2004-10-6
This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Education Report.
Last week we discussed rules for getting permission to enter the
United States to study at a college or university. Now, in part six
of our Foreign Student Series, we discuss the Student and Exchange
Visitor Information System. This computer system is known as SEVIS.
It went into effect in January of two thousand three.
All schools must enter information when they admit a foreign
student. SEVIS brings together about seventy-four thousand American
colleges, universities and technical schools. It links them to the
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service.
The government uses the system to let a school know when a
student has entered the country. The school must report within
thirty days if the student is attending classes. The school must
also report if the student leaves school.
The Department of Homeland Security says SEVIS now lists about
seven hundred seventy thousand students and exchange visitors.
Family members who traveled with them are also listed.
On September first, the United States began to charge each
student and exchange visitor one hundred dollars to help pay for the
system. The money will also help pay for a new SEVIS Web site that
is being developed. The site will permit student and exchange
visitors to examine their SEVIS information and payment record
online.
Information about SEVIS can be found on the Immigration and
Customs Enforcement Web site: www.ice.gov...www.ice.gov. And you can
find our Foreign Student Series at WWW.testbig.com.
Finally, we want to add to our report two weeks ago about online
programs. One example we gave is the largest university in the
country to operate for profit, the University of Phoenix.
Last month, its owner, the Apollo Group, announced settlement
agreements with the Department of Education. In one case, the
company agreed to pay a fine of nearly ten million dollars.
Investigators say the University of Phoenix used unacceptable
sales methods to pressure employees to sign up students. Employees
reportedly admitted some students who were unprepared.
The settlement involved no admission of wrongdoing. Other
profit-making higher education companies have also been under
investigation.
This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Nancy
Steinbach. This is Gwen Outen.