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MICHAEL DUNNE: I'm Michael Dunne. College is supposed to be fun. Yes, it's a critical part of many people's lives, and will have major impacts beyond the years on campus, but the goal for attending college is to learn and thrive in a safe and nurturing environment. But right now, under draconian policies from the Trump administration, many international students are living in fear on campus. Today, on the show, you'll hear from the Vice Provost of the University of Oregon about this unprecedented attack on foreign born students and what the university administration is doing to both protect and defend these students. Then in the last part of the show, will stay on campus, but dive into a totally different subject, that of a student workers union strike, impacting thousands of people. Today on the show, we bring you two major developments emanating from the University of Oregon. First, we'll talk about threats and protections for international students, and then we'll check in on the student workers union strike. Before we get to the situation with international students, there's been an update since we recorded this interview, and here is that update. Quote - In the last few weeks, the US Department of Homeland Security has revoked the visa status of four international students at the U of O. Since that time, and with the help of outside legal counsel, all four students have found pathways to remain in the US legally. Additionally, as of noon on April 25 three students have had their visas reactivated, one via court action. The U of O expects the remaining students' visa status to be reactivated as part of federal action. The reinstatements are part of a broader move by the US Department of Justice to reactivate visa status for international students across the country. Dennis Galvan the Vice President for Global Engagement at the University of Oregon. Dennis, thanks so much for coming on and talking with us.
DENNIS GALVAN: It's a pleasure to be here. Michael, thanks for having me.
MICHAEL DUNNE: W don't you tell us what is the University of Oregon policy that impacts the international study of students and their place at the university.
DENNIS GALVAN: Sure, the University of Oregon is deeply committed to being a welcoming campus for people from around the world, students, faculty, staff and visitors. So, from a policy point of view, we are open doors, and we know that to be a great university, we must be a globally engaged university. So, we bring international students from every corner of the globe, and we know that they enhance every classroom, every club, every dorm, every campus experience. They give Oregon students and students from around the US an international experience right here on campus. And we have a system for making sure that they're here legally and they have the rate of visa status, and we work with them very closely to make sure they stay on the right side of all the rules associated with being an international student.
MICHAEL DUNNE: However, you want to put context around it, give us the current status of those students today on campus at the University of Oregon.
DENNIS GALVAN: Sure, it's business as usual for almost all of our students, in that they are here on the various appropriate kinds of visas, studying, doing research, contributing to the community. And then, as we all know nationally, the administration in Washington DC has been targeting some students to revoke their official immigration status, and so that has created quite a bit of a scramble, not just at the University of Oregon, but around the state and around the country.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Are there students that are sort of in limbo right now on campus at the University of Oregon because of the federal action that we've all been reading about and seeing?
DENNIS GALVAN: Yes. And there are two levels to that answer, Michael. First, there are four students - and this is widely circulated out in the media - there are four University of Oregon students who had their immigration status record terminated, and that's something that is extremely rare and historically in the many decades that me and my team have been working on this, we see that happen pretty much only because a student drops below the minimum credit requirement. A student works off campus when they're not supposed to, and we get into an extended advising conversation with them to help them figure things out before any kind of termination would ever happen. Now, with what's been going on, this is something completely new, which is this summary termination with very little account of why, coming out of Washington, DC and so the four students in question, they had to get a message that says from us, from the University of Oregon, we're legally required to say your immigration status has been terminated, and you have 15 days to leave the country unless you can find a legal a way to stay in the country legally. And I'm pleased to say that all four have found that through the help of good immigration attorneys, we are really lucky in Oregon to have a state funded program called Equity Core of Oregon, which is a program that connects anyone who needs legal services, particularly around immigration, to good immigration attorneys at no cost, So our students have found help there. They found help elsewhere, and they are all on a path to stay legally in the United States thanks to the intervention of good immigration attorneys and some intervention from the courts as well. The second layer to the answer, Michael is that all the other international students have been extremely worried about whether they're next, and so we've been spending quite a bit of time advising them, getting them into the hands of immigration attorneys at low or no cost, and making sure they know that the University of Oregon has their back in terms of their studies and their research and what they need to do to get their degrees.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Maybe you could give us a little bit of a window into what are some of the questions, concerns, conversations you and your team have been having with students as well as I imagine faculty and perhaps even family members of those students.
DENNIS GALVAN: Absolutely. We see ourselves working with four concentric circles of people in need, the students themselves who had their status terminated, I think wrongly, the remaining body of international students, faculty and staff, everybody else who worries if they're next. Thirdly, the people who, as you mentioned, Michael, work with them, advise them, teach them or are their friends and care for them. And then, fourthly, in the U of O and in the Eugene Springfield community, a really large body of people who are frustrated, outraged, want to help, and are not sure how to do so. And so all four of those communities have been very important to us in the last month or so, and finding different ways to help them all. And you know, obviously the four students most affected are the ones that we've been rushing urgently to support. But international students want to know, for example, if I or faculty, if I need to travel for my research or for my professional development to go to a conference, can I do that safely? Can I come back into the United States without worry? What happens if there is a new travel ban? You remember in 2017 the so-called Muslim ban on entry from countries with predominantly Muslim populations? So, what we're doing is working with immigration attorneys, with our General Counsel, with our partners in the Big 10 academic alliance, the major professional associations. We're gathering facts as we have them. We're interpreting patterns as we can. We're being really honest when we don't have the right answers and trying to find them. And we're holding for international students in particular, and employees. We’re holding regular information sessions in relatively small groups, so by college at the University of Oregon, so maybe 50 students at a time, so people can feel comfortable, they can express not only their questions but their anxieties and fears in a safe environment. And I had one student say to me after one of these this week, she came to a second one because she felt like it just felt better to be around other people who had the same concerns and to listen to folks who were trying to find the answers. So, I think that one of the best things there's if there's a silver lining on this cloud, it's the rallying effect on campus and off campus in the community.
MICHAEL DUNNE: You know, one of the hallmarks of this entire situation has been, I can't think of a better word than whipsaw, between an executive order coming out regarding immigration and then a court maybe trying to stay that decision. My question is, how has that sort of back and forth from an executive order, a judge staying that executive order, and then other courts weighing in - how has that been to navigate that?
DENNIS GALVAN: Yeah. I'm certainly no lawyer. I'm a political scientist by training, so I kind of hang around lawyers and watch what they're doing. And sometimes I understand, but, but we're really fortunate to be teamed up here at U of O with very excellent lawyers, very empathetic lawyers who see the big picture in our General Counsel's Office and the team led by Becky Crabtree, the Director of International Student Services, who all know that regulatory environment so well. But, yes, whipsaw is a word that comes to mind, and I guess I would say in terms of the impact of that, of executive orders, judicial stays and other maneuvers by the federal government. What I think we're seeing is that, as is often the case, when we can get into face to face conversations with our students and our faculty and staff and explain, look, here's the fact pattern, here's the risk profile, here's how you as an individual can get in touch with a free or low cost immigration attorney to assess your particular risk profile, whether they're going to that conference or traveling home to visit family or whatever, or worrying about staying here or worrying about ICE…When we can get into face to face conversations and we can give the university's message, which is, yeah, maybe this is designed to stoke fear in higher Education, but we as an institution, stand by the values of research, academic freedom, inquiry, understanding, learning, curiosity. That's why we exist, and we are going to stand by those values and have the backs of our students and faculty. When we can have that face-to-face conversation, people can feel a little reassured. They can take a breath, and they don’t have to cower in fear, but assess their real risk profile and move forward. I think what we also see is that, you know, we're recruiting international students around the world right now, and it's harder to have that face-to-face conversation, and so naturally, what we hear from recruiters is, whoa, this seems like not the best time to come to the United States. And some of the students are not coming. They're choosing to go to Canada or Britain or Australia or New Zealand. But actually, the science for international recruitment preliminary signs is fairly positive. We're not going to see a dip next year.
MICHAEL DUNNE: What are some of your colleagues at other institutions in other states? What are they telling you?
DENNIS GALVAN: Yeah, you know we have friends and colleagues across the country, our friends and colleagues who we still work with in the former PAC 12, of course, in the state of Oregon, and now in the Big 10. So, it's a pretty wide group of universities, and it's pretty interesting. I think Oregon stands out in comparison as a state where we know that the governor and the Attorney General have our back and are filing lawsuits with other state attorneys general to defend higher education and the right to do the business of educating students. We know that. We know that our administration at the University of Oregon believes deeply in supporting students, regardless of where they come from. And so, I have colleagues in states that are not quite as blue as Oregon, where the idea of even holding a public forum on the regulatory changes, which we did for the whole campus on February 5, and said, Look, some executive orders have come down. Here's what we know, here's what we don't know, here's how we're going to get you information. There are colleagues at other universities that wouldn't, wouldn't have taken that step because they didn't feel like the whole system, the university, the state government, state legislature, etc., had their back. So, Oregon is a pretty special place for this, you know. And 25% of the Oregon state economy, of the GDP of Oregon is dependent on international trade. So what I've talked to and traveled with farmers from around the state on trade missions, they get it like we got blueberries and we got hay and we've got timber to export, and we can't export it all to 49 other states. So, this is a globally connected state, and I'm proud that this is a university that stands by global engagement.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Dennis Galvan is the Vice Provost for Global Engagement on the University of Oregon campus. Dennis, really appreciate it, and best of luck to you. You and your team during these very unsettled times.
DENNIS GALVAN: Thank you, Michael, and a big thanks to the whole community who are listening, because that support has meant a lot for us here on campus too.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Let's check in on the latest on the student workers union strike at the U of O. KLCC reporter Nathan Wilk, thanks so much for coming in and talking to us.
NATHAN WILK: Thank you so much, Michael.
MICHAEL DUNNE: You know, I could almost identify you as our labor correspondent. You cover strikes so much, and you're out there covering the strike that's happening at the University of Oregon regarding the student workers union. What's going on?
NATHAN WILK: Absolutely so UO Student Workers represents around 4000 employees, the union says, and that includes a lot of just the everyday sort of student jobs that you see on campus. So, working in dining halls and campus cafes, at front desks, RA’s—residence hall assistants—are also included. And so, they've been bargaining for a contract, and after 11 months, the workers decided to go on strike. They say there's still daylight between what U of O is offering and then what student workers say they're willing to accept in a contract.
MICHAEL DUNNE: And what is it that these striking student workers want?
NATHAN WILK: There are a bunch of outstanding demands, but I'll highlight a few here. Wages is a big issue. So, there's about a $3 difference in the sort of bottom level pay for hourly wages for workers between the college offer and what the students want. So that's like $15.50 versus $18.50, so a big differential there. They also want shorter pay periods. So right now, they're paid every month, which is the same as other U of O employees, but union representatives I've spoken to say that can sometimes be problematic and put workers who are working paycheck to paycheck in difficult financial situations. They don't necessarily want that immediately in this contract, but they do want concrete steps towards getting to a two-week pay period. The college is now offering to explore the idea in a working group, but it says that that proposal could be costly and it could impact other employees. Also, I'll highlight protections against harassment that the student workers want. Specifically, they want to be able to bring in a third party for the grievance and arbitration process if there is a complaint about harassment against their employer at U of O, rather than just having the college's Office of Investigation handle it. They're asking for more independence there. I asked U of O why this was a contention, but I didn't immediately receive an answer on that. So, those are some of the key demands that are leading to this strike here.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Do you think the sort of the delta on wages, is that going to be probably the hardest thing for them to come to agreement on?
NATHAN WILK: One thing I'll say about the United Academics strike was that it was averted right before it happened. Remember, those are the faculty at the university. They were looking for higher wages, and one of the conclusions that they came to in the agreement that they made was speaking to those representatives like U of O should have been planning better to pay us, but it doesn't seem like they have the money right now to give us the wages we want. That was sort of their argument and their regret in sort of agreeing to that deal instead of going to a strike. So certainly, the university's financial situation plays a role here.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Sure, sure. I know that you covered part of this, which was that the students who went out, or the student workers who went out on strike, kind of made it a demonstration. I know there's a physical picket line. Just kind of describe what you saw?
NATHAN WILK: So, you know, the primary picket line is on the main street of U of O in front of Johnson Hall, which is the administrative building. And so, there were workers circling the street there. There was a big group of them sort of set up on the lawn. And my understanding is there were also picket lines elsewhere on the University of Oregon. So definitely making it publicly known. In addition to that, the work stoppage led to a change in what the buildings looked like on campus. Walking around, I saw a lot of notices about potential under-staffing while the strike was going on. You know, I saw cafes that were normally open at that time, on Monday morning that were closed down. And, you know, looking at some photo journalism from the Daily Emerald, some help desks were closed. Additionally, you know, their presence on campus there, student workers said may be affecting other services on campus outside of the work that they do. A lot of Teamsters have in their contracts that they're able to respect picket lines, and according to the student workers, you know, there were construction workers and delivery drivers that did turn away after having conversations with the student workers that were picketing there on campus. U of O told me Monday, that it didn't have confirmation of that happening, but the Daily Emerald does have posted photo journalism reporting to show those delivery drivers turning away from campus.
MICHAEL DUNNE: You know, Nathan, my last question: do you see this as something maybe that gets settled quickly, or do you get the sense that this could go on through the remainder of the school year?
NATHAN WILK: Well, and this is one of the interesting things. You know, this comes at somewhat of a similar time to the encampment last year. Obviously a very different situation. But similarly, I mean, the deadline to the end of the school year is pretty soon here. So, you know, one of the questions moving forward as we watch this strike is, are we going to draw close to a lot of these student workers going home? A lot of the need for some of these services significantly reduces during the summer term, when there's less students there. And you know, maybe what that looks like in terms of the pressure placed on the university and on the student workers. So, we're very early in the strike, and KLCC and I will continue to be watching what happens moving forward. But definitely the timeline here is unique because we're so close to the end of the school year and the end of spring term.
MICHAEL DUNNE: Indeed. Nathan Wilk a reporter here at KLCC. Thanks so much for coming in and talking to us.
NATHAN WILK: Thank you, Michael.
MICHAEL DUNNE: That's the show for today. All episodes of Oregon on the record are available as a podcast at klcc.org. Tomorrow on the show, you'll hear about yet another threat to Oregon and the Cascadia Subduction Zone. In addition to earthquakes and tsunamis, a new study points to the potential of massive floods. I'm Michael Dunne, and this has been organ on the record from KLCC. Thanks for listening.
