Have you heard about the University's implementation of a new fee that
will charge international students up to $125/year to implement SEVIS
(federal electronic monitoring and tracking system)?

SEVIS can result in international students being immediately deported
for such "crimes" as dropping a class during the semester or moving
without notifying the university within 10 days, and the university
wants to charge internationals for this surveillance!

Are you outraged at this discriminatory and unjust fee? Come lend your
support and let our university know that internationals refuse to pay
for the 'disservice' of being treated like criminals:


International Student Services (ISS) "listening session"

Tuesday, April 29th

5:30 to 7:00pm

165 Bascom Hall


Please come and show your opposition to this discriminatory fee at this
listening session.  We need your support!

Please find more information below about the fee and our campaign
against it. Come to the meeting, bring your friends, and voice your
concerns. We need to let administration know this is OUR university and
we will not be subject to unilateral decisions that are ethically,
legally, and
procedurally questionable!!

___________________________________

WHAT IS THE SEVIS FEE?
The University administration is trying to impose a new fee that
discriminates against international students.  This fee would force
international students to pay for the University's implementation of a
new tracking system called SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor
Information System).  The federal government mandated the implementation
of SEVIS. Its alleged goal is the monitoring of foreign students and
scholars for the purposes of homeland security. The University has
decided to charge international students to pay for the continuing costs
of operating this system.  This amounts to a surveillance tax on
international students.

WHY SHOULD WE OPPOSE IT?
1. This fee undermines the University's commitment to diversity by
separating out international students as second-class members of the
University.
2. SEVIS is not a service for international students.  International
students are the targets of this surveillance system, not the
beneficiaries. No one should have to pay for their own surveillance. 3.
All other services directed to specific populations are not funded with
user-fees.  No other group is singled out for such charges.  For
example, disabled students are not made to pay extra for handicap access
ramps or special services.
4. This fee violates UW internal policites regarding Shared Governance,
which requires participatory decision-making on these issues. There was
no consultation whatsoever before the implementation of this fee.
5. This fee violates the UW System Policy and Wisconsin state statutes
against discrimination based on national origin.
6. This fee violates the legal principle in the TAA contracts of equal
pay for equal work and tuition remission, which states that TAs and PAs
cannot be charged extra fees. It also violates a specific clause by
which the University agreed to full tuition remission with two, and only
two, exceptions: segregated fees and fees established by the state
legislature.
60% of international students are graduate students and most of them
make a living as TA s or PAs.

WHAT HAS BEEN DONE SO FAR?
Many departments and student organizations on campus (see the list
below) have expressed their opposition to the SEVIS fee.  Hundreds of
protest e-mails have been sent to the administration.  Close to 1,500
people have already signed "red cards" protesting the fee- and more are
signing every day.  However, the University administration has only made
nominal responses to these concerns raised by the University community.

RESPONSE FROM THE ADMINISTRATION
On April 25, representatives of international student organizations and
members of the international caucus of the TAA met with the Provost,
Dean of Students, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, and ISS staff.
The students presented the aforementioned reasons opposing the new SEVIS
fee.

The administration repeated their claim that SEVIS is a "service" for
international students.  However, they could not explain how this
"service" is different from all the other ones the university directs to
specific populations without charging a fee.  Moreover, they admitted
that they erred and should have consulted international students in the
process.  In spite of this, they refused to acknowledge that their
decision to impose the fee is procedurally invalid and morally wrong.
Instead, they kept repeating that it was "too late" to reconsider this
fee for this coming academic year and that they "couldn't review the
decision because it is administratively complicated to change it" (sic).
They offered to establish a "committee" with students to discuss the
issue, but with the understanding that the fee would still be imposed
for the coming academic year.

International students and their allies said that this was unacceptable.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? COME TO SHOW YOUR OPPOSITION TO THE SEVIS FEE AT MEETING ON TUESDAY, APRIL 29th

Because of the pressure from many flanks, International Student Services
(ISS)  is holding a belated "listening session" on Tuesday, April 29th
from 5:30 to 7:00pm at 165 Bascom Hall.  We need to make the
administration aware that the University community has deep concerns on
this issue.  Please come and show your opposition to this discriminatory
fee at this listening session.  YOU CAN HELP TO STOP THE FEE!

LIST OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS AND DEPARTMENTS AGAINST THE FEE

Africa Without Borders Organization
African Student Association
Armenian Students Association
Brazilian Association
Caribbean Association of Madison
Chinese Students and Scholars Association
Coalition of South American Students
Egyptian Student Association
Hindu Students Council
Hong-Kong Student Association
Indian Graduate Students Association
Indian Students Association
Indonesian Student Association
Korean Students Association
Korean Undergraduate Association
Madison Association of Turkish Students
Madison Japan Association
Malaysian Student Association
Mexican Student Association
Singapore Students Association
Taiwanese Students Association
Thai Student Association

Accounting
Agricultural and Applied Economics
Astronomy  (will be sending a letter of protest on May 7th)
Economics
Forestry
History of Science
History of Medicine
Latin American Studies Program
Philosophy
Political Science
Urban and Regional Planning
Computer Science
Curriculum and Instruction
French and Italian
German
Math
Sociology