Nonresident policy issues

General information about the rules pertaining to non-resident graduate students can be found on the Graduate Board website. The Graduate Board is the body that makes rules governing the granting of degrees at Johns Hopkins University. For example, they create the requirements pertaining to Graduate Board Orals, residence at the university, leaves of absence, and more.

If there are specific questions you have about the Graduate Board which are not answered on their website, you may always contact the Graduate Board directly, or simply ask the GRO. Your Graduate Board representative this year is James Williams (James.Williams@jhu.edu); please feel free to contact her with your concerns.

In generations past, non-resident students were forbidden to so much as be present on campus. Today, thankfully, much has changed. Non-resident students are granted free use of the Counseling Center and the Student Health and Wellness Center. In addition, they are entitled to a JHU email account and to online access of the library databases (such as the ones holding online journal articles, etc).

The GRO is working hard to prompt the university to make some useful changes to the non-resident tuition policy. You can track some of our efforts by the following links (you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader).

Part of the process of improving the situation for non-resident students requires that we collect information on current non-resident students. We've just put together a survey asking about specific information which the university believes will be helpful in revamping the policy. A copy of the survey will be sent to all non-resident students by November 1, 2002. Please take the time to fill it out. Click here for more information.

If the non-resident tuition policy is changed, it can't be done in a vacuum. The most helpful generator of new ideas comes from looking at what our competitor universities do. Click here for more information, and also to share your ideas about what a new policy might look like.

International student concerns

11-11-04: The GRO begins to work with the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students (NAGPS http://www.nagps2.org/) on a survey of international students across the US in order to further the work of other national associations in improving the visa system. If you are interested in getting involved in this project contact gro@jhu.edu. To read more about visa improvemnt effors, follow the links below.

Decriptions of problems, policies, and recommendations:
http://www.acenet.edu/
http://www.nasulgc.org/Washington_Watch/International.htm
http://www.aau.edu/homeland/students.cfm
http://www.nafsa.org/content/PublicPolicy/FortheMedia/visarecs051204.htm

Recent press releases
http://www.cgsnet.org/pdf/CGSFall2004EnrollmentSurveyPR.pdf
http://www.cgsnet.org/pdf/PresRel_IntlStudSrvy.pdf
http://www.aau.edu/homeland/PR-IntlStudentEnroll-10-10-2004.pdf

For basic facts and figures
http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/

4-1-04:President William Brody released a public statement addressing issues that have made it extremely difficult for international students to attend universities in the United States.

4-28-03: International student committee chair, Jen Roth, gave a brief summary on the lunch with deans and introduced Dr. Arindell who answered questions.

Q: Is there anything the could be done to speed background check for students from China in US embassy Beijing.
A: Nothing could be done at the moment. Applications take time and schools do not have a say.
Q: Some important things students must do before they travel outside US:

Q: Students are afraid of deportation, denial of re-entry and credit check, what can you say about that?
Data does not go to INS any more. It goes to a number of different places so there is no way to track.
Big debate on the table is who controls education in USA.
If harassed by FBI contact international student office. No harassment incidents at Hopkins so far.

3-17-03: Established a contact with the House of Representatives Science Committee who will be holding the second in a series of meetings on Immigration Procedures and the Sciences. They are addressing the same topics as us (the drop in student visa application to enter this country, effects of this on science). They have contacts at several universities but we will be supplying them additional info on behalf of the NAGPS. Will attend a meeting with Dean Weiss to discuss the pos and cons of the university making a public statement in support of international student participation at US universities in the wake of immigration policy changes.

3-31-03: The International Student Concerns committee would like to conduct an informal survey. Please ask two (2) faculty in your department these questions: Are you aware of the policy changes made by the department of homeland security/INS that affect students and scholard with visas? Specifically: It is much easier to lose visa status? It is much easier to get deported? It is much more likely to be denied re-entry to the US after spending time abroad? Did you learn about policy changes such as these from memos sent from the Deans Office? Please send responses to <gro@jhu.edu>.

Parking/Safety

2-17-03: The Valey Lot (U-lot) last day of use is February 21 (Friday). A new lot opens for homewood campus parkers in the Eastern High school on February 24 (Monday). A shuttle (Homewood-Eastern) will run between the 2 campuses. A map with shuttle stops, shuttle schedule and ALL details can be found on http://www.jhu.edu/ look on right hand side: "Featured Links"

Safety on campus: in case of slipery sidewalks, or ice/snow on the stairs and/or hills on campus, please, call the Facility at x6-8063, they will send someone to clean it or put some salt on the spot.

Lab Safety

4-28-03: Graduate students who wish to report unsafe practices or conditions in their laboratories may do without fear of retribution or retaliation by calling the JOHNS HOPKINS COMPLIANCE LINE at 1-877-WE-COMPLY (1-877-932-6675). The JHU Compliance Line operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can find more information about the line at <http://www.jhu.edu/news_info/comply>.

2-3-03: Dr. Joffe, Director of the Student Health and Wellness Center, is interested in gathering a group of 6-10 students on Thursday, February 6th at 9:30 a.m. to discuss campus lab safety. This would be an informal, anonymous discussion about potential problems and solutions surrounding on-campus lab safety. It would also be a separate entity from the on-campus safety apparatus. The commitment would be minimal, likely no more than 2 hours of discussion time. If you are interested, please contact Eugenio Culurciello at <euge@jhu.edu>.

3-31-03: Graduate students who wish to report unsafe practices or conditions in their laboratories may do without fear of retribution or retaliation by calling the JOHNS HOPKINS COMPLIANCE LINE at 1-877-WE-COMPLY (1-877-932-6675). The JHU Compliance Line operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can find more information about the line at <http://www.jhu.edu/news_info/comply>.