A number of Ohio University students rallied in response to President Donald Trump’s recent executive order, which bars immigration and travel for those hailing from seven Muslim-majority countries.
On Wednesday evening, about 70 people were detained for gathering on the fourth and fifth floors of Baker Center in opposition of the ban. The demonstration, which began at the Athens County Courthouse, concluded with students “occupying” Baker Center and refusing to leave until OU was declared a “sanctuary campus.”
A Post designer who was waiting in the area was arrested for criminal trespassing but was later released. She will have to appear in court Monday and could have to pay up to a $250 fine.
Two days earlier, several Iranian students braved the cold outside Baker Center, chained together as they protested the president’s order. Some had not seen their families for almost three years.
“The chains represent the fact that we cannot go outside the country and come back,” Ali Rafiei, a Ph.D. student studying chemistry, said. “We are limited, and our families are limited. The chains represent the fact that we are prisoners. We cannot go outside and come back. We could go out, but what happens to our studies?”
The students were demonstrating in response to Trump’s order on immigration, enacted Jan. 27, which suspended the entry of all refugees for 120 days and blocked the entry of Syrian refugees indefinitely. The order stipulates that citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen are blocked from entering the country for 90 days. In response, demonstrators have filled airport terminals nationwide, including at John Glenn Columbus International Airport.
On Jan. 28, a federal judge blocked part of the order, preventing the deportation of some who arrived in the United States after the order was instated. On Jan. 29, an announcement from the White House further clarified the terms, allowing individuals with green cards to enter the country unhindered.
Soon following the announcement, OU President Roderick McDavis sent an university-wide email, recommending students hailing from the countries specified in the executive order remain in the U.S. According to the statement, the university has been communicating with students, faculty and staff who are or could be affected by the order.
“Ohio University welcomes and supports students without regard to their immigration status,” McDavis said in the statement. “We comply with federal requirements associated with managing our international programs.”
According to The Associated Press, about 17,000 students from the seven countries listed in the order were granted admission to the U.S. for the 2015-16 academic year. During Spring Semester of the 2015-16 academic year, 97 students came to OU from the seven countries affected by the ban, according to the Office of Institutional Research. The terms of Trump’s order, however, stipulate that even those who hold valid U.S. visas will be blocked from re-entering the country.
At its Wednesday meeting, Student Senate passed two bills proposed in response to the executive order. One requested OU be designated as a sanctuary campus, and another expressed the senate’s general disapproval of the immigration ban.
Graduate Student Senate is working to collaborate with other graduate student governments from Ohio universities to create a statement expressing disapproval of Trump’s order. The group plans to take the statement to the state level by sending it to Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-OH, Sen. Rob Portman, R-OH, and Gov. John Kasich.
“Because a lot of international students on campus are graduate students, we thought (it) was important to advocate for those students at the state level,” GSS President Ian Armstrong said.
In an email sent to students, faculty and staff Tuesday, International Student and Faculty Services announced a campus conversation, titled “Responding Thoughtfully to Oppressive Comments and Actions,” which took place in the Walter Rotunda on Wednesday. Some students shared stories about oppression they’ve faced.
Students potentially affected by the ban are encouraged to contact ISFS at isfs@ohio.edu or 740-593-4330 for guidance.
