Since the college’s announcement on April 16 that the U.S. government had terminated the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) status of one Middlebury undergraduate student and three Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) alumni, administrators have further addressed the situation. At a faculty meeting on Friday, April 18, Vice President for Student Affairs Smita Ruzicka shared that the Middlebury student chose to leave the country out of caution.
Emphasizing the institution’s commitment to student safety, privacy and academic continuity, Ruzicka detailed protocols to respond to record status changes, addressed misinformation circulating among professors and encouraged faculty flexibility in assisting affected students.
Ruzicka said that the college had been monitoring international students’ SEVIS status since before the student’s status was revoked. The college’s protocol is to immediately contact the student and alumni whose records are terminated to help them consider their next steps.
“When we found out about the SEVIS records, just like many other students across the country, we were operating under the assumption that the student did not know this had happened,” she said. “And because we’re a small residential undergraduate institution, it is really important for us to make sure we are talking to a student in person.”
Ruzicka mentioned that the embassy or consulate of a student’s home country may also directly communicate with them to discuss their next steps.
She distinguished between SEVIS and visa status, adding that the reason for the revocations of the Middlebury community member’s records is uncertain.
“[Visa] is just an entry and exit into the country. In the before times, visa revocation did not necessarily mean that the institution would break the progress or the academic standing of the student,” she said. “In SEVIS, visa revocation is oftentimes also showing as a status revocation, which puts the student in a very vulnerable position.”
On Friday, April 25, the Trump administration restored thousands of international student visas that it had previously revoked. However, the administration has said that this is only temporary — the reversal marks a period of immigration officials working on a new system of review and termination for SEVIS records and visas. Students who had their legal status restored could have it terminated again in the future.
Ruzicka stated that the Middlebury’s administration did not explicitly tell the international student to leave campus. Rather, the student and their parents came to the decision independently.
“I want to be very clear. We did not kick the student out. The student was not forced to leave our campus,” she emphasized. “We have not and will not take that approach unless we get a law order. And even then we're going to assess what that means.”
Ruzicka also denied any rumors that the college provided the names of students involved in the Palestinian solidary encampment from last spring.
“While I can not comment on the individual student, I once again stand here and say we did not turn in any list, we did not have any lists compiled of students in the encampment,” she said.
Addressing rising concerns about more SEVIS records or visas being terminated, Ruzicka described how the college is working on individualized plans to support international students in their education who may face similar vulnerabilities.
She suggested faculty members increase flexibility with these students. While the college cannot disclose the specific circumstances of individual students, student deans will communicate with faculty to support international students who may leave abruptly. To prepare for potential future disruptions, Ruzicka noted that academic administrators are exploring broader contingency plans, such as sending students to Middlebury Schools Abroad.
While Middlebury does not currently fund or provide legal services for students, Ruzicka shared that she will communicate with trustees to explore potential funding consideration.
The meeting was part of a broader effort by the faculty council to keep the campus community informed about the evolving situation, according to Jason Mittell, chair of Faculty Council and professor of Film and Media Culture. Mittell shared that he has been in conversation with the Office of the Registrar about further steps, indicating their confidence that Middlebury has methods to support the international student’s schooling when they have to be off campus.
“We went through a whole bunch of different scenarios, and we feel pretty confident that we will be able to sort of administratively and bureaucratically deal with this,” he said. “[The registrar] said that they can probably figure out a way in most instances to allow an enrollment to continue even if a student can not be on campus.”
One faculty member asked whether the college has set housing options for students who feel unsafe to travel internationally this summer. Ruzicka responded that the college has not prepared a general solution, and are for the time being focusing on individual plans for individual students.
Ruzicka concluded by sharing the college’s efforts to educate international students on digital safety and practical risk management. She noted that many students have expressed concern about their social media presence and digital footprint, and emphasized that while the college is not instructing students to remove content, it is providing guidance on how to better protect themselves online.
“We do not want to dictate what every student should do,” she emphasized, “but we are trying to make sure they are as prepared as possible.”
Editor’s Note: Jason Mittell is the faculty advisor to The Campus. He had no role in the publication of this article.
Hugo Zhang '28 (he/him) is a News Editor.
Hugo previously served as an Online Editor. He intends to major in Economics and Geography. He enjoys cartography, traveling, and history. Last summer, he studied at Sciences Po Paris and traveled across Europe. He has also conducted research on ethnic minority policies, economic transformation, and urban planning in Northeastern China, also known as Manchuria.
