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Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design (GSD) dean joined Alan Garber, the university’s president, in condemning the federal government earlier this week after it moved to block the university from being able to admit international students. GSD has a higher proportion of international students compared to the rest of the University’s student body, and Dean Sarah M. Whiting said international students are an integral part of the school. “I join President Garber in condemning the governments illegal action against our school, and in affirming the immense value our international students bring to the GSD community,” Dean Sarah M. Whiting said in a note shared online Saturday. Whiting, who’s also a Josep Lluis Sert professor of architecture, said GSD is “one of the most international schools at Harvard” and that the school’s international makeup “goes back to the founding of the GSD.” Nearly a third of Harvard GSD students are international, which is higher than the 14% of international students who make up of the general student body at large, according to Peterson’s, an educational services company. Six of the school’s eight class of 2025 commencement marshals who represent their disciples at graduation are from outside the U.S. Whiting added that its international student body “is part of our DNAour student body, our faculty, our staff, and the discipline and practice of design all thrive on this internationalism. The extraordinary breadth of experience and perspectives that the international members of our community provide is essential to who we are. The school offers programs through its departments of architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning and design, design studies, and design engineering. A spokesperson from the school declined to comment for this piece. A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from rescinding Harvard’s ability to admit international students on Friday after the Department of Homeland Security revoked its Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification for admitting foreign students. Now, Trump is attempting to go after the university in other ways, including calls to redirect grants from the university to trade schools and no longer scheduling student visa appointments. Trump said Wednesday Harvard should have a cap of about 15% on international students and accused the university of being antisemitic and a “disaster.” Garber, the university president, told NPR Wednesday that Harvard should “stand firm” to its “commitment to the good of the nation” in the face of Trump’s retaliation over the private university’s policies around admissions, DEI programs, hiring, and international students.
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E-Commerce
Swiss residents were struggling on Thursday to absorb the scale of devastation caused by a huge chunk of glacier that has buried most of their picturesque village, in what scientists suspect is a dramatic example of the impact of climate change on the Alps. A deluge of ice, mud and rock crashed down the mountain on Wednesday, engulfing some 90% of the village of Blatten. Its 300 residents had already been evacuated earlier in May after part of the mountain behind the Birch Glacier began to crumble. However, rescue teams with search dogs were still scouring the area on Thursday for a missing 64-year-old man after an initial scan with thermal drones found nothing. As the Swiss army closely monitored the situation, some experts warned of the risks of flooding as vast mounds of debris almost two kilometers across are clogging the path of the River Lonza, causing a huge lake to swell amid the wreckage. “I don’t want to talk just now, I lost everything yesterday. I hope you understand,” said one middle-aged woman from Blatten, declining to give her name as she sat alone disconsolately in front of a church in the neighbouring village of Wiler. Nearby, the road ran along the valley before ending abruptly at the mass of mud and debris now blanketing her own village. Just a few roofs poked up through the sea of sludge. A thin cloud of dust hung in the air over the Kleines Nesthorn Mountain where the rockslide occurred while a helicopter buzzed overhead. Martin Henzen, another Blatten resident, said he was still trying to process what had occurred and did not want to speak for others in the village, saying only: “Most are calm, but they’re obviously affected.” They had been making preparations for some kind of natural disaster but “not for this scenario,” he added, referring to the scale of destruction. ‘ENORMOUS PLUG’ But the immediate dangers might not be over. “The water from the River Lonza cannot flow down the valley because there is an enormous plug,” Raphael Mayoraz, a cantonal geologist, told Swiss national broadcaster SRF. “The worst case scenario is possible flooding.” Up to one million cubic meters of water are accumulating daily as a result of the debris damming up the river, said Christian Huggel, a professor of environment and climate at the University of Zurich. Matthias Ebener, a spokesperson for local authorities, said some residents of neighbouring villages had been evacuated as a precaution. The incident has revived concern about the impact of rising temperatures on Alpine permafrost which has long frozen gravel and boulders in place, creating new mountain hazards. For years, the Birch Glacier has been creeping down the mountainside, pressured by shifting debris near the summit. Matthias Huss, head of the Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (GLAMOS), pointed to the likely influence of climate change in loosening the rock mass in the permafrost zone, which triggered this week’s collapse. “Unexpected things happen at places that we have not seen for hundreds of years, most probably due to climate change,” he told Reuters. Dave Graham, Reuters
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E-Commerce
The Trump administration has taken another step to limit international students in the United States, threatening action against Chinese nationals in particular. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States will aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students. About 277,000 Chinese nationals studied in the U.S. during the 2023 to 2024 school year. The vague statement goes on to explain that this includes individuals connected to the Chinese Communist Party or choosing to study in critical fieldswhatever he decides that means. Rubio also states that future Chinese applicants, including those from Hong Kong, will face updated student visa criteria to enhance scrutiny. The Departments of State and Homeland Security will work together on these aggressive actions. Fast Company reached out to the State Department for additional details. Vague statement immediately reverberates Incoming Chinese students are now scrambling to find a solution. According to Reuters, those who have yet to procure a student visa are scouring for any available appointments, considering deferring their acceptance, or turning to schools in more accessible countries. The announcement follows another blow to international students this week. On Tuesday, the Trump administration reportedly told embassies around the world not to schedule any new interviews for student visa applications until it could determine a social media vetting plan. The order came through a cable signed by Rubio, viewed and first reported by Politico. Once again, Rubio provided no clear guidance on how this vetting will occur or the impact on international students set to begin classes this fall.
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E-Commerce
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