The University of Akron is responding to President Trump’s executive order temporarily banning refugees from all countries, and all residents from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
University President Matthew Wilson says about 85 students enrolled at the university come from the seven countries listed in the executive order. According to Wilson, two Iranian graduate students at the university had their student visa applications suspended last week.
“Those students have already been vetted by the United States government, they’ve been vetted by the university itself, and they’ve been studying here as well," Wilson said.
The university will hold an open forum on Trump’s executive order on Friday, which will be led by Wilson and Elizabeth Knowles, the head of the school’s Immigration and Human Rights Law Clinic.
In a statement, Kent State University President Beverly Warren also expressed concern and support for the university’s “diverse, global family." Kent also plans to set up a support session later this week. Meanwhile, it is advising foreign students to reconsider plans to travel outside the U.S. for now.
