All Classes Stay Open to Foreign Students

Harvard would never restrict international students’ access to any of its course offerings, senior adminstrators said yesterday in response to renewed suggestions that the government monitor courses taken by foreigners at U.S. colleges.

“There can be no constraints on intellectual exchange amongst students and faculty in areas or on subjects that are unclassified,” wrote Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles in an e-mail.

Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis ’68 agreed with Knowles’ sentiment.

“It does seem to me inconsistent with the spirit of open inquiry and learning on which the academy is based to offer certain courses that only citizens would be allowed to take,” said Lewis in an e-mail.

The New York Times reported yesterday that shortly before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, members of the national Defense Science Board raised concerns about foreigners’ unrestricted access to research at American universities.

In the wake of the terrorist attacks—and the subsequent confirmation that the terrorists attended an American flight school and a German university—academic experts say that public resistance to electronic tracking of international students at American universities is likely to diminish, according to the Times story.

Like Knowles, Harvard students from abroad were not receptive to the idea of restrictions.

“I think it’s just outrageous,” said Faisal Khalid ’02, who is Pakistani. “I don’t see why international students should be singled out.”

“If they keep tabs on my classes, what are they going to do next?” Khalid said. “Find out what clothes I’m wearing? What my extracurriculars are?”

After the World Trade Center was bombed in 1993, Congress passed legislation ordering the Immigration and Naturalization Service to keep track of the approximately half-million foreigners studying in the U.S. The tracking system, which is set to be completed in 2003, would enable law enforcement officials to electronically access information about foreign students.

Katerina Linos ’00, a Greek resident tutor and former president of the Woodbridge Society , an organization of Harvard international students, said that this sort of national tracking system would “probably not be worth the negative feelings you would inspire among the vast majority of international students.”

Khalid also wondered whether the system was necessary, noting that government officials could obtain information about students’ courses by contacting the registrar.

However, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), who sponsored the legislation that created the tracking system, suggested last week that the system be expanded to permit government access to more information.

Members of the Faculty were also hesitant about the idea of tracking.

“My view is that we try to teach people something that’s useful,” said Salil P. Vadhan, the professor of Computer Science 120: “Introduction to Cryptography.”

“You can’t always control the misuse of knowledge,” he said.

Garry Proctor, a lecturer on chemistry and chemical biology, said he could see the issue both ways—especially in light of last week’s attacks.

“If you had asked me before Tuesday, I’d have said, ‘Of course you shouldn’t keep tabs on anybody,’” he said.

“It’s a very complicated issue.”

—Staff writer David C. Newman can be reached at dnewman@fas.harvard.edu.