AAUP-OSU Stands with International Scholars
- AAUP OSU
- Apr 14
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 10
The faculty members of AAUP-Ohio State stand unconditionally with OSU international students and scholars, core members of our Buckeye community. We deplore the wave of visa revocations and the intimidation tactics that the federal government has leveled against valued members of our community. We demand that the Ohio State administration act to meaningfully defend our international scholars, and we commit to doing all we can to support you.
Tremendous injustices against immigrants are taking place in the United States today, particularly immigrants of color, with no end in sight. The demonization and criminalization of immigrants and people of color is nothing new. And yet there is a new terror at hand, with international students like Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk being abducted off the street and sent to detention centers. Meanwhile, hundreds of others have had visas revoked, and the rights of permanent citizens are being ignored.
Over the last several days, these atrocities have hit home. As of this writing, eleven OSU students have had their visas revoked by the federal government. We fear that more will follow. While the reasons for each revocation have not been made public, we know that, nationally, students of color and students in support of Palestine have been particularly, unfairly targeted. Nationwide and here, in our university home, students are being treated like criminals for free speech or, in other cases, because of minor (or even erroneous) infractions. Many visa revocations appear to have no discernible justification at all.
Our university boasts a commitment to international students and rightly acknowledges them as a “vibrant part of our community.” It is the responsibility of everyone in positions of leadership at our university–the Board of Trustees, President Carter, Provost Bellamkonda, Vice President Rastauskas, the deans of our various colleges, as well as all of us on the faculty and staff–to enact this commitment, making every possible effort to resist the upending of the research, education, and lives of our international community and the countless areas of the university their work supports. No student–no person–deserves to endure this uncertainty.
To our leaders: we call on you to see these attacks for what they are. An attack on any Buckeye is an attack on us all. We have heard our leaders say that they are defenders of the law. These visa revocations are unlawful, unjust, and in urgent need of redress. Now is the time for our university leaders to act on boldly stated promises. We appreciate expressions of support–but far more is needed to make us feel safe on campus.
We, as faculty members of AAUP-Ohio State, commit ourselves to doing all we can to protect our students, including the following public actions:
Forming bonds with immigrant rights networks in Columbus that can support international students and deploying their best practices at OSU;
Organizing “Know Your Rights” trainings and demonstrations to raise awareness and build community;
Speaking out at department and university meetings or in private conversations to compel Ohio State to fulfill its responsibilities;
Being a resource for international students in answering questions, and when we don’t have the answers connecting and advocating alongside them for those answers; and
Preventing ICE from illegally entering our classrooms without the proper documentation and alerting networks of support if a student is removed.
Of course, we cannot prescribe what each individual faculty member can do on behalf of students, publicly or behind the scenes, because some faculty are vulnerable themselves–as international scholars on work visas or green cards, as members of communities of color, as LGBTQ+, as untenured and contingent, and/or as active in the Palestine solidarity movement. To these individuals, we pledge our support as well.
To those threatened by the government's careless and harmful overreach onto our campus: we see you, and we stand with you. We recognize your brilliance, your aspirations, and your hard work. We will continue to fight for your rights and for your future here.
Who protects us? We protect us.
For questions, comments, or requests for support, email us at osuaaup@gmail.com
