Latest news with #UCSB
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Foreign students face uncertainty under Trump's shifting visa policies
Santa Barbara, California – Far away from US President Donald Trump's public confrontations with elite universities like Harvard and Columbia, students at the bustling University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) are finishing up their final exams under the sunny skies shining above the nearby beach. Despite the distance and pleasant weather, students here still feel the cloud of uncertainty hanging over them, created by Trump's rhetoric and policies towards foreign students. 'The overall mood across the room [among international students] is that people are looking for other options,' said Denis Lomov, a 26-year-old PhD student from Russia who has been at UCSB since 2022 studying climate change politics and energy transitions. Since coming into office this year, the Trump administration has revoked the student visas of hundreds of foreign nationals, slashed funding for science and research programmes, arrested and tried to deport foreign nationals involved in pro-Palestine campus activism, and suspended student visa appointments. For international students at universities like UCSB, where nearly 15 percent of all students are from outside the US, the rhetoric and policies have left students wondering about their futures in the country. 'It makes you wonder if maybe you'd rather go somewhere else,' Lomov told Al Jazeera, adding that he is still several years away from completing his PhD. Like his fellow international students, he said he has started to consider whether his skills might be more valued in places like Canada or Europe after he finishes his programme. 'I think it's the unpredictability of these policies that makes me fear about the future, both with me being a student, but also after I graduate,' he said. The Trump administration's actions against universities and foreign students have met mixed results in the courts. On Monday, in one of the Trump administration's first significant legal victories in those efforts, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit from Columbia University over the government's cuts to the university's federal funding, based on allegations that the university had not taken adequate steps to curb pro-Palestine activism in the name of combatting anti-Semitism on campus. In another ruling, also on Monday, a judge extended a restraining order pausing Trump's efforts to block incoming international students from attending Harvard as the case makes its way through the legal system. Trump has also threatened to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status and has frozen more than $2.6bn in research grants. Harvard has also filed a lawsuit challenging those cuts. Several universities in the UC system, including UCSB, have warned international students against travelling outside of the country, a restriction that poses serious complications for their academic work and their personal lives. 'People are considering whether they'll be able to go home and visit their families during their programme,' said Anam Mehta, a US national and PhD student at UCSB. 'They're being extra cautious about what they post online out of concern about being questioned at the airport,' added Mehta, who is also involved with the UAW 4811 academic workers union. These concerns, he said, could also stymie the ability of international students to conduct field work in foreign countries, a common feature of graduate research, or attend academic conferences abroad. Some students — and even university administrators themselves — have noted that it is difficult to keep up with the raft of policy announcements, media reports, lawsuits, and counter-lawsuits that have unfolded as Trump presses his attacks on higher education. 'There have been frequent changes and a lot of these policies have been implemented very quickly and without a lot of advanced notice,' Carola Smith, an administrator at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC), said, noting that prospective international students have reached out with questions about whether they are still able to study in the US. Smith says that between 60 and 70 different national identities are represented on campus and that, in addition to international students paying higher tuition fees than US students, their presence on campus provides a welcome exposure to a wider variety of perspectives for their classmates and creates connections with people from other parts of the world. With student visa appointments currently suspended, Smith predicted the number of foreign student enrollments could drop by as much as 50 percent in the coming year. The stress of keeping up with shifting developments has also been paired with a more abstract concern: that the US, once seen as a country that took pride in its status as a global destination for research and academics, has become increasingly hostile to the presence of foreign students. 'Harvard has to show us their lists [of foreign students]. They have foreign students, almost 31 percent of their students. We want to know where those students come from. Are they troublemakers? What countries do they come from?' Trump said in March. The administration has also said that international students take university spots that could go to US students, in line with a more inward-looking approach to policy that sees various forms of exchange with other countries as a drain on the US rather than a source of mutual benefit. 'They're arguing that they don't need international students, that this is talent they should be cultivating here at home,' says Jeffrey Rosario, an assistant professor at Loma Linda University in southern California. 'You can see a throughline between this and their tariffs abroad, based on this form of economic nationalism that says the rest of the world is ripping us off,' added Rosario, who has written about the government's history of trying to exert influence over universities. For Lomov, the student from Russia, the atmosphere has him wondering if his skills might find a better home elsewhere. 'I left Russia because I didn't feel welcome there, and my expertise wasn't really needed. That's why I left for the United States, because I knew the United States provides amazing opportunities for academics and research,' said Lomov. 'But now it feels like maybe I'm back in the same place, where I have to leave again.'
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Letters to the Editor: Why pro-Palestinian protests can actually help protect Jewish students
To the editor: Although I have no qualms calling out President Trump's exploitation of antisemitism charges to silence dissent and defund education, I object to this article's premise that the college protests make Jews unsafe and would argue the opposite is true ('Being Jewish on campus amid Trump's campaign against antisemitism: 'tremendous heartache,'' June 9). Pro-Palestinian protests on campus increase Jewish people's safety because they challenge the normalization of Israel's bombardment and blockage of food, water, medicine and fuel on a starving and caged population in Gaza. Once we normalize and arm the slaughter and imposition of starvation on Gaza, we normalize crimes against humanity everywhere, leaving us all unsafe. Moreover, Israel's proclamation that it is the state of the Jewish people unfairly associates Jews worldwide with its policies of apartheid and ethnic cleansing. I live in Santa Barbara, where I supported the UCSB encampment in the spring of last year and continue to applaud students of all denominations who say, "Never again means never again for anyone." Equating such protests and encampments with antisemitism does us all a disservice. I do not want to be associated with Israel's war crimes, as alleged by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court, and appreciate the opportunity to participate in the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace. Not in our name! Marcy Winograd, Santa BarbaraThis writer is a member of the California legislative team for Jewish Voice for Peace. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: Why pro-Palestinian protests can actually help protect Jewish students
To the editor: Although I have no qualms calling out President Trump's exploitation of antisemitism charges to silence dissent and defund education, I object to this article's premise that the college protests make Jews unsafe and would argue the opposite is true ('Being Jewish on campus amid Trump's campaign against antisemitism: 'tremendous heartache,'' June 9). Pro-Palestinian protests on campus increase Jewish people's safety because they challenge the normalization of Israel's bombardment and blockage of food, water, medicine and fuel on a starving and caged population in Gaza. Once we normalize and arm the slaughter and imposition of starvation on Gaza, we normalize crimes against humanity everywhere, leaving us all unsafe. Moreover, Israel's proclamation that it is the state of the Jewish people unfairly associates Jews worldwide with its policies of apartheid and ethnic cleansing. I live in Santa Barbara, where I supported the UCSB encampment in the spring of last year and continue to applaud students of all denominations who say, 'Never again means never again for anyone.' Equating such protests and encampments with antisemitism does us all a disservice. I do not want to be associated with Israel's war crimes, as alleged by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court, and appreciate the opportunity to participate in the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace. Not in our name! Marcy Winograd, Santa BarbaraThis writer is a member of the California legislative team for Jewish Voice for Peace.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Sad end in hunt for baby-faced student, 22, who vanished at California beauty spot
The search for a University of California Santa Barbara student who vanished while out with friends at a rural beauty spot has ended in tragedy. The body of Tanner Prentiss, 22, was discovered in Big Bear Lake on Monday. Prentiss disappeared on Saturday night while visiting the area with friends, according to the Big Bear Sheriff's Department. He was last seen just after midnight when he left his rental cabin and never returned. Police said he was wearing a black hoodie and jeans. The student was reported missing and deputies implemented an exhaustive search, recruiting dive team members to look for Prentiss. Authorities then issued a grim update that Prentiss' body was located in the water near the Pine Knot Marina. A cause of death has yet to be determined, but the coroner's office has initiated an investigation. There is no foul play suspected at this time. 'Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tanner's family, friends, and all those who are affected by his loss,' the sheriff's department said in a statement. Big Bear Lake is a popular tourist destination, and Prentiss was staying at a rental cabin in the area, according to authorities 'The family is requesting privacy as they navigate through this tragic incident.' Prentiss was a senior at the University of California Santa Barbara studying sociology and economics, according to his LinkedIn profile. A representative for the university told the Los Angeles Times,:'Losing a member of our UC Santa Barbara community is heartbreaking.' 'We understand the impact and stress surrounding this tragedy and are committed to supporting our campus community who may be impacted. 'Our campus offers resources to students, staff and faculty who are in need of support.' Tributes have already begun pouring in for the university student, with dozens of comments on social media praising Prentiss. 'Rest is paradise Tan Man love you forever brother,' one comment read on his recent Instagram post. 'You better be dj'ing your heart out up there. rest is peace tanner, you're missed so much already,' another read. 'Rest in peace [heart emoji] i hope they find out what happened to you, may your soul be safe and sound,' a third added. A GoFundMe was set up for the Prentiss family, by his roommate. The fundraiser has already surpassed the $20,000 goal. 'It's hard to put into words what Tanner meant to those who knew him. He truly was an angel on earth — kind, compassionate, and deeply selfless,' the description read. 'Tanner believed in the good in people, even when they didn't see it in themselves. 'That's something I'll always carry with me, and I know many others will too.'
Forbes
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
NCAA Softball Postseason Parity Sees Overall No. 1 Seed Texas A&M Fall
On Sunday night Liberty Lady Flames softball beat the overall No.1 seeded Texas A&M to advance to Super Regional play for the first time in program history. However and perhaps the most shocking first was the premature exit of the overall No. 1 seed, a feat that had yet to happen in the modern collegiate softball era. The 64-team regional post season play that began on Friday, May 16 saw several upsets demonstrating the parity and growth within collegiate softball, especially in the NIL era. University of California-Santa Barbara (UCSB) knocked out Power 4 foe Arizona State, a program with a history steeped in post season play including winning the national title in 20o8 and 2011. UCSB eventually fell to 12 time national champions and softball powerhouse UCLA in the championship game, but not before knocking out the Sun Devils and San Diego State Aztecs. In a similar trajectory to Liberty, Southeastern Louisiana shocked and eliminated the No. 10 LSU Tigers in the opening game 4-3, booting them into the losers bracket. The Lady Lions would defeat the Tigers a second time, 8-7, eliminating them from the tournament. Southeastern would eventually fall in the championship game to the Nebraska Cornhuskers led by Player of the Year finalist, two way player Jordy Bahl (formerly of Oklahoma softball). This parity continues to evolve in the game with more teams not only making the post season, but taking games from larger, stacked Power 4 teams. Despite this parity, only eight mid-majors (Fresno State in 1997, 1998, & 1999; UMass in 1998; DePaul in 1999, 2000, 2005, & 2007; Louisiana-Lafayette in 2003, 2008, & 2014; Hawaii in 2010; South Florida in 2012; Southern Mississippi in 1999 & 2000; and James Madison University in 2021) have made the Women's College World Series since 1997 when the tournament took its permanent residence at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, OK. The Lady Flames will look to be the ninth team added to this small, but mighty list of mid-major teams etching their name into the Women's College World Series history books. For the full schedule and bracket for Super Regionals, click here. Follow me for more collegiate softball and women's sports news on X, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
