College of Arts and Sciences Dean David Horn led a closed-door town hall for faculty and staff Wednesday, discussing visa revocations, Ohio Senate Bill 1 and federal funding cuts. Credit: Katie Good | Lantern File Photo
At least 11 international Ohio State students have had their F-1 visas revoked, as confirmed during a College of Arts and Sciences town hall meeting with faculty and staff Wednesday afternoon.
Of these 11 students, five are enrolled in ASC, according to university Dean David Horn. This updated figure marks an increase from the seven students reported in university President Ted Carter Jr.’s Tuesday university-wide email.
University spokesperson Ben Johnson confirmed these updated numbers Thursday.
Tuesday, Johnson said the seven affected students were still in the United States as they, their attorneys and the university considered next steps, per prior Lantern reporting.
Since the number has increased to 11, Johnson said not all affected students remain in the United States due to varying circumstances, not necessarily related to any kind of deportation.
“At any given time, we have students all over the world,” Johnson said.
A revoked visa is no longer valid for entry or reentry into the United States, according to the immigration-focused Shihab Burke Attorneys at Law website.
In the past, “students who had their visas revoked were allowed to keep their legal residency status and complete their studies,” according to the Associated Press. Without a valid visa, however, their ability to freely travel in and out of the United States becomes limited.
Furthermore, ”if a student has lost residency status, they must leave immediately or risk detention by immigration authorities,” the same Associated Press article states.
At Wednesday’s town hall, Horn addressed over 100 faculty and staff in a packed auditorium in the Timashev Family Music Building from 3-4:30 p.m.
The Lantern approached several attendees to ask for comment, all of whom declined.
In an interview with The Lantern following the meeting, Horn said the college planned the town hall in order to address concerns from faculty and staff regarding Ohio Senate Bill 1, visa revocations and loss of federal funding.
“I wanted to provide some examples of things we can be working on so that they don’t just feel like they’re powerless in this moment,” Horn said. “It’s important for us to keep working on the things that brought us [to the university], that we came here to do — the research, the teaching, the engagement, the partnerships with the communities serving the state of Ohio.”
SB 1, which was signed into law by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine March 28, effectively eliminates diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at all public higher education institutions in the state, as well as bans faculty striking and limits the teaching of “controversial topics,” per prior Lantern reporting.
Horn said though there is “very little” the university can do to protect students who have had their visas revoked or could have them revoked in the future, many educators want to make sure students are aware of the resources that are available to them through Ohio State.
“We want to understand ways that we can support them, and it’s obviously a difficult moment in their lives, so we’re trying to; I don’t have the names of everyone affected, so they would have to reach out to the college to ask for some kind of support, but we want to protect everyone’s privacy,” Horn said. “But to the extent that people need some support from the college, that will need to be directed to resources; we want to make sure they know about them.”
Johnson said if a student’s visa is revoked, the student must self-report to the university, as the federal government does not inform university administrators directly, per prior Lantern reporting.
Going forward, Horn said the college will work closely with its faculty and staff to develop a stronger institutional support system as state and federal mandated changes unfold.
Students in need of legal counsel can visit the Student Legal Services website to schedule an appointment.
