Iranian graduate students Alireza Salmanzadeh and Ali Tamijani are working to make the process for renewing a visa easier for those studying in the U.S.
Correction: This story has been modified from its original version. — Michelle Moghtader's name was originally mispelled in the story. The Collegiate Times regrets this error.
The U.S. and Iran have not had official diplomatic relations since 1980.
Yannis Stivachtis, director of the international affairs program at Tech, said the issue between the U.S. and Iran is suspicion.
“The collaboration is not good,” he said. “You don’t know how the student will be used.”
Stivachtis said many officials from both governments are nervous about the possibility that international students could be agents for either side.
“You have only good faith,” he said. “When you have paranoia, anything’s possible. Mistrust creates paranoia.”
“Students are the victims in this situation,” Stivachtis said.
The Iranian student society has been working with the National Iranian American Council, a nonprofit advocacy group that lobbies for Iranian-American interests. One issue it has been working on is helping students receive multiple-entry visas.
“These kids would jump through hoops to be able to go home,” said Michelle Moghtader, director of community outreach for NIAC. “But there are no hoops even to jump through.”
Moghtader said the group is looking forward to working with Tech students.
“We’re very excited to be working with such passionate students,” Moghtader said.
NIAC has worked with college groups at Georgetown, UC Davis, and UCLA, among others.
“We’re trying to teach them the skills needed to get involved in politics,” Moghtader said. “Iranians as a whole are skeptical ... older generations are skeptical, and they’ve seen politics take a turn for the worse.”
Moghtader said younger students, especially those studying in America, are becoming more active in democracy.
On April 17, NIAC will host a workshop about civic participation that will help students learn how to effectively participate in the democratic process.
“Even someone who grew up in the U.S. might not know about writing letters or calling their representatives,” Moghtader said.
In addition to hosting representatives from NIAC, Tamijani also said he hopes to bring Iranian professors from Columbia and Duke this semester to talk about Iranian politics and the issues Iranian students face in the U.S.
“I think of myself as a cultural ambassador,” Tamijani said. “We are trying to introduce our culture and define diversity.”
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Maybe if we didn't have a reckless foreign policy (Operation Ajax), these sort of stories wouldn't happen. LOL@ Cuba being a terrorist state. Are they going to shoot us with their WWI torpedos and ancient Chinese rockets?
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This is not a matter of having special group of people in country or not. Iranians were so peaceful 30 years ago that they didn't need visa to go to United States and many other countries. Now there are much more students and educated peope inside the country and there are so many obstacles for them to get a visa even for a short conference! That's a pity
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Iranians have always needed visa to come to the US.
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Bravo, ISVT! Thank you for bringing this issue to the forefront and being vocal about it.
It's unfortunate that comprehensive immigration reform is not on the horizon to address the many many problems, such as this one, facing the immigrant communities. Please continue this campaign, and educate others to contact their reps/senators on your behalf.
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