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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