Anxious Harvard-bound S'poreans press ahead with plans, even as some still don't have visas, Singapore News
SINGAPORE - Singaporean students bound for Harvard University are still pressing ahead with their plans despite uncertainty over US President Donald Trump's ban on foreign students, even as some still do not have their visas.
Ms Welly Tantono, the president of its Singapore alumni club, told The Straits Times on June 14 that as far as she is aware, none of the prospective Singaporean students have relinquished their offers.
The Harvard Club of Singapore on June 14 organised a pre-departure meeting for the Republic's Harvard hopefuls, which ST understands was attended by more than 10 matriculating undergraduates and postgraduates.
Among them, about half have yet to obtain their visas, said a Harvard Club Board member, who declined to be named.
Some existing visa appointments at the local US embassy have also been cancelled, and new appointments are difficult to make, he added.
A total of 22 people had indicated on the club's website that they would attend the annual event, which was held at Monk's Brew Club in Katong.
Ms Tantono said the event had hoped to "offer comfort" to matriculating students.
Typically a celebratory affair, it took on a different tenor this year with the theme Navigating Your Next Steps Amid Uncertainty, as anxious attendees sought advice and assurance.
According to the club's website, immigration lawyers and consular officers were present to address students' concerns about student visas, immigration issues and legal documentation.
Current Harvard students and alumni were also invited to offer guidance to new students.
Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan had said on June 7 that Singapore's embassy in Washington has been seeking clarification from the US State Department and Department of Homeland Security on whether there would be a delay in visa processing for Singaporean students hoping to study in the US.
[[nid:718778]]
He added that the Government is trying to find solutions to deal with the worst-case scenario where students are not able to physically study in Boston.
Harvard's fall semester is due to start in late August, with first-year students arriving a week early for placement tests and adjustment to campus life.
Ms Tantono said that amid the uncertainty, Harvard University has been up to date in its communications with international students, who understandably may have many concerns.
The students have also been in contact with the Harvard International Office, she added.
Mr Trump has made recent moves to re-work the landscape of American higher education - claiming that private schools have tolerated campus anti-Semitism, while fostering anti-American and "radical left" ideologies.
In April, the Trump Administration froze close to US$3 billion (S$3.8 billion) of Harvard's federal research funding.
A month later, the school's right to host and enrol foreign students and scholars was terminated - a move that was later halted by a US District Judge.
Mr Trump's June 4 directive to bar foreign nationals seeking to study the US from entering the country was also blocked temporarily by the judge, who on June 5, also extended May's hold by about two weeks.
The new temporary block made in June will also last for two weeks.
The effects of the president's siege have been felt across the university, where close to 6,800 international students make up about a third of the student populace. This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
an hour ago
- Business Times
Iran threatens US bases in response to strikes on nuclear sites
[WASHINGTON] Iran on Sunday threatened US bases in the Middle East after massive air strikes that Washington said had destroyed Tehran's nuclear programme, though some officials cautioned that the extent of damage was unclear. International concern intensified that the unprecedented US attacks would deepen conflict in the Middle East after Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran earlier this month. Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said bases used by US forces could be attacked in retaliation. 'Any country in the region or elsewhere that is used by American forces to strike Iran will be considered a legitimate target for our armed forces,' he said in a message carried by the official IRNA news agency. 'America has attacked the heart of the Islamic world and must await irreparable consequences.' BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up President Donald Trump urged Iran to end the conflict after he launched surprise 'bunker buster' strikes on a key underground uranium enrichment site at Fordo, along with nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz. 'We had a spectacular military success yesterday, taking the 'bomb' right out of their hands (and they would use it if they could!)' he said on social media. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Pentagon press briefing that Iran's nuclear program was 'devastated,' adding that the operation 'did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people.' Standing beside Hegseth, top US general Dan Caine said 'it would be way too early for me to comment on what may or may not still be there.' 'Initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.' Tehran protests As Iran's leaders struck a defiant tone, President Masoud Pezeshkian also vowed that the United States would 'receive a response' to the attacks. People gathered Sunday in the center of Tehran to protest against US and Israeli attacks, waving flags and chanting slogans. In an address to the nation hours after the attack, Trump had claimed total success for the operation, and Vice-President JD Vance followed up on Sunday morning. 'We know that we set the Iranian nuclear programme back substantially last night,' he told ABC. But he also suggested Iran still had its highly enriched uranium. 'We're going to work in the coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel,' he said. 'They no longer have the capacity to turn that stockpile of highly enriched uranium to weapons grade uranium.' Another Khamenei advisor, Ali Shamkhani, said in a post on X that 'even if nuclear sites are destroyed, game isn't over, enriched materials, indigenous knowledge, political will remain.' Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told CNN there were clear signs of the hit on Fordo. But no one knows 'how much it has been damaged,' he said. The IAEA said it had not detected any increase in radiation at the nuclear sites and Tehran said there were no signs of contamination. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prayed for Trump at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Sunday, after hailing the strikes as a move that would 'change history.' Retaliation risk The Israeli military was also checking the results of the US raid on the deeply buried nuclear facility in Fordo, with a spokesman saying it was uncertain if Iran had already removed enriched uranium from the site. The main US strike group was seven B-2 Spirit bombers that flew 18 hours from the American mainland to Iran, Caine said. In response to the attack, which used over a dozen massive 'bunker buster' bombs, Iran's armed forces said they targeted multiple sites in Israel including Ben Gurion airport, the country's main international gateway near Tel Aviv. Israeli rescuers said at least 23 people were wounded. In Jerusalem, Claudio Hazan, a 62-year-old software engineer, said he hoped the US intervention would hasten an end to the Iran-Israel war. 'Israel by itself would not stop... and it would take longer,' he said. At least nine members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed on Sunday in Israeli attacks on central Iran, local media reported, as fighting between the two foes continued. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed more than 400 people since they began, Iran's health ministry said. Iran's attacks on Israel have killed 24 people, according to official figures. The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, which had been mediating Iran-US nuclear talks, criticised the US strikes and called for de-escalation. The leaders of France, Germany and Britain urged Iran 'not to take any further action that could destabilise the region' and UN chief Antonio Guterres warned of a cycle of retaliation. Iran's Huthi allies in Yemen on Sunday repeated their threat to resume attacks in the Red Sea if Washington joined the war, saying they were ready to target US ships. The US president had stepped up his rhetoric against Iran since Israel first struck the country on June 13, repeating his insistence it could never have nuclear weapons. AFP
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 23, 2025
US House Speaker Mike Johnson was one of the lawmakers allegedly notified of the US military action ahead of time. PHOTO: REUTERS While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 23, 2025 US lawmakers call for Congress to review Trump's Iran actions Some Democratic and Republican lawmakers on June 22 called on Congress to rein in President Donald Trump's use of military force in Iran and prevent US involvement in a deepening Middle East conflict. With Republican leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives strongly backing the US attacks on key Iranian nuclear sites, it seemed unlikely any resolution that asserts the power of Congress to declare war and restricts Mr Trump's actions could pass both chambers. US Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said he expects to force the Senate to vote this week on his measure requiring Mr Trump to terminate hostilities against Iran unless explicitly authorised by a declaration of war from Congress. Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California said they want a vote on similar legislation they introduced in the House. 'This is the US jumping into a war of choice at Donald Trump's urging, without any compelling national security interest for the United States to act in this way, particularly without a debate and vote in Congress,' Mr Kaine told CBS' Face the Nation programme. READ MORE HERE Satellite images undermine Trump's claim that Iran's atomic sites were destroyed President Donald Trump's decision to order US forces to attack three key Iranian nuclear installations may have sabotaged the Islamic Republic's known atomic capabilities, but it's also created a monumental new challenge to work out what's left and where. Mr Trump said heavily fortified sites were 'totally obliterated' late on June 21, but independent analysis has yet to verify that claim. Rather than yielding a quick win, the strikes have complicated the task of tracking uranium and ensuring Iran doesn't build a weapon, according to three people who follow the country's nuclear programme. International Atomic Energy Agency monitors remain in Iran and were inspecting more than one site a day before Israel started the bombing campaign on June 13. READ MORE HERE At least 20 killed in suicide bombing at Damascus church At least 20 people were killed and dozens injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighbourhood of Syria's capital Damascus on June 22, health authorities and security sources said. The incident marks the first suicide bombing inside Damascus since Mr Bashar al-Assad was toppled by an Islamist-led rebel insurgency in December. Syria's interior ministry said the suicide bomber was a member of the terror group Islamic State. READ MORE HERE 12 arrested as wave of syringe attacks mar France street music festival French police have detained twelve suspects after 145 people reported being pricked with syringes during the country's annual street music festival, officials said June 22. Millions of people took to the streets across France on the evening of June 21 for the Fete de la Musique, with authorities reporting 'unprecedented crowds' in Paris. Before the party, posts on social media had called for women to be targeted during the festivities. READ MORE HERE Carlos Alcaraz beats Jiri Lehecka in Queen's final to send Wimbledon statement Top seed Carlos Alcaraz edged out Czech Jiri Lehecka 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 to claim his second Queen's Club title on June 22 and send out a powerful statement ahead of his Wimbledon defence. The 22-year-old Spaniard, who triumphed at Queen's a few weeks before claiming his first Wimbledon title in 2023, extended his winning streak to 18 matches but was pushed hard by Lehecka, who underlined his own credentials as a rising force. Alcaraz pounced at 5-5 to break the Lehecka serve and duly bagged the opening set in 45 minutes. READ MORE HERE Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
From isolationist to warmonger: Will Trump's Iran bet pay off?
US President Donald Trump took the biggest gamble of his combined four and a half years in the White House on the night of June 21 in striking Iran. PHOTO: EPA-EFE President Donald Trump took the biggest gamble of his combined 4½ years in the White House on the night of June 21 in striking Iran and joining Israel's war against the Islamic republic. His primary wager is that Iran and its proxies in the Middle East have been so weakened that the US President can cast his intervention as both limited and successful. It is also a bet that a cowed Tehran will swiftly seek a settlement rather than retaliating. If Mr Trump is right, he will have achieved a goal of US foreign policy spanning multiple administrations – the elimination of the Iranian nuclear threat – and done so at relatively low cost. But the move carries the huge risk of inflaming the Middle East further – jeopardising the security of the US and Israel, and backfiring on a president who had vowed not to draw America into new global conflicts. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
