News: USG town hall discusses changes to campus-wide DEI programs (pg. 3)
The Case Western Reserve
Observer
Friday, April 18, 2025 Volume LVI, Issue 26 Est. 1969
NEWS
Four CWRU students lose F-1 visas under national scrutiny Téa Tamburo News Editor Four international students at Case Western Reserve University had their F-1 visa status terminated by the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) over the past two weeks, according to an April 14 email from President Eric Kaler. This update comes amid local and national reports of student visas being terminated without prior notification, which immediately makes it illegal for those impacted to remain studying or working in the United States. The revocations follow immigration enforcement orders introduced by the Trump administration in January. The university is actively monitoring international students’ visa statuses. CWRU’s Visa & Immigration Services & Advisors (VISA) Office will continue to update its website with the latest travel policies and procedures to help students navigate the evolving situation. In his email, Kaler highlighted how the university is supporting international students. “In each of these visa termination cases, a team from across the university—including the VISA Office,
the Division of Student Affairs, and academic leadership within relevant schools, among others—is working with the affected student to provide support and, where possible, legal options,” he wrote. When contacted directly by The Observer, the university declined to provide additional comments about the details of this support. CWRU is among several universities that have reported student F-1 visa terminations in recent weeks. According to a tracker compiled by Inside Higher Ed, over 1,300 students at 210 colleges across the country have reported visa terminations, as of April 16. This list includes several of Ohio’s public universities, such as The Ohio State University, Kent State University, the University of Cincinnati, Cleveland State University and the University of Akron. International students make up a sizable portion of CWRU’s student population, with 749 undergraduates, 1,291 graduates and 44 Cleveland Institute of Music students. This amounts to 2,084 students total— roughly 17% of the university’s population, as of the fall 2024 semester. Continue reading on page 4
Jana Ashour/The Observer
NEWS
Community reacts to April 11 shelter-inplace order following armed intruder Darcy Chew Sports Editor Hannah Johnson Opinion Editor Zachary Treseler News Editor On April 11, the Case Western Reserve University community experienced a campus-wide shelter-in-place alert. At 8:19 p.m., text messages went out to the campus advising the community to “find a safe location” if outdoors and informing receivers that all buildings will require a CWRU ID for access. This message was soon followed by
a call from the university’s Rave alert system, reiterating the instructions for the community to shelter in place. At the time of the initial alert, there was no information given about the situation, only the information advising the community on actions they should take. Other students failed to take the alert seriously, assuming it was weather-related, and continued walking around campus despite the alert. Many students also began to speculate in group chats and on social media, hoping to get further information from their peers on the situation. One student who was at a club event at the time of the alert said, “One of my friends stated that she heard that it was a tornado warning. Because of that, we
Following the intruder’s arrest at Michelson Hall, CWRU PD conducted a search of several South Residential Village dorms. Courtesy of Cleveland 19 News
thought it was okay to just go. In fact, my friends left the building and actually started walking to their Southside dorms before the second alert came in.” A follow-up text eight minutes later described the situation very bluntly: “Armed individual reported in Michelson House.” About twenty minutes after the initial alert, the campus community was informed of the detainment of an intruder, unaffiliated with CWRU, on the south side of campus and that there was an ongoing police investigation. Updates persisted in roughly 15-minute intervals via text message until the CWRU Division of Public Safety issued an “all-clear” for the campus. Throughout the time of the alert, Saferide and shuttle services went down. A resident of Michelson House, Resident A, recalled their first reactions to receiving the alert. “When I first got the alert, my mind jumped to there being a shooter of some sort, but I figured it was in relation to the hospitals. I saw some cops in the parking lot, but the car’s lights weren’t on and they weren’t running, so I figured it was nothing,” they said. Resident A continued, “I was surprised when I saw Michelson named in the alert, because I hadn’t heard anything in the building. In different group chats, people had been saying there was something going on near top of the hill, but I was shocked it was my building. Then, obviously, I was scared because I had no information on the gravity of the situation.”
Another resident of Michelson House, Resident B, who lives on the floor where the intruder hid, recounted their experience. “I heard the police in the hallway of Michelson before the second alert went out. They identified themselves as the Cleveland Heights Police, and not CWRU PD. That was the first sign that something was off in Michelson, and then the alert on my phone confirmed it. I had no idea whether or not we were in danger, so my roommates and I all hid as far from the door as possible,” they said. In an email sent out to the campus community the day after the incident, CWRU clarified the events of the preceding night. A motor vehicle accident on Cedar Road resulted in four juveniles armed with firearms and “possibly a hammer” fleeing the scene. According to Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren, the crash took place at 7:23 p.m., with one of the vehicles involved being stolen. One of the juveniles was detained by Cleveland Heights Police, but CWRU PD was requested to help find the remaining three subjects. At 8:18 p.m., police dispatchers were notified of a suspect tailgating a CWRU student into Michelson. This observation came from drone footage, part of a relatively new “Drone Unit” established by the Division of Public Safety at the start of this academic year with seven police officers. Continue reading on page 4