UNVA students still live in fear of the unknown

New Jersey, September 14: More than a month after federal officials conducted another raid on the campuses of the University of Northern Virginia, students still are not sure what course the federal investigation will take or what the future holds for them.

After the Annandale-based university ran into trouble with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement following a July 28 raid, the picture remains murky for the nearly 2,300 enrolled students, more than 90 percent of whom are Indian , mostly from Andhra Pradesh.

Many of the students that TeluguPeople.com spoke to expressed concern and frustration that it may be the end of their dreams of getting an US education, despite having valid visas and having spent several thousands of dollars for study.

'Many of us are still suffering from the after effects of the shock but we are also picking up the pieces and trying to move on. None of the students have opted to return to India. We want to continue our studies at UNVA. Unlike students of the (California-based) Tri-Valley University, all our student visas were issued in the name of UNVA itself. We did everything right and followed all the rules for international students and maintained our attendance rigorously,' says 29-year-old K. Srikanth (name changed to protect identity), a management professional from Hyderabad who is enrolled in the first year of the M.B.A program at UNVA.

'UNVA was not my first choice, though I had a couple of friends who were already there. I opted for it since it was closer to other major metropolitan centers and the couple of meetings that I had with college officials went well. All my papers are in order, so I had nothing to fear. Now, after the raid, I don't want to run the risk again, especially as there is talk that the school may shut doors for good. So, I am seeking a transfer to Bridgeport University, Connecticut, though I will be losing a semester of my M.S. program,' says Srinivas Malladi (name changed) from Warangal.

The school, for its part, has told students that there was no danger of shutting down permanently. 'UNVA does not intend to close at all,' Shawn Whitaker, UNVA attorney, told The Washington Times during an interview last month, 'Federal officials have told us that any evidence is sealed. We don't know exactly what the allegations are.' The news report also quoted ICE spokeswoman Cori Bassett as saying the school was only under review and cannot be forced to close.

Many students told TeluguPeople.com that they chose UNVA because of its proximity to the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region and also because there had been no adverse reports against the school till then.

'I come from a lower middle class family and wanted to succeed financially by securing a good job after my US management degree. I had no reason to doubt UNVA,' says Srikkanth who has already completed one year of study and spent nearly $15,000 on the program. 'The authorities were targeting the college, not us. The lesson should be taught to the college, not the students,' he adds.

Though still not sure of their future course of action, almost all the students have opted to continue their studies at the school and are attending classes regularly.

The students mostly rely on support of several community-based organizations that are leveraging their clout to help the students. 'We have requested the school to ensure that the visa status of the students is not compromised and that they be allowed to transfer to other schools, if they want,' Ram Yalamanchili, secretary of the Telugu Association of North America (TANA) told TeluguPeople.com, 'We are also networking with other schools to ensure that students seeking transfers are accepted.'

Unlike in the case of the Tri-Valley students whose school was shut down permanently and their SEVIS records terminated, the UNVA students are on slightly firmer ground.There have been no arrests or detentions or the controversial electronic monitoring.

'We lobbied to ensure that the SEVIS records of students remain unchanged and we also made sure that our Northern Virginia representatives were constantly in touch with authorities to monitor the situation,' Mr. Yalamanchili added.

TANA has also opened active help lines for student access and asked its Northern Virginia representatives to dynamically monitor the emerging situation.

'Students from India in general and Andhra Pradesh in particular must do their own research about US Universities and be very careful in selecting the right accredited Universities before they enroll,' TANA representatives said. Students needing assistance can email TANA (www.tana.org) at team@tana.org.

Coming next in this series: The long, legal road to justice for UNVA students