Rotorua parents fear their son may not finish his degree at Harvard due to President Trump’s plan to ban international students from attending the university.
Clint and Kelly Anne Hemana’s son Koan is a neuroscience student and the first five-eighth rugby player for the Harvard team.
Koan is a scholarship recipient who hopes common reason will win out and is eager to finish his degree there.
“In light of recent news and the Trump administration calling for the removal of those students, it’s been a stressful and anxious last couple of days,” Koan said.
He‘s just finished his sophomore year and returns to Aotearoa in July for his 21st. Kelly Anne said they’re a bit worried he won’t be allowed back to continue his mahi.
“It just doesn’t seem real at the moment, there are a few international students that are coming and going, they haven’t been stopped at the border, but there are certainly those who are in panic mode,” she said.
“Our boy being who he is, he‘s pretty much like ‘oh it’ll be alright’ that kiwi attitude.”
Koan said his experience has opened up a lot of opportunities that wouldn’t be available to him elsewhere.
“I am eternally grateful that this institution remains open and welcoming of international students and really values taking in all sorts of inputs from all walks of life,” he said.
“We really don’t know how long this problem will persist, but the Trump administration won’t be around forever, and so I hope it doesn’t deter any other New Zealanders and young Māori, especially, to shoot for the stars and apply to places like Harvard and other institutions in the USA.”
Fulbright-Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Scholar Natalie Coates earned a Master of Laws from Harvard University.
Coates also serves as Te Hunga Rōia Māori’s current co-chair and claims that American and Aotearoa courts are not the same.
Coates explained, “Donald Trump making orders like that can be challenged in court. So their Constitution means that you can measure anything that they do against that Constitution.”
“You know, they’re like stuck in limbo and not really knowing what to do and how it impacts them as well. He‘ll (Koan) be, I assume, partway through his educational journey, not knowing whether he‘ll be expelled from the country because of it, and it must be tough,” she said.
“A lot are expressing their whakaaro on social media and those sorts of platforms, and the general whakaaro from all of those that I went to the university with, which are, of course, international students, is outright condemnation.”
A federal judge on Friday issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from revoking Harvard‘s ability to enroll international students and to sponsor international scholars.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs prevents the government from “implementing, instituting, maintaining, or giving effect” to the revocation.
In a message to the Harvard community Friday afternoon, President of the University, Alan Garber, said that a hearing has been set for Thursday to determine whether the restraining order will be extended.
However, President Trump has hit back, saying that he is considering stopping the Federal Government from paying billions in grants to the University.
“Part of the problem with Harvard is that there are almost 31 percent of foreigners coming to Harvard, we give them billions of dollars, which is ridiculous, we do grants, which we‘re probably not gonna be doing much grants anymore to Harvard,” President Donald Trump said.
“We want a list of those foreign students, and we‘ll find out if they’re okay, many will be okay, I assume, and I assume many will be bad, and the other thing is they’re very anti-semitic.”
Harvard‘s actions were prompted by the Trump administration’s latest escalation in its dispute with the University.
In a letter sent Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote that the University‘s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification had been revoked, effective immediately, claiming the action was a result of Harvard‘s failure to adequately comply with an April 16 government request seeking records related to international students.