some news from Amherst

[Bill McBlueState]

Hi, Mass Duers!

Tonight (Tuesday 4/20) at 6:15 the Amherst selectboard is meeting to discuss the International Student fee at UMass. This new $65-per-semester fee applies to all international students at the university. A fraction of it goes to bring UMass into compliance with the SEVIS program, a surveillance system mandated by the Patriot Act.

The Amherst selectboard will vote on a resolution that condemns the university for levying this fee, which forces international students to pay for their own surveillance, presumably to keep domestic students safe. Apart from the Orwellian implications of being forced to pay for your own surveillance, Amherst is a town that already voted not to comply with the Patriot Act.

If you're in the area, come to the meeting and support the effort to rescind this fee! International student applications to UMass are way down this year, so it's important that we do what it takes to maintain diversity on campus.

[Beer Snob-50]

1. What became of this meeting?

I have been out of town for a few days and was not aware of this.

[Bill McBlueState]

2. here's a link to a Hamp Gazette story

http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~geo/news/articles/withholders.htm

There wasn't a resolution passed. I think the sense of the select board is that there are other channels (namely the town's human rights commission) that should examine the issue before the select board acts.