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An International Student’s Plea An International Student’s Plea
(32 minutes later)
To the Editor:To the Editor:
Re “Visa Rules Are Seen as Way to Push Colleges to Revive In-Person Classes” (news article, July 8):Re “Visa Rules Are Seen as Way to Push Colleges to Revive In-Person Classes” (news article, July 8):
How brave does a person have to be to move to a new country alone, in pursuit of a college education? Imagine suddenly finding yourself in a place with another language and a completely different culture, and knowing you’re putting your family at great financial strain in the process.How brave does a person have to be to move to a new country alone, in pursuit of a college education? Imagine suddenly finding yourself in a place with another language and a completely different culture, and knowing you’re putting your family at great financial strain in the process.
To have such an opportunity is a blessing and a curse. It’s building a new life with the constant fear that a swift stroke of the government’s pen could end all your dreams. That’s what happened to many international students on Monday, when the Trump administration required that they attend at least one in-person class to keep their visas. Millions saw their hopes crumble as they’re now forced to leave America or forbidden from returning.To have such an opportunity is a blessing and a curse. It’s building a new life with the constant fear that a swift stroke of the government’s pen could end all your dreams. That’s what happened to many international students on Monday, when the Trump administration required that they attend at least one in-person class to keep their visas. Millions saw their hopes crumble as they’re now forced to leave America or forbidden from returning.
We don’t just choose America for the classes. We pay atrocious prices for an experience, a taste of a different life, the connections we build and the opportunities we gain. Are we really expected to pay that price to watch classes from our home countries and miss out on all we signed up for? I’m sure I speak for most international students when I say we sincerely hope this heartbreaking decision is reconsidered.We don’t just choose America for the classes. We pay atrocious prices for an experience, a taste of a different life, the connections we build and the opportunities we gain. Are we really expected to pay that price to watch classes from our home countries and miss out on all we signed up for? I’m sure I speak for most international students when I say we sincerely hope this heartbreaking decision is reconsidered.
Victoria BremmenkampLondonderry, N.H.The writer is an international student from Brazil at Temple University.Victoria BremmenkampLondonderry, N.H.The writer is an international student from Brazil at Temple University.
To the Editor:To the Editor:
Re “It’s Time for Architects to Stand Up for Justice,” by Michael Kimmelman (Critic’s Notebook, Arts pages, June 13):Re “It’s Time for Architects to Stand Up for Justice,” by Michael Kimmelman (Critic’s Notebook, Arts pages, June 13):
I was shocked by the brutal efficiency of the cells at San Quentin State Prison when I began representing inmates there who were charged with new in-prison offenses more than 17 years ago. One client likened it to “living in a bathroom,” with a roommate. Yet the prison, which opened in 1852, is not without some architectural charm — or at least honesty.I was shocked by the brutal efficiency of the cells at San Quentin State Prison when I began representing inmates there who were charged with new in-prison offenses more than 17 years ago. One client likened it to “living in a bathroom,” with a roommate. Yet the prison, which opened in 1852, is not without some architectural charm — or at least honesty.
The wrought-iron bars and hand-operated locks, gates and levers (which “throw the bar” to open or close 25 cells at once) make no pretense about their purpose. In contrast, modern penal facilities have adopted a clinical aesthetic, with featureless passageways and invisible staff operating remote-controlled doors and cameras.The wrought-iron bars and hand-operated locks, gates and levers (which “throw the bar” to open or close 25 cells at once) make no pretense about their purpose. In contrast, modern penal facilities have adopted a clinical aesthetic, with featureless passageways and invisible staff operating remote-controlled doors and cameras.
Each design dehumanizes inmates in its own way. But as the French philosopher Michel Foucault pointed out in his historical study of prison design, “Discipline and Punish,” it’s the lack of privacy, the sense of always being watched, yet not knowing by whom, that is both prison architecture’s most insidious feature, and its most effective means of control.Each design dehumanizes inmates in its own way. But as the French philosopher Michel Foucault pointed out in his historical study of prison design, “Discipline and Punish,” it’s the lack of privacy, the sense of always being watched, yet not knowing by whom, that is both prison architecture’s most insidious feature, and its most effective means of control.
Michael A. CoffinoSausalito, Calif.The writer is a lawyer.Michael A. CoffinoSausalito, Calif.The writer is a lawyer.
To the Editor:
Re “Met Museum Is Grappling With Protests” (front page, June 25):
It was very disturbing to read that the Metropolitan Museum of Art has become yet another victim of the censure culture.
Keith Christiansen, chairman of European paintings, posted a fair and timely question on his personal Instagram account recently asking, “How many great works of art have been lost to the desire to rid ourselves of a past of which we don’t approve.” And, to illustrate the point, he used an image of Alexandre Lenoir trying to save the royal tombs of Saint Denis during the French Revolution.
In light of the current propensity to topple statues and monuments, it seems a fair and timely question. However, it caused such an outcry among a vocal constituency of Met workers that Mr. Christiansen was asked to remove his post and apologize to the entire staff.
I was educated in a world where ideas and different points of view could be discussed freely and openly without causing a public outcry. Tragically, these days have vanished. We live in a society where the marketplace of ideas is ruled by censure and the endless desire to protect anyone who is offended by those who offer a different opinion or point of view. At this point, it appears that it’s not just individuals who are in “lockdown” but also our thoughts and ideas.
Janet HersheyScarsdale, N.Y.
To the Editor:
Re “Getting Vetted as a Running Mate? Like a Colonoscopy, Only Worse” (news article, July 5), which cited Senator Evan Bayh’s description of the vetting process for vice president as similar to a colonoscopy, “except they use the Hubble telescope on you”:
For gastroenterologists like me who perform colonoscopies, this procedure seems a silly benchmark to use as a measure of unpleasantness of an experience.
Colonoscopy is usually painless, and potentially lifesaving. Yes, it has some inherently amusing facets, and Senator Bayh gave us a laugh, but he did not advance the cause of public health.
It’s high time that we retire this cliché. My suggested substitute: being subjected to a speech by Donald Trump.
David M. SackCheshire, Conn.