The Teaching Assistants' Association at the University of Wisconsin-yMadison, AFT local 3220, won an important battle for international students In May.  The university announced May 17 that it would not collect the fee needed to cover the cost of  implementing the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) required by the federal government. The TAA persuaded the university to withdraw the $100-$125 fee for the 2003-04 academic year for all 3,772 international students. 

SEVIS was first introduced in 1996 under the Illegal Immigration and Alien Act to electronically monitor and track international students’ activity and serve as a surveillance system between universities/colleges and the INS. SEVIS’ primary purpose is to report suspicious or criminal activity of international students to the INS.

To persuade the administration to withdraw the SEVIS fee, the international caucus of TAA formed a coalition of students, faculty, staff, and academic departments, which campaigned for more than a month for removal of the fee. Just before the university made its decision, the Madison (Wis.) City Council passed a resolution against the fee, a final step in pressuring the university to waive the fee.

"We commend the university for recognizing that the funding for SEVIS implementation needs to be equitable.  Forcing international students to pay for this disservice is morally outrageous," said Shireen Ally, chair of the TAA international caucus.  "SEVIS is an administrative obligation of the university that should be funded the same way as all other similar responsibilities."

One major battle still remains for the TAA and others involved in the fight against the SEVIS fee at UW-Madison: that the fee be withdrawn indefinitely, or at least until the federal government revises funding protocol.

The AFT has expressed concerns about the SEVIS since its introduction.  The AFT has helped to ensure that SEVIS poses no academic barrier for students, faculty or institutions. [Heather Raiti]