OPINION & EDITORIAL
Price of security
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Also by Badger Herald Editorial Board:
- A security fee-for-all (December 11, 2007)
- Farewell, Chancellor (December 10, 2007)
- $$FC (December 6, 2007)
- In a bind (December 5, 2007)
- Entitlement Town (December 4, 2007)
Related Stories:
- SEVIS not over the line (September 11, 2003)
- Sevis a burden, not a solution (April 24, 2003)
- A block at the gate (August 29, 2003)
- Letters to the Editor (September 27, 2004)
- CAPPS II: Immoral and ineffective (January 19, 2004)
by Badger Herald Editorial Board
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
For the second consecutive year, the University of Wisconsin is picking up the tab for the federally-mandated Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. SEVIS, an electronic database designed to track and monitor international students, was implemented in 2003 as part of the USA Patriot Act and is meant to prevent terrorists from entering the United States on student visas.
While the federal government mandates all colleges and universities in the United States comply with SEVIS, it provides no funding to cover the program’s expense. With the costs of SEVIS expected to reach approximately $246,000 at UW this year, funding for the program has become a hot issue. Last year UW was given a one-time donation to cover the costs, but with no such gift in sight this year, the cost of SEVIS will come directly out of the general fund. This means that a university already embattled with state budget cuts, fewer course offerings and tuition hikes will have to find a way to sneak in an added cost of nearly a quarter-million dollars.
The irony of the situation is that the international students the program was built for do not expect to pay a dime for the service. Last year UW administrators initially suggested international students incur the cost of the program by paying a fee of $100 a year. This is a fee that is much less than the numerous extra fees that come with out-of-state tuition or even the charges associated with reciprocity tuition. Yet the 3,700 international students on campus balked at the idea of paying an added cost to cover the proper handling and registration of their international documents —- which ultimately ensures their own safety and the safety of the students around them.
While it may not seem “fair” that international students alone carry the bulk of this additional expense, Americans students traveling abroad are heaped with special fees and costs. Even students who live in states other than Wisconsin are expected to pay additional fees when they attend UW (again, think of out-of-state and reciprocity tuition). It only makes sense that international students pick up the rather small cost —- $50 a semester is not going to break anyone’s bank. It is ridiculous to assume that Americans traveling abroad should have to swallow similar government fees while students attending American universities get off fee-free.
International students are a vital part of every college and university in the United States —- there is no disputing this. They add diversity and unique perspectives to campuses that are many times homogenous. But with many states such as Wisconsin are facing a higher-education funding crisis, it is essential that certain fees, such as those incurred by SEVIS, are doled out to the students directly using the services.
Anonymous (September 22, 2004 @ 9:23am):
If it's all about "fairness" and keeping students safe, why should only international students be forced to pay for SEVIS? We all benefit, right? Shouldn't we all be willing to pay an additional fee, say $10 or so?
Despite the authors' claims, $50 a semester can and sometimes does "break someone's bank." Unlike American students, international students are barred from taking additional jobs to supplement their income. Since their stipends are barely enough to live on in the first place, they can hardly afford an additional $100 fee. Furthermore, the added diversity and different opinions they bring to our campus provide a tremendous benefit to our American students. That benefit will be lost if international students stop coming here because they are being gouged with ridiculous fees.
Perhaps some of the money to pay for SEVIS could come from the Badger Herald's budget. After all, if this kind of slanted, inaccurate, biased drivel is what passes for journalism around here, we really have no need for a second student paper, do we?
