July 8, 2020
Dear Tulane Community:
As most of you are aware, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced this week that international students will have to leave the United States if the universities they attend offer only online classes for the fall semester. Since Tulane is planning to return to on-ground, in-person classes, along with online instruction this fall, we believe our international students will be eligible to remain on our campuses this year. However, we know that our international students likely have many questions and concerns about this new policy, especially those students who are currently living outside the United States. We will be reaching out to these students to help them comply with this new policy.
We also know that international students have faced a large number of challenges during this pandemic – from travel bans to a lack of flights to get home to economic challenges in their native countries. Tulane has been and will continue to engage in national advocacy on behalf of our international community.
We want to assure our international students that, whether they study remotely or in person, we are committed to them and to their education. They will always have a home at Tulane. The expertise, insights, perspectives and experiences of international students are critical to the mission of a major research university such as Tulane. International students are welcomed and cherished members of our academic family and our city. In order to prepare our students to lead in the global economy, our campuses must reflect the rich and wonderful diversity of our world.
So I write to underscore our commitment to the protection of our international students. “Not for one’s self, but for one’s own” is a motto that begins at home and stretches around the globe – wherever Tulanians live.
President Michael Fitts
