Penn Faces "Constant Issues" With Trump Admin Over 200 Students Affected by Travel Ban

The University of Pennsylvania is looking into ways to assist roughly 200 students from 12 different nations who have been impacted by this situation.
travel ban recently enacted
under President Donald Trump’s administration.

And numerous additional students might feel the impact of the administration’s choice to
pause all student visa interviews
.

“It’s unclear who or how many will be arriving in the fall for classes,” Jeffrey Cooper, vice president for government and community affairs, told members of
Penn’s
The board of trustees during a committee meeting on Thursday stated, “This situation introduces substantial uncertainty, numerous unanswered questions, and above all, it generates considerable anxiety.”

Tensions escalate at nearby schools as Trump focuses on international students.

Trump’s
travel ban
This newly implemented regulation affects 12 nations: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

Beth Winkelstein, the deputy provost, mentioned that the university has been considering various possibilities to assist international students. These include potentially letting them begin their studies through programs offered overseas. Other alternatives being looked at involve deferring enrollment for one year or permitting delayed entry into the program.

Winkelstein stated that Penn’s three academic councils—at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels—have decided to continue their meetings and work throughout the summer to generate additional solutions.
who will leave Penn
By the end of August, they will take up their position as provost at Northeastern University in Massachusetts. At the University of Pennsylvania, approximately one-fourth of the total student body consists of international students, totaling 6,903 such students as of autumn 2024.

Across the country, both Haverford and Penn have alerted their international students to come back to campus prior to President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

It’s not only students who might feel the impact of federal policies; individuals from other nations seeking medical care at Penn could also be affected, according to Cooper, who plans to step down from his position at Penn after 17 years. These visitors’ visas might lapse, or they might face difficulties getting relatives into the country, he noted.

There are persistent problems with minimal clarity in Washington regarding the next steps or whom to consult for resolving these issues,” he stated. “Interacting reliably with the present administration is extremely challenging.

During his coverage of the discussions surrounding the budgets at the federal, state, and municipal levels of governance as they pertain to Penn, Cooper made certain observations. These comments were specifically about how these governmental bodies interact with one another concerning their financial plans for Penn. He pointed out that
the city’s budget
is set to pass shortly, whereas the state budget process, similar to the federal one,
involves many uncertainties.

It’s difficult for me to express this, but … the City Council and the mayor represent the most effective governance we currently possess,” Cooper stated. “That situation is somewhat alarming.

Penn, Bryn Mawr, and Swarthmore caution that hikes in the endowment tax might negatively impact financial assistance and various programs.

Funding for research, taxes on endowments, along with various other ambiguities

Along with worries regarding international students, Penn also confronts federal ambiguity concerning research financing, which could lead to a significant rise in the
endowment tax
, along with several probes. The Trump administration is investigating Penn over
foreign funding
and its
incorporation of a transgender athlete
on the women’s swimming squad during the 2021-22 season.

The level of effort required to address these investigations and document requests is immense,” Cooper stated regarding those queries. “It feels incredibly overwhelming. We’ve made every attempt to be as cooperative as we can, hoping this might foster a better rapport with the administration.

Penn stands to lose
around $250 million in research funding
and has witnessed an extra
$175 million in financing put on hold
Instead of permitting transgender athlete Lia Thomas to compete on the women’s swimming team, there is also a suggestion for significant reductions in financial support for the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, which are key governmental bodies financing Penn’s research endeavors.

The Trump administration requests that Penn reinstate honors for female swimmers following the decision to allow a transgender swimmer to participate.

Moreover, at present, the university covers an expense of $10 million due to a 1.4% endowment tax that was implemented during President Trump’s initial term.
That figure might increase significantly.
as per a measure approved by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Cooper mentioned that the tax might increase to 7% for Penn and potentially soar up to 14% if the House’s plan to omit international students from calculations persists. Presently, institutions face this tax when they have over 500 fee-paying students along with an endowment exceeding $500,000 per student; excluding international students could propel Penn into a higher bracket.

Cooper mentioned that a cluster of Ivy League institutions are now advocating for a 5% tax as a substitute option.

He mentioned that the budget encompasses various reductions that might impact Penn as well. These include alterations to the federal Pell Grant initiative aimed at supporting financially disadvantaged students, along with the discontinuation of a loan plan that permits students to accrue zero interest during their time in college and for an additional six months following graduation.

Cooper also recognized the backlash the university faced from the community following this issue.
cleaning its website and programs from diversity initiatives
In order to adhere to the guidelines set forth by the federal administration, he mentioned that the university has been focusing intensively on ensuring continued access to federal funds. This strategy aims at preventing staff layoffs and preserving various academic initiatives.

“To secure funding, we must ensure that our initiatives align with the federal government’s stance on these matters – which isn’t straightforward,” Cooper stated. “Nevertheless, our aim is to maintain the university’s operations at the peak of efficiency.”