At the moment when the early application list is in full swing, yesterday a news was on the domestic and foreign Chinese forum.
According to Science News, Florida has disclosed a new state law
Faculty at 12 public universities and colleges in Florida are prohibited from hiring Chinese graduate students and postdocs to work in their labs.
Among them is the 2023 Us.NewsThe University of Florida, ranked 28th among universities in the United States, is known as the "Public Ivy League" and has always been loved by Chinese students for its high cost performance.
So, how big is the impact of this "evil law"? Will it affect my undergraduate application? What about international students who are already in Florida?
Florida has gone crazy and introduced Chinese exclusion into universitiesThe details of the bill are:
Florida public universities and colleges are prohibited from accepting any grants from China or entering into agreements with six other "countries of concern" (Russia, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela). Also including scholar visits, some research and academic cooperation agreements have also been officially banned on December 1, and it is reported that students from these seven countries will still be able to enter graduate programs, but will not be able to get paid research work, including graduate assistant or postdoctoral research positions.
This law restricts people who currently reside in the country in question, who have "foreign researcher" status, and who have received training or employment outside the United States for one year or more (even if they have U.S. citizenship).
However, if the state's Board of Higher Education determines that academic recruitment "will not compromise the safety or security of the United States or its residents" after a rigorous review, it will be allowed exceptionally.
The University of Florida currently employs about 350 graduate assistants and 200 postdocs from seven countries in question, according to D**id Norton, vice president for research at the University of Florida.
The implementation of the new law has a huge ripple effect on the faculty at the University of Florida. From December to early January every year, the University of Florida issues admission letters to Chinese students, and due to the layers of review stipulated in the new law, many good students have been lost.
We have missed this window. The best students can't wait. Instead, they will go somewhere else"。
Such a bad law naturally caused strong indignation, so much so that many ** even directly used titles such as "The University of Florida Does Not Recruit Chinese Graduate Students", but there are a few points to be clarified:
1 This law does not prohibit Chinese students from entering the University of Florida or laboratories, but rather from contracts related to scientific research, including the employment of graduate students for research assistantship.
2. As long as they are not employed by the laboratory of the state university and do not receive a salary, graduate students can be recruited; There is no impact on the undergraduate level for the time being.
3 For the time being, only public universities in Florida are involved, and private universities are not enforced for the time being.
4 Even if you are a U.S. citizen, you Xi or have worked for more than one year in any country outside the U.S. will be subject to scrutiny when you return to employment in scientific research.
It's not the first time that Florida has been anti-Chinese
In fact, this isn't the first time Florida has been Chinese exclusionary.
Back in May, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis approved SB 264 (look at the prefix), which went into effect on July 1.
This bill provides for --
Any real estate to Chinese nationals** is prohibited throughout Florida. Stipulates that no individual or entity that is a Chinese citizen may directly or indirectly own or control any interest in Florida real estate or acquire any interest in Florida real estate through purchase, gift, bequest or inheritance.
If a buyer intentionally violates these restrictions, they can face up to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Chinese nationals who buy property in Florida can face higher fines and up to five years in prison.
In the same month, legislation was also enacted to prohibit everyone from using Chinese apps such as TikTok, WeChat, and QQ on the school's web server, resulting in a large number of international students losing contact instantly. It can be said that today's Florida can be called one of the most unfriendly areas for the Chinese.
Of course, compared with the ban on buying a house, this kind of behavior of prohibiting scientific research exchanges can be regarded as the behavior of "hurting the enemy by 1,000 and self-inflicting 800", and this kind of demented behavior naturally caused **.
More than 280 faculty members at the University of Florida have jointly signed a letter urging the University of Florida to calm the current chaotic situation and support an open hiring policy, according to the latest news report.
*The letter was sent to the University of Florida's president and other senior leadership on Dec. 6 with an urgent decision to allow the university's faculty to recruit top international graduate students, many from China and Iran, regardless of nationality, as teaching assistants.
They say that if action is not taken quickly, it could lead to the loss of outstanding students to other universities, and the damage will be irreversible.
From the perspective of academic exchange and cooperation, restricting students from specific countries from entering the laboratory may exacerbate the international academic community and hinder the exchange and development of science and technology.
From the perspective of human rights and equality, such legislation may raise issues of discrimination and prejudice, and may result in unfair treatment of citizens of certain countries if the law only targets students in those countries.
What about international students in Florida?
Let's take a look at the universities affected by this stupid law:
1.Florida A&M University (FAMU).
2.Florida Atlantic University (FAU).
3.Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU).
4.Florida International University (FIU).
5.Florida Aggregation University (FPU).
6.Florida State University (FSU).
7.The New College (NC).
8.University of Central Florida (UCF).
9.University of Florida (UF).
10.University of North Florida (UNF).
11.University of South Florida (USF).
12.University of West Florida (UWF).
The best of these is the University of Florida, once known as one of the best public universities in the United States, which is extremely cost-effective for international students;
Florida State University at Us.news ranked 53rd;
The University of South Florida is at Us.news ranked 97th;
Other than that, no! In other words, if you don't stay here, you have a place to stay, even if you go to Georgia next to it, it's no worse than your Florida.
This time, Florida dared to tear its face and elevate the anti-Chinese incident to education, and it is difficult to guarantee that it will not provoke a rebellion beyond expectations. Waiting quietly, the stone lifted by Florida** this time will hit his feet sooner or later.