Iranian Students Feel 'Betrayed, Excluded, And Threatened' By UMass Policy

[edhopper]

Last edited Wed Feb 18, 2015, 03:23 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/17/iranian-students-umass_n_6698822.html

Two student groups are decrying an "outrageous" University of Massachusetts Amherst policy that restricts Iranian citizens from enrolling in some engineering and science programs, arguing that the policy is "clearly in conflict with academic values and principles that prohibit discrimination."

The university first posted the policy denying admission to Iranian students planning to study in certain engineering and science fields last week, citing U.S. sanctions against their home country. UMass Amherst, the flagship campus of the UMass system, deleted the policy Friday morning after it was criticized online. That afternoon it reposted the policy and told news outlets the school was standing by it.

EDIT:

Confession time: I saw this and thought it worth posting. But something in me decided to troll and add a comment that would provoke.

Sorry for taking the piss out of everyone.

[randome]

1. No country is entirely trustworthy.

But I don't see that knowledge should be a political football.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]"The whole world is a circus if you know how to look at it."
Tony Randall, 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964)[/center][/font][hr]

[edhopper]

2. Giving them the tools to build

a nuclear weapon would not be in our best interest.

Of course I also think we give China way to much information and expertise.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

3. Well it does appear to be blatant national origin discrimination.

But hey, that doesn't bother me, either.

[edhopper]

4. These are Iranians

who are here on student visa only to go to school and then go back. Not people from Iran who live here now.

"State shall deny a visa to an Iranian citizen seeking to study in the U.S. in order to launch a career in the energy sector or nuclear science or engineering fields in Iran. "

[stone space]

17. You can't assume that.

These are Iranians who are here on student visa only to go to school and then go back. Not people from Iran who live here now.

People meet people, and fall in love. They may very well end up living here, or going back and forth, in much the same way that my wife and I both live here (and travel back and forth between here and her own country), even though she didn't come here to this country with the intention of staying.

Back in 1970s, when all this Hate against Iranians was being spread here in Iowa, a friend of ours married an Iranian student.

She had a terrible time from all the Hate. Her life was made miserable.

This policy of discrimination will be spreading Hate just like that Ames restaurant with their "Iranians Not Welcome Here" sign did in the 1970s with their policy of discrimination.

And people like my friend will be effected.

[edhopper]

18. I don't consider

restrictions on people the Iranian Government sends here for school hate.

Again, specifically about Iranian citizens here to study and return to work in these industries in Iran.

Not people just born in Iran or here more long term.

And yes, Iranians can't come here just to study and return without their governments approval.

[Major Nikon]

16. No more so than Article II, Section 1, clause 5 of the US Constitution

[dilby]

5. They could always just go to school in Iran or maybe another country.

Or maybe they could convince their country to stop their nuclear program.

[Comrade Grumpy]

26. You first. n/t

[LanternWaste]

33. It's fun to pretend we know what other people should do in any given situation.

It's fun to pretend we know what other people should do in any given situation.

[dilby]

41. We don't know what they are going to do, we do know that the US and Iran are not on

friendly terms. It's in the best interest of US security to not provide Iranian citizens with knowledge that could be used by Iran to help with their Nuclear Program.

[uppityperson]

6. if you accept sometime as a student, they should have equal access to classes

Discriminating against someone because of their gvts actions is wrong. Wtf? Here we are in the USA, proven untrustworthy, disseminating against other students? Again, wtf?

[procon]

7. How embarrassing that xenophobic stuff like this still goes on in a "democracy".

The State Department has already said that the current law does not prohibit Iranians from coming to the US for education in science and engineering, so the university made up their own rules for their own reasons and now they've been caught in a lie. It will be interesting to see how they try to walk this back.

[DetlefK]

8. I have an iranian colleague.

We had to reword some scientific terms in the paperwork that had to be filed, so non-scientists wouldn't jump to the false conclusion that she would be working with radioactive materials. Her work is more about microbiology.

I also met some iranian students at a party. It turned out
Iranians. are. normal. people.
(Also: They go wild if you put on some Disco-music. )

[edhopper]

9. Iranians are very nice people

but this is about giving expertise to a country that is trying to build a nuclear weapon.

You colleague was not covered under this and therefore was free to take classes.

[stone space]

22. If you feel that universities are teaching nuclear terrorism...

...instead of science, than you should be criticizing that.

The role of education is a legitimate issue, and one that I have had with various of my own universities in the past.

But schools have no business discriminating against their students.

If there are problems with the nature of the university's instructional programs, and those programs are damaging to society, then that issue should be addressed directly, not by proxy using students as scapegoats.

[Bandit]

10. Why do you say Iran is not trustworthy?

Please give some examples of their untrustworthy actions. What country have they ever attacked? When they overthrew the Shaw and tossed out Westerners that advocated for the Shaw, they demonstrated the exact opposite of untrustworthiness. They threw out the untrustworthy and some of those untrustworthy convinced Saddam he should attack Iran and use poisonous gas that had been delivered to him by those very same untrustworthy folks Iran tossed out of it's country.

[edhopper]

15. You trust Iran with a nuclear weapon

I don't.

[Bandit]

19. Why

What have they EVER done to deserve your lack of trust? I think I trust them more than Israel. How many wars has Israel been involved in over the last five decades, how many has Iran?

[edhopper]

21. Not worth answering.

[Bandit]

24. You can give no examples to show why they should not be trusted

I suspect you take what you hear of Fox News as Gospel..You don't need to reply I already have your number..

[edhopper]

27. Accusing Israel of starting wars

is a tortured reading of history.

I have your number as well.

[Bandit]

32. Your reading skills are lacking as well

Please show me where I have ever said Israel started any wars. I asked how many wars has Israel been in. Nothing was ever said about who started those wars. They seem to be in a lot of them though don't you think, compared to Iran..

[edhopper]

36. Are you just being

contrary.

You are really asking why Israel has been in so many wars? What a pathetic comparison.

Bye-bye.

[Fozzledick]

44. Actually, Iran has been involved in all of the recent wars against Israel.

They just prefer to hire mercenary proxies from Gaza and Lebanon rather than put their own troops at risk.

And you somehow have conveniently forgotten their major war with Iraq that Iran provoked with cross-border terrorist attacks.

[uppityperson]

20. Do you trust the only country who has used a nuclear weapon on another country?

[edhopper]

23. Depends on who is in the

White House.

[stone space]

11. We had quite a few Iranian students here back in the late 1970s.

There was a lot of Hate directed towards them.

Every day there were hundreds of racist yahoos on central campus with signs shouting "Iranians Go Home!".

I don't think that they were restricted from taking any classes, but there was one restaurant here in Ames with a big "Iranians Not Welcome Here" sign.

It was as terrible time here in Iowa.

Looks like we didn't learn anything from that experience, if this policy at another university is any indication.

[edhopper]

14. We did on my campus as well

their demonstrations against the Shah were enlightening.

[bullwinkle428]

12. How many Saudi students are we blocking from taking certain classes?

Given what took place on 9/11, I would consider that nation a bit more "untrustworthy".

[edhopper]

13. Saudi Arabia

is treated too benignly by this country. Their oil gives them to much leeway IMHO.

[malaise]

25. Absolutely disagree

Universities are not branches of the State Department

Anyway they reversed the decision this morning.

That said you should have been bothered.

[edhopper]

28. Well then

never mind.

[img][/img]

[Comrade Grumpy]

29. This is a hideous policy. Universities should balk at this sort of crap.

OP's ridiculous overstated fears about Iran notwithstanding.

[malaise]

30. +1,000

They overturned it this morning - it was a completely asinine policy.

[LittleBlue]

31. If these kids are really future Iranian government agents

They can enroll at hundreds of other institutions which don't have this moronic policy.

UMass Amherst comes across as xenophobic and dumb.

[mike_c]

34. I'm an academic, and I strongly disagree with this policy....

Education should not be politicized. This policy is a clear violation of the basic, fundamental principle of academic freedom that lies at the heart of the university system. If the academy isn't willing to extend that freedom to Iranians, then it shouldn't accept their money or seek their participation in other aspects of the academy.

[giftedgirl77]

35. Wow, just wow....

So because their government may have some issues we are going to discriminate against an entire origin of people? A DUer once again shuddering at the fear of scary brown people just because of where they are from.

[edhopper]

37. Not people of Iranian origin

Iranians sent here to study. Big difference.

[giftedgirl77]

40. Iranians who choose to come here & study....

You are openly advocating the discrimination of an entire group of people simply because of their government. Many countries such as china send their children here to study. You sir, are making it an issue just because they are Iranian and that is racist & wrong.

[dilby]

42. Have you looked at the current relations between Iran and the US?

Why would we provide Iranian citizens with an education that could further their countries nuclear program? When these kids graduate the will have to go back home and they will take their knowledge with them.

[Comrade Grumpy]

43. We are not at war with Iran and Iran is not a threat to us.

You do understand there is a difference between a nuclear weapons program and a nuclear power program, don't you? Are you scared the Iranians might light their cities with nuclear power?

Even if Iran had a nuclear bomb or two or five, they're still not a threat to us. Except in the most perfervid imagination.

[dilby]

45. When we lift all embargos I will say fine,

till then absolutely not.

[giftedgirl77]

46. These kids are not being sent here to study by there gov.

It is bullshit to exclude them from these programs simply because of where they come from. You do realize that there are many other fields they can go into other than for evil purposes. From the OPs own article even the State Department doesn't have an issue with Iranian students participating in these programs, which they tried to use as a basis for the ban in the first place.

"A State Department official likewise told The Boston Globe that current law "does not prohibit qualified Iranian nationals coming to the United States for education in science and engineering." The Associated Press reported similar remarks from the State Department."

It's discriminatory, racist, & downright chickenshit.

[jwirr]

38. When I attended the University of Iowa there were buildings that were locked because they held

secret government programs. One of them was an Engineering building. I suspect that they did not want persons that might be spying on the program to have access to it. We were in the Vietnam war at the time and I suspect that was one of the reasons because I remember talking about holding a protest at the building. We never did because we were not sure what it was they were doing in there.

I don't think they ever kept anyone from studying the subject though.

[itcfish]

39. Take it from me

I have been married to an "Iranian Student" for 35 years. They come here, and 99% do not want to go back. LOL What do they fear? Like they can't go to Russia or South Africa to study?