work/Life Center and Graduate Student Program Board. Recruited speakers to give preview of life as a spouse/partner and encourage use of campus services.. • Redesigned, edited and produced a 28-page publication, “2002-2003 at Stanford”, which serves as a handbook for international families and a calendar to advise them of relevant academic dates and I-Center programs. It includes extensive information on community resources of special interest to this population. • Offered 135 programs for family members, including orientation tours, cultural presentations, classes in languages, cooking, art, tennis and programs that fostered cross-cultural communication between spouses from diverse backgrounds. (Please see section on Quarterly Programs for further details.) A special feature of this year’s program was the Travel & Culture 18 Bechtel International Center Annual Report 2002-2003
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