Statement - IUPUI Welcomes All 2020

Statement on IUPUI Welcoming All

February 7, 2020

The Office of International Affairs (OIA) is steadfast in its commitment to inclusive excellence and global mindedness. We openly welcome students and scholars from around the world and are proud of the 144 countries represented across the IUPUI community.

Hilary Kahn sitting on some bleachers and smiling

As Indiana University and the world currently manage the Novel Coronavirus, I would like to use this as an opportunity to double down on our commitment to the values of global engagement and inclusivity we hold dear. We recognize that the Coronavirus is impacting members of our IUPUI community and we fully support all students, faculty, staff, scholars, prospective students, and partners of IUPUI who are feeling the impact of this global situation. We also ask the IUPUI community to be mindful of any discriminatory action or statement that might take place as a result of this situation. IUPUI does not accept discrimination in any form, and you can report an incident of discrimination at the link below. We will not waver in our commitment to engaging the world and providing global learning opportunities for all IUPUI students.

Report an Incident of Discrimination

With this in mind, we are also disappointed by the new 2020 immigrant visa restrictions recently added to other “travel bans” already in place. The Office of International Affairs will continue to process applications for admission and issue the necessary immigration documents, regardless of citizenship. We will also provide advising to help prospective or current students and scholars from the impacted countries.

Any action that impacts, even temporarily, the ability of our students and scholars to freely travel to academic conferences, engage in research outside the United States, or return to their home countries without fear of being denied readmission to the United States has a harmful impact on our ability to fulfill our educational and research mission.

At times like this, we need to work together. We respect the power of international dialogue, interaction, and travel to transform lives and reduce barriers among people. We are proud to advance internationalization at IUPUI, an unapologetically global and inclusive campus that is committed to making the world a better place.

 

 

 

Hilary Kahn

Associate Vice Chancellor for International Affairs, IUPUI
Associate Vice President for International Affairs, Indiana University