July 10, 2020
A letter to the campus community about ICE regulations
Dear Members of the Providence College Community,
We stand in solidarity with our international students — surprised, shocked, and appalled by recent guidance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requiring students to return to their home countries if their coursework will take place entirely online this fall. This mandate flies in the face of Providence College’s mission, and it undermines the commitment and care we have for all of our students. We believe it nonsensically penalizes international students while those students’ host institutions — including Providence College — are making every effort to protect the health and safety of all members of their campus communities during this pandemic.
On behalf of the College, I have signed the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) petition asking each member of Congress for assistance in allowing colleges to offer international students the option of online courses through the duration of the pandemic. We also have advocated through direct contact with our Congressional delegation, and we support other organizations to which the College belongs — the American Council on Education (ACE) and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) – in joining the legal fight against these directives.
Our mission calls us to embrace all members of God’s loving family, and today, we hold our international students especially close in that embrace. Each one of those students is an invaluable member of our community, and we are committed to supporting them, not only in our thoughts and prayers, but in actions that will ensure continued access to the college experience that they expect and deserve.
Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P. ’78 & ’82G
College President
Providence College is following a hybrid model for the fall semester, so international students are permitted to come to campus for face-to-face classes, barring travel restrictions or delays in securing visas and necessary documents. International Student Success staff are available to provide information and assistance.
