The Office of International Service (OIS) stated that changes in federal travel policies could occur around Jan. 20 and advised international students to return to the U.S. by or on Jan. 19 in their weekly newsletter sent on Dec. 11.
“If you cannot afford an interruption in your studies, research or teaching due to an indefinite period abroad, you may want to arrange your travel plans — especially if travel is nonessential — to return to the U.S. no later than January 19th, 2025,” OIS wrote.
Other universities, including Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University and the University of Maryland, have similarly advised students to return to campus on or by Jan. 19.
OIS did not mention the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump, set to occur on Jan. 20, as the reason for the guidance, but noted that federal travel policy changes might occur.
During Trump’s first term, restrictions on federal travel were implemented. A week after his inauguration in 2017, Trump signed Executive Order 13769: Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States, which restricted the entry of individuals from seven Middle Eastern and African countries into the nation for 90 days and suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
At that time, OIS held several information sessions for students providing resources on the executive orders. President Ronald J. Daniels and then Provost Sunil Kumar also sent a university-wide message on Jan. 29, 2017, recommending that any affected student not travel outside the US and fully endorsed a statement by the Association of American Universities urging the reversal of the executive order.
On August 15, 2024, the University adopted a policy of “institutional neutrality” and outlined a policy of restraint regarding public statements, making it unclear what future statements may be made.
Despite the guidance from OIS, some students are returning to campus during or after the inauguration. In an interview with The News-Letter, Ananya Srinivasan, a sophomore from Mumbai, India, shared that she would be returning to campus on inauguration day and did not change her tickets to follow OIS’s guidance due to financial considerations.
“I’m landing on inauguration day [at] Dulles, Washington D.C. which is not ideal,” Srinivasan said. “For me, I have travel/vacationing plans and the financial losses of trying to change my tickets seemed like too big of a con.”
Maya Britto contributed reporting to this article.
