Panelist: Linh Khaut, “Unique Challenges for International Students: COVID & Democracy New Club Spotlight: Indian Student

Nen Mai

Red & Black contributor

Linh participated as the second of four panelists in our democracy symposium event on campus on February the 23rd from 10:30 am to 11:30 am in Howard J. Burnett Center (Room 109). The four topics she talked about today were on (1) America’s initial reactions to COVID-19, (2) democratic decision making, (3) challenges to international students, and (4) her own personal experience as an international student from Vietnam. Linh argued that Americans were late in the game to implement social distancing, yet we were too early in the game to open our economy. She strongly believes that these two factors were the predominant reason why “90% of the U.S. coronavirus deaths from March 2020 to May 2020” ( Russonello).

Her second topic was on democratic decision making where she argued that our representative government wasn’t as representative as it once was. For instance, a large number of our voting population has significantly decreased, a significant portion of our voter turnouts finds it more difficult to vote due to voter purges, and polling locations have significantly decreased by more than 10% from 2008 to 2016.

Moreover, she faces many challenges as an international student from Vietnam such as the “F1 Visa ” managed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Did you know that the F1 visa limits international students to only one online course per semester? According to Linh, online courses violate the F1 Visa requirements in a way where you jeopardize your F1 Visa status as an international student, prone to a higher chance of deportation, and a ten year ban on re-entering the U.S. again. Therefore, Havard and MIT took the initiative to file a restraining order against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to declare the new guidance as unlawful.

Linh’s personal experience of being an online student included adapting to different time zones, her continuous worries of the possibility of her F1 student status being rejected, and her physical and mental health being when she comes back to campus and attends class in-person. All in all, Linh is still hopeful for clearer guidelines and open regulations for international students till this day.

Courtesy Nen Mai Panelist Linh Khuat stands next to the Symposium on Democracy’s breakout session banner following her presentation on February 23rd, 2022