Expat students in US must go legal to block Trump

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Donald Trump, US universities, covid-19, coronavirus, MIT, Stanford

Dubai - Now that Harvard and MIT have filed a suit calling for a freeze on the presidential dictate, it is hoped the legal system will act with alacrity.

By Bikram Vohra

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Published: Sun 12 Jul 2020, 4:21 PM

Last updated: Sun 12 Jul 2020, 6:24 PM

A great many expat children study in the US. There is a great reasoning behind this. For one, there is a certain prestige attached to these universities, the children here have grown up in an international environment and would be hopelessly out of pace in the home country. They would lack the street smarts, find it tough to handle the syllabi and much as they love their countries and it is great fun to go home for a vacation, studying there is not an option. You can criticise this attitude and mock it and defend those who do not go West and no one says you will not make a case for it.

But with a newfound financial liquidity many of us who would not even have dreamt of affording this opportunity if we were working and living at home, the lure of Ivy League and highly touted specialist institutes like MIT and Stanford and Cal Tech suddenly become possible.

Even then it is not easy and costs top whack. An expat going from Dubai to Ivy League or even a community college pays several times more than residents and those from abroad, who get chunky scholarships. Few get those discounts from here because the UAE is seen as an advanced country.

Therefore, the outrage in not just students but also the teaching faculties and the managements while supporting the students and condemning President Trump is also financial. The students could lose their investment sans degree and institutions could lose a bundle of money. Besides, the cultural enrichment that these students bring to the table they also feed the job market and enhance the entry level with a massive surge of annual talent.

President Trump can be rest assured that even if he can manage to block these students who could number around 30,000 plus, if he loses the election the new incumbent to the White House will most likely reverse this decision. All that will be 'gained' is the loss of a year in education and a great amount of heartburn. And a major and tangible loss on the US job market.

Now that Harvard and MIT have filed a suit calling for a freeze on the presidential dictate, it is hoped the legal system will act with alacrity and depose in favour of the students and the educational correctness that should be paramount. You cannot pull the rug from under them half way because that is a breach of trust and of promise and constitutes grounds for a class action suit.


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