Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum released a statement Monday afternoon regarding the temporary travel ban that has sparked debate and protest across the country.
According to the release from the MSU Office of Public Affairs, there are 80 students at MSU who are from the countries listed by the executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Jan. 27.
Trump signed a temporary 90-day ban on visa issuance to nationals of the countries of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen on Friday, according to the United States Department of State.
The ban also suspends refugee admissions for 120 days, and Syrian refugees are banned indefinitely.
The release said that the executive order impacting immigrant and non-immigrant visa holders from these countries and suspending refugee admissions have created uncertainty and anxiety among valued members of the university and community.
"As I have stated on numerous occasions, MSU’s core values of diversity, inclusion, tolerance, and safety for all – regardless their country of origin - do not waver or change," Keenum said in the statement. "MSU is taking appropriate steps to support and assist our international students, faculty, staff and researchers as these issues evolve. We expect more clarity to come as these issues are more fully considered."
State Rep. Gary Chism, R-Columbus, has been a strident supporter of the president’s move to reform immigration policy and told the SDN on Monday that he stands in support of the procedures approved by the order.
"The executive order was not unexpected," Chism said. "The president said vetting would occur for visitors from terrorist countries. We need to examine everyone, even students. Remember the terrorists on 9/11 were students."
In response to the growing debate across the country, MSU students and faculty are organizing a vigil for students to attend.
"I think that this executive order is a threat to the diversity of MSU," Paige Anderson, a student at the Center for Veterinary Medicine at MSU, said. "It is barring students from these seven nations from getting the quality education that the university can provide. It cripples our advancement as a state and country."
Anderson is working with two other CVM students, Katie Graham and Anna Walker, to organize the vigil, which is sponsored by the Religious Diversity Organization.
"As we have observed in the news, quite a few of the people affected are scientists, doctors, researchers, and professors," Anderson said. "By discriminating, we stand to lose some of our brightest minds, which is a far cry from what I hold to be true American values. As a top tier research institution, we cannot stand for it."
The MSU administration says it is closely monitoring these matters to see how the university community will be impacted. The MSU International Services Office at 662-325-8929 and MSU Student Counseling Services are taking calls to give more information on the subject, and to support those who are affected.