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Unprecedented times call for unprecedented — and creative — measures. On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security threatened to revoke the University’s Student and Exchange
Visitor Program certification. Unless Harvard submits international students’ disciplinary information to the DHS, Harvard’s eligibility to bring international students to campus is at risk.
Harvard’s only public response thus far — beyond an email sent to affiliates — has been to reiterate that the University “will not surrender its independence or relinquish its
constitutional rights.” While Harvard could potentially win a court case over the revocation of their SEVP certification, that would likely take time and leave international students in
uncertain limbo. Even one year with zero students from outside the U.S. enrolled at Harvard would be devastating for all affiliates. The University must rise to meet the moment — it’s time
for Harvard to open an international collegiate campus. Several elite universities — for example, Yale University, New York University, Duke University, Carnegie Mellon University,
Georgetown University, and Northeastern University — operate international locations, sometimes in partnership with local institutions. Certain aspects of those campuses could serve as
models for Harvard. Moreover, Harvard has a great deal of experience working abroad. The Harvard Business School opened its Europe Research Center in Paris in 2003. The T.H. Chan School of
Public Health manages its India Research Center in Mumbai as a hub for educational programs and research. The David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies maintains offices in Mexico,
Brazil, and Chile. Most importantly, if Harvard decides to create a new, international campus, students won’t need a U.S. visa to study there. Admittedly, the process of creating a new
international campus by the fall would be no simple feat. But, it’s possible. The most glaring difficulty: international campuses cost universities millions of dollars to operate, and
Harvard now faces a loss of over $3 billion in frozen federal funding. However, universities don’t need to operate international campuses out-of-pocket. Instead, they can partner with local
governments and foundations who help foot the bill. Harvard also has some of the wealthiest and most influential alumni in the world. If the past several days are any indication of how
successful our University’s fundraising can be — it just might be possible to raise enough funds by September. Advertisement Additionally, interest from foreign governments to partner with
Harvard would likely be straightforward to secure. On Friday, French President Emmanuel J.F. Macron announced that his government would be launching a funding program to help cover the cost
of universities sending foreign researchers to France. In terms of logistics, the founding of a new international campus would also require intense strategic planning, accelerated property
acquisition, and likely relocation and hiring of new faculty and staff. A project like this would require grandiose, creative, and inspirational brainstorming and execution. But such an
effort wouldn’t just insulate us from President Donald Trump’s attacks on international students. It would also be a valuable asset to Harvard and the world for years to come. International
campuses open up new entryways to universities. They can also potentially increase socioeconomic diversity by lowering travel costs and reducing expenses for the international students who
attend there. A new campus abroad is by no means a perfect solution. Harvard’s campus in Cambridge would suffer without international students living and learning here. Friendships that
would have otherwise developed would not; fewer ideas would be exchanged; and university life would be less vibrant for every single one of us. But in the face of grave attacks on its
mission and students, Harvard has to get creative, and to continue to inspire. Announcing the development of a new international campus could be a productive way for the University to
navigate the moment and establish a safety net, especially when international students’ visas are threatened. Now is the time for Harvard to do all the things that Harvard does so well. Our
innovation and resolve must be a shining light to the rest of the world of higher education at its best. Opening an international campus could help us do just that. _Elizabeth R. Place ’27,
a Crimson Editorial editor, is a joint concentrator in Slavic Studies and English in Quincy House._