From: ngopalas@ha15.eng.ua.edu (Nath S. Gopalaswamy)
Subject: Re: Ridiculous Health Insurance Policy
Organization: The University of Alabama
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 18:23:30 GMT

In article <4775@sumax.seattleu.edu>, harrity@sumax.seattleu.edu (Elan Morin Tedronai) writes:
|> In article <1992Jul23.133012.7486@menudo.uh.edu> mece1e3@Jane.UH.EDU writes:
|> 
|> 
|> >What a prepostrous statement! What makes you think everybody who is in
|> >here for their education wants to live here. Sorry, you are not that
|> >great yet. You may be one day; but not yet. 
|> 
|> 
|> So, it's good enough to come here for a subsidized education, but
|> not up to snuff as regards a new home?  No flames here, just
|> an honest question. It's simply one of the first things that comes to
|> mind.
|> 

Ahem.. he was talking about Graduate studies. Almost exclusively, foreign 
students come as graduates (usually in engineering). And graduate studies
in engineering are always supported by assistantships, for those foreign
students seeking them. Americans too are always supported by assistantships.
So it is not as if foreign students are being "subsidized." They earn their
living by teaching and conducting research, just like other Americans too. 

|> >You can close
|> >your door on foreign students ; but then you know how this country
|> >became whatever it is economically.
|> >So stop daydreaming and get a life.
|> 
|> 
|> Hmm, it's all clear now. The excessive eighties, runaway spending,
|> etc., didn't have anything to do with our present condition, it's
|> all attributable to our having closed the door on foreign students??!!
|> What, 'pray tell', are you talking about?

I think what he meant was this country is the leader in technology because
it has always attracted talent from around the world. One needs only to 
consider the case of Einstein, Fermi etc. So shutting the door on foreigners
runs counter to that philosophy.

|> 
|> Listen, I don't think we should close the door on foreign students.
|> Everyone would be poorer for that. But put yourself in the position
|> of a Canadian or US student graduating with loans in excess of 
|> 30,000 to pay off, and then ask yourself if you'd not be just a
|> trifle curious as to why it is seen fit to subsidize foreign students.
|> 

Again, foreign students are not "subsidized". Graduate education always
carries assistantships which are also jobs.
I know of a few undergraduates also, undergraduates are not eligible
for assistantships, so they earn their living by doing some on-campus job.
To my knowledge none of them has been "subsidized."

|> The argument about not wanting to live here later doesn't make sense to
|> me. What it sounds like is, foreign students shouldn't be forced to have
|> to pay back loans because they'll not be staying here afterward, and the
|> exchange rate makes paying back prohibitive to  pay from the home
|> country.  Is that it?  Correct me if I'm wrong, please, because
|> I'm inclined to say, tough shit. If that's the argument, stop
|> whining.

If assistantships were not available, no foreign students will be able to
even come here in the first place. Only because Universities promise
them teaching or research jobs, do they come here. To prevent resentment
on the part of American students, the US govt should make a clear stand
on this issue. It should pass a law clearly stating whether foreign students
are eligible for on-campus jobs or not, and if yes why and under what specific
conditions. That would eliminate a lot of misinformation and put things
in perspective.

|> 
|> I, for one, would've liked more than anything to have completed
|> my masters program in Australia, but the cost of doing it, all
|> things considered, would have made things prohibitive.  Should I
|> gripe to the Australian government because they'd not subsidize me?
|> After all, I'm a foreigner, and I might even want to stay afterward!
|> Should the Australians therefore be forced to pay *my* way through
|> school? Like I said, I just don't get the logic of this argument.
|> 
|> 
|> 
|> >Arindam
|> 
|> Regards,
|> 
|> Daniel John Kelly-Harrity ---------| |--------- "Sooner spit in a 
|> Seattle University ----------------| |---------  Wolf's Eye,
|> Seattle, Washington ---------------| |---------  than cross an
|> USA 98122 -------------------------| |---------  Aes Sedai."
|> 
|>           "If it's not Scottish, It's *crap*!"