Kansas State University's Kansas State Collegian published an article authored by a staff writer Sean Frye regarding on campus population of international students from 'enemy' states, which include Afghanistan, China, Iran and Turkey.
The article made some factual error in its findings. For example, it alleges 'taxpayer's money', as large as $6.9 million in a year, was used to educate students from countries that have 'outwardly said they do not appreciate the U.S.'. On the contrary, foreign students pay at a much higher tuition, which is essential and instrumental at the time being to sustain the higher education systems in the State of Kansas. As a matter of fact, that was the reason local resident could afford to go to colleges.
The article fell short of calling foreign students on campus at Kansas State University spies, but indeed pointed out that these students 'could take the knowledge they obtained back to a country that the U.S. does not get along with.'
The article pointed out that on campus at KSU, 938 students come from China. It then proclaimed China will 'undoubtedly become enemies of the U.S.' The author concluded with a statement that 'taxpayer money should not be spent to educate students who could in the near future become the enemy'.
By citing wrong data, after applying wrong logic, this article successfully created a hostile environment for a group of students to study and work on campus at Kansas State University. These students were targeted on one factor, that is their origin of country.
The Kansas State Collegian is the campus students newspaper endorsed and sponsored by the Kansas State University through office space contribution and redistribution of student activity fees, among other financial resources provided by the University. The daily publication is distributed throughout the campus. Because of its wide circulation across KSU campus, it is the ninth largest daily newspaper in the entire State of Kansas. Based on Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier and Hosty v. Carter, KSU as the endorser and sponsor, as well as the educators and the administration of the campus, may have a duty of prior review of this widely distributed publication. However, inaction by the Kansas State University administration is not a relief on the duty of the editorial board of the Kansas State Collegian.
The Kansas State Collegian advocated and spread hatred against foreign students, including Chinese students by the publication and circulation of this article authored by a staff writer, both in printed form and as an online edition. Chinese students who are studying at the Kansas State University are targeted exclusively because of their national origin. The publication and wide circulation of this article on the Kansas State Collegian created an intimidating, hostile and offensive academic environment on campus of the Kansas State University. The publication and circulation of this article constitutes a distraction and obstacles for Chinese students to continue their study in classroom and on campus of the Kansas State University.
The Seagull recommend this advocate and spreading of hatred towards a group of students because of their national origin be investigated by the Kansas State University. The University has an obligation to report this rare but severe incident of discriminatory harassment incidence to the Office of Civil Rights of the United States Department of Education. The Seagull also recommend the faculty Self-Study group to include this incidents in their Self-Study Report to be presented to the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association during their upcoming site visit on April 9-11, 2012.
Public universities should not accept students from countries that have bad relations with US
By Sean Frye staff writer
Published: Friday, February 24, 2012
Updated: Sunday, February 26, 2012 13:02
Here on campus, there are currently 1,851 international students, consisting of 1,045 undergraduates and 717 graduate students, according to the International Student and Scholar Services page on K-State's website. During the fall 2011 semester, there were 1,856 international students. Of that number, 972 students were from Afghanistan, China, Iran, Iraq or Turkey. China had the highest number of students, with 938.
What stands out about those five countries is that the United States does not have good relations with any of those nations.
So why does K-State, or any other university in the country, willingly choose to spend money on resources to educate students who could take the knowledge they obtained back to a country the U.S. does not get along with?
Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq are not allies with the U.S. for reasons surrounding the war on terror as well as problems before that, dating back to before the Gulf War. China and its communist regime has always had a rocky relationship with the U.S. and Turkey's relationship with the U.S. has deteriorated due to Turkey's displeasure with the Iraq War.
It is disappointing to know that, while international students are an integral presence on campus, 52 percent of them come from a country that has outwardly said they do not appreciate the U.S.
According to the K-State 2011-12 fiscal year budget, which can be found on K-State's website, K-State receives $161.8 million in state appropriations and $9.4 million in federal land-grant funds.
In those two categories alone, the university receives $171.2 million in tax dollars from the state of Kansas and the U.S. government.
In the fall of 2011, there were 23,863 students enrolled at K-State. Divide the total dollar amount evenly by the number of students and that shows that just over $7,000 in government funding is being spent to educate an individual student on campus.
Multiply that by 972, and that equals out to $6.9 million. That means nearly $7 million in government funding is spent to educate international students from nations that are not friendly with the U.S.
Debates rage on as to whether China is an adversary to the U.S. or not. Simply put, though, for as long as China remains under communist rule, it will be under the careful watch of the American government. In an April 30, 2011, article by Paul Kix on The Daily Beast website, the International Monetary Fund projects that China will have the world's largest economy and will be the next world superpower by 2016.
If a world superpower is under a communist regime, then they will undoubtedly become enemies of the U.S. The Cold War, Vietnam War and Korean War were all based on stopping the spread of communism.
Do not get it twisted, I am not saying people from these countries or the students here at K-State from these countries are all evil or should be treated as such.
I had a conversation with Patrick Sweeney, head women's rowing coach, who is from Great Britain. He said in his travels around the world, he learned that people are virtually the same everywhere and have the same basic goals, and I can respect that.
My argument is that they shouldn't have been allowed to come here and study at a public university that receives government funds.
We cannot control the agenda of private universities, as they set their own agendas.
And quite frankly, they have the right to because they fund themselves. But public universities like K-State should not be allowed to educate students from a country which the U.S. has bad relations with, and legislation should be passed that dictates such.
I have nothing against citizens from Afghanistan, China, Iran, Iraq or Turkey. I just truly believe that nearly $7 million of taxpayer money should not be spent to educate students who could, in the near future, become the enemy.
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