THE
Daily Egyptian SERVING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1916.
DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2025
VOL. 108, ISSUE 29
‘Chilling silence’: Waves of Illinois’ international university students lose visas
Jackson Brandhorst, The Daily Egyptain Bridgette Fox, Capitol News Illinois Molly Parker, Capitol News Illinois Julia Rendleman, Saluki local reporting lab Lylee Gibbs, The Daily Egyptain
Editor’s Note: This story was produced for Capitol News Illinois through the Saluki Local Reporting Lab, supported by grant funding from the Pulitzer Center, the Illinois Press Foundation and the SIU Foundation. The federal government has revoked the visas of some international students studying at universities across Illinois, but college administrators are sharing few details, including how many students have been impacted. A spokesperson for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign this week confirmed that some of its students are affected, but did not disclose a number. U of I ranks
sixth nationally in the size of its international student body at over 15,000. “Out of student privacy concerns, we are not sharing specific information, but we are working directly with Caffected students to help them connect with appropriate resources and understand their options,” said Robin Kaler, a university spokesperson. Kaler declined to provide more details, though multiple sources familiar with the situation at U of I, who asked that their names not be used because they are not authorized to speak on the matter, say the number of students whose visas have been revoked is at least several dozen — and likely growing. The revocations are part of a broader federal crackdown playing out on campuses across the country.
Conservative group targets some SIU scholarships Lylee Gibbs @lyleegibbsphoto
A student walks through the Faner Hall breezeway late in the evening April 9, 2025 at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto
International students have faced abrupt visa cancellations in recent weeks, as the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration dragnet
ensnares college students, federal officials claim have violated visa rules, though the reasons for the
VISAS | 2
Radiant and recycled: SIU hosts sustainable fashion show with repurposed materials
Laure Hippolite walks down a line to start off the fashion show April 11, 2025 in Carbondale, Illinois. Deangelo Handley | @_deevisuals4 For more photos and information, see pages 6 and 7
Defending Education, a nonprofit organization critical of transgender inclusion and racial equity in education, has filed a civil rights complaint against Southern Illinois University Carbondale, alleging the university violates federal discrimination laws by giving scholarships to students of particular race and sex groups. A Wednesday, April 9 press release from the group states that Defending Education is bringing a federal civil rights complaint against Southern Illinois University pursuant with the U.S Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights discriminations complaint resolution procedures. The complaint is made regarding 33 federally funded scholarships that are issued to students on the basis of race and sex, which Defending Education claims violates Title VI, Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. As of Wednesday, a university spokesperson said they have not received any communication from the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education and was not providing any further comment. Of the 33 listed scholarships, 11 come from the SIU’s Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Paul Frazier, eight from the Enrollment Management Department, six from the College of Education, three from the College of Health & Human Sciences, one from Graduate School, one from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and three from the Student Affairs Department. Some of these scholarships include the Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois (DFI), which is awarded to a student who is a member of an unrepresented group, and the Inspiring Women Scholarship, which is awarded to a female student. Defending Education, formerly Parents Defending Education, launched in April of 2021 and works to “reclaim SCHOLARSHIPS | 2