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WITCC Addresses Concerns Surrounding Foreign Students

JANUARY 21, 2020
Siouxland Public Media

The president of Western Iowa Tech Community College held a news conference on Tuesday January 21, 2020, to respond to allegations made by a group of international students.  

“We were shocked and saddened to hear about the students and heard for the first time about it yesterday.”

JANUARY 21, 2020
Credit Siouxland Public Media
WITCC PRESIDENT TERRY MURRELL

Dr. Terry Murrell says 60 students arrived from Chile and Brazil for the school year in the fall of 2019 through a J-1 Visa exchange program.

On Monday, two advocacy groups claimed the college engaged in human trafficking by luring the students with free tuition, housing, food, then forcing them to work long hours at minimum wage factory jobs.

They say some of the students were afraid to speak up because the college threatened to send them home.

Dr. Murrell says that’s not the case.

“We knew things weren’t perfect with the program and we knew the students were struggling.  I can tell you we did not know the level of frustration by the students and we are troubled by that.”

Dr. Murrell says the students are not responsible for paying for airfare, tuition, fees or housing and he’s working to trying to get food covered as well.  Western Iowa Tech provided scholarships to offset the cost as well as the businesses involved in the program.

Murrell says the U.S. State Department reviewed the J1 program in November and modifications to the program needed to be made.  The program was shortened to one year instead of two and students are required to have internships based on their career choices.  About a half dozen internship in robotics still need to be filled by the end of the month.  Several of the students already have internships in the culinary field.  Five students did return to their home countries with airfare provided by the college.  

“One thing I can say is that we came into this with high aspirations for our students and found out there’s a lot of bureaucracy with this program.  We worked very hard to make sure we do the right thing.  We have continued to stay in contact with the State Department.  We are not required to do that.  But, have the highest program that we can have.”

Murrell says he’s not sure if Western Iowa Tech will continue with the J-1 program.  The college hasn’t recruited new students for next year.

The college had been working with J & L Staffing to help recruit students and help with job placement.  Murrell says J & L did not organize internships and the college is no longer working with the company.  J & L did not return phone calls from Siouxland Public Media News.

Several dozen staff members attended the news conference to show support for Western Iowa Tech as well as a half dozen J1 students who say they are happy with the experience they received at the college.

JANUARY 21, 2020
Credit Siouxland Public Media
WITCC NEWS CONFERENCE

The Board President of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement listened to Dr. Murrell’s comments.  Tom Mohan who lives in the Sioux City area says “this sounds like modern day slavery, complete with a company store in the company town and it’s outrageous that this is happening at a state community college with companies doing business in Iowa.”

He adds “College representatives and elected officials must guarantee the safety of the impacted international students with no evictions, no debt, and no deportations.”

Official statement from Western Iowa Tech Community College

In light of the recent questions and concerns of the J1 program, Western Iowa Tech Community College (WITCC) will be holding a press conference at 2:00 today on Tuesday, January 21 at the W108 on the campus of WITCC (4647 Stone Ave, Parking lot 3, Entrance 12). The purpose of this press conference is to offer information about the student requirements of the J1 program, WITCC’s relationship with the International students, and future plans for the program.

In early 2019, Western Iowa Tech Community College embarked on a new journey to provide educational opportunities as well as provide real-world training and internships for cultural exchange students. The State Department granted the college the ability to have J-1 visa students to study and to get both theoretical training and real-world training. WITCC pursued this program in hopes of providing students with a credential and work experience that would help them to have a better life upon their return to their country. The College was also excited to provide an exchange for the benefit of the International students and the students here at WITCC.

WITCC recruited students and sent then representatives to interview them in Chile and Brazil. Sixty students arrived in July and August of 2019. WITCC partnered with Siouxland businesses to provide jobs for the students and jointly offer scholarships. In accordance with the approved J1 visa application, the students worked full time for minimum wage. In addition, the businesses and WITCC provided scholarships to offset the cost of tuition, housing, and fees.

The J1 Visa students are not responsible, have not paid for nor will be asked to pay for the following:

  • Airfare from home country to the United States
  • Transportation and hotel costs accrued during travel
  • Tuition for classes
  • Fees associated with attending college
  • Housing in the dorms on the campus of WITCC
  • Textbooks
  • Uniforms
  • Tools
  • At no point were student expected to repay anything should they leave the program early

The students were initially held responsible for the cost of their health insurance, however, WITCC has covered all of the costs associated with health insurance thus far.

In return for these accommodations, students agreed to the following:

  • Work at least 32 hours a week at their sponsoring employer
  • Attend classes full-time
  • Attend English courses if English skills are determined to be lower than necessary to perform academic and internship duties
  • Attend classes in their program and maintain a minimum of a 2.0
  • Attend internship and receive positive reviews from their internship supervisor
  • Live in the Western Iowa Tech student housing
  • Return to home country after graduation or upon the request of the college at the student’s expense
  • Communicate about their whereabouts to the International department
  • No use of tobacco, drugs, alcohol, weapons or firearms on campus
  • Provide proof of health insurance
  • Provide proof of social security number
  • Should the student not meet these requirements they would be asked return to their home country at their own expense

WITCC undertook the effort to house and educate 60 international students after careful planning and consideration. We felt a tremendous responsibility to make these students feel like they were at home. We were incredibly proud of the welcoming response from the employees here at the college. Staff members have opened their homes to many of these students. We have arranged for outings at entertainment venues, movies, and trips. A group of 30 students were taken to a special outing on Christmas day. Staff held a clothing drive for winter clothes. It is safe to say that many friendships have been formed between these students and our employees. Many employees view them as family.

In November of 2019, the J1 program was reviewed by the US Department of State and provided the college with midcourse corrections and modifications. The College is working hard to find partnering employers to provide the required training component of this program. Internships have been secured for 43 students with 7 still remaining. WITCC continues to be in communication with the US Department of State to ensure continued compliance with federal regulations. We are aggressively pursuing these internships as we want these students to be successful. From the very beginning we have been working to help these students and make this a positive experience for them.

We have been in regular communication with the students and met with them frequently, but there was evidently a failure to clarify expectations. While some students were promoted at work, we were aware that some aspects of the program were not what the students had hoped for. In those instances, we worked with them to find new positions. Where that was not possible, WITCC offered to pay for the students’ airfare to their home country if they decided not to pursue the program. Several WITCC administrators met with the J1 students face-to-face on two separate occasions. Five students accepted the offer and returned home at no cost to them. Under no circumstances were students threatened with deportation. According to the signed agreement, students would have to pay their way home if they did not fulfill the requirements of the program. However, with the unforeseen changes in the program, we were not holding any students to that agreement and paid their way home.

Another issue raised by students related to meals and it has become clear there was a breakdown in communication regarding food. WITCC has provided some resources such as gift cards and access to the college’s food pantry. While there is no contractual obligation on WITCC’s part to do so, WITCC is in the process of securing food for students during the remainder of the program.

We are shocked and saddened to learn of their experience and heard about these concerns for the first time yesterday. We will work with the students to find solutions. We fully know this process wasn’t perfect and that we met some challenges. Despite everything, we are still 100% committed to their success.

The college is taking the following actions:

  • Find internships for seven remaining students
  • Strengthen our communications with the J1 students to ensure they understand all of their requirements and plans moving forward
  • Work with students to find solutions for meals
  • Ensure a safe and supportive environment exists for continued learning

Even though we have experienced some issues with this program, we’ve had a tremendous amount of success as well. Every student who participated has received between 12-15 college credits and is on schedule to graduate. Students have been exposed to numerous cultural experiences and many lifelong friendships have been formed.

NEWS RELEASE FROM IOWA CITIZENS FOR COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT AND CATHOLIC WORKER:

Human Trafficking At Western Iowa Tech: International Students Promised Free Tuition, Housing, & Food - Then Forced Into Minimum Wage Factory Work to Pay Off Debt

Gov. Reynolds, A.G. Miller, and Sen. Grassley and Ernst must take swift action to stop human rights abuses and investigate potential felony crimes

 

Sioux City, Iowa --

Fifty-seven international students studying at a state technical college in Sioux City are being exploited in school and on the job after being lured to Iowa under false pretenses by public and private recruiters, according to eleven of the directly impacted people going public with the allegations. 

 

Trafficking in Persons (TIP), otherwise known as human trafficking, is the trade of humans for forced labor, modern-day slavery. TIP is illegal under Iowa, federal, and international law. 

 

The international students say they were brought to Sioux City as part of a cultural exchange on J1 Visas to study culinary arts for two years at Western Iowa Tech Community College. A local subcontractor and temp agency named J&L Staffing flew to Brazil and Chile with school officials to recruit the students. Prospects were promised free tuition, housing, food, job training, and job placement in their field of study.

But after the incoming class of international students signed up, they suddenly found themselves on the hook for thousands of dollars in hidden recruitment fees. Their two year degree plans were changed to one year diplomas, and their specialized internships turned out to be mandatory, full-time jobs for $7.25 an hour at giant food manufacturers like Tur-Pak and Royal Canin.

 

Anyone who complained about harassment or unsafe work conditions, forced overtime, injuries on the job, called in sick, asked for less hours, more pay, or a reduced course load were threatened with expulsion, deportation, and debt repayment. 

 

Promises of free food did not include a sanctioned meal plan in the college cafeteria and turned out to be nothing more than sporadic $50 gift cards to Wal-Mart.

Email correspondence between the school administration and the students last summer show that officials knew the entire program was potentially illegal from the start. 

 

The Iowa Department of Education identified major flaws with the school’s planned use of the J1 Visas to fill a worker shortage in the Sioux City-area, but the changes the school made to try and cover it all up were cosmetic and just a few weeks before the Fall semester started. None of the principal actors, their roles, or the basic plan changed, only the way the paperwork was worded and written.

 

In November, after some of the international students began filing complaints and the legality of the program was questioned, the school canceled all 57 internships and began demanding repayment of education and housing expenses. School officials are currently threatening the entire group of J1 Visa students with expulsion and deportation if they don't re-enroll this semester under the same exploitative conditions. 

 

Those that have re-enrolled for Spring 2020 do not have school-sponsored internships, cannot work legally in the United States, and are being assessed full tuition, housing, and school fees.

 

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (Iowa CCI) and Catholic Worker House members both released statements supporting the international student workers.

 

"This sounds like modern day slavery, complete with a company store in the company town - and it’s outrageous that this is happening at a state community college with companies doing business in Iowa,” said Tom Mohan, a Sioux City resident and Iowa CCI board president. "We demand an end to this exploitation with no evictions, no debt, and no deportations."

 

"Western Iowa Tech Community College, J&L Services, Tur-Pak, and Royal Canin must all be held accountable for potential human trafficking crimes and we call on Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Attorney General Tom Miller, and U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst to open an independent and transparent investigation into this situation immediately," said Catholic Worker Maureen Vasile of Coralville, Iowa.

 

Immigrants who are the victims of crimes are eligible to apply for special visas and, after four years, permanent residency in the United States.