For those who want to study in the US and want to feel worried about it

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Possible legislation calls for six-month cancellation of student visas
Ted Sullivan
Montana Kaimin

A U.S. senator from California may propose legislation to prevent international students from studying in the United States for six months, a security measure that some UM staff members and students think is unnecessary.

Damon Ristau/Montana Kaimin

Director of Foreign Student Scholar Services at UM, Effie Koehn, explains her opposition toward a proposed legislation that would prevent international students from getting visas.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein's plan _ which would direct the federal government to temporarily stop issuing student visas _ comes after reports that one man responsible for recent terrorist attacks was in the country on a student visa, she told The New York Times. Feinstein also wants to change the way students enter the United States and the way they are monitored, she said.

Effie Koehn, the director of foreign student scholar services at UM, is against the legislation.

"Foreign students are the most closely monitored of all non-immigrants that visit the United States," Koehn said. "Few students from Iraq or Afghanistan come to the United States."

There are more than 500,000 international students in the United States, Koehn said, and twenty of them are from Afghanistan. UM has 400 international students, Koehn said, and they represent 70 different countries.

Marja Unkuri-Chaudhry, UM's student exchange coordinator, said she is also against the legislation.

"I think it's a very extreme reaction," Unkuri-Chaudhry said, and international students increase UM's diversity.

They also create friendships with Americans and improve international relations, Koehn said.

"The openness of international student scholars fits the interest of the United States," Koehn said.

Tomomi Terada, an international student from Japan, said the proposed legislation wouldn't be fair.

"I think that's sad," Terada said. "Our students want to come here and study."

It's important students from around the world study together, Terada said, and students who want to study in America are not terrorists.

"It's a good opportunity to study in different countries because you can learn about other cultures," Terada said. "It benefits education too."

Erin Inkley, a junior majoring in wildlife biology, also said international students should be allowed in the United States."It gives us some cultural diversity," Inkley said. "It opens our eyes a little bit to the world."

Feinstein told the Times she has not made a final decision on whether or not she'll submit the legislation.

Even if the legislation were to pass it would not affect UM's international recruiting efforts for fall 2002 because those efforts are more than six months away, Koehn said.

International students already studying at UM shouldn't worry, Koehn said.

"It probably won't effect students already in the United States on visa," Koehn said.