01.28.02

By Olivia Lloyd

The tragic events of Sept. 11 shocked not only a nation but also a few institutes of higher education when they realized some of the hijackers had obtained visas to enroll in their schools.

Last week, Delegates John A. Cosgrove, R-Chesapeake, and Leo C. Wardrup Jr., R-Virginia Beach, combined their bills and joined forces to ensure that action will be taken against people who enroll in Virginia schools to obtain a visa but never attend.

"There were a number of students who were enrolled in Virginia universities, full-time students who were here on visas," Wardrup said. "Unfortunately, they got the visas, they were enrolled, they had never attended classes and the university did not know where they were.

"It comes as no surprise that at least one of the persons who was implicated in 9-11 did have a tie to a Virginia university."

The proposal, coming just four months after terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes and rammed them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing thousands, is designed to ensure an event of this magnitude does not occur again.

The two bills would affect all two- and four- year institutions, correspondence, postsecondary and proprietary career schools. Their governing board or administrators would have to notify the state attorney general's office if any withdrawals or extended absences by visa-bearing students.

The attorney general then would notify the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services and other law-enforcement authorities.

"I think we need to keep track of where these students are," Wardrup said, "especially since they're here in the aegis of the commonwealth of Virginia, in terms of attending Virginia universities."

Debates arose about how long a university has to notify the attorney general's office once they realize a student is missing. The bill, originally drafted with a 60-day policy, was changed to a 30-day policy.

The chairman of the House Education Committee, Delegate James H. Dillard II, R-Fairfax, proposed universities should notify the attorney general's office immediately because of the nature of the issue.

Wardrup said that would be unreasonable. "It takes a little while for even the best of schools to realize that a student is gone and there is no likelihood that the student is going to show up," he said addressing the time frame issue.

"I realize that there's a possibility that something can happen in those 30 days," he continued, "but in my view 30 days is better than having nothing, which is what we've got right now."

Delegate Jay O'Brien, R-Fairfax, has a bill similar to Cosgrove's and Wardrup's. He suggested that all three proposals go into a subcommittee where they will be made into one bill. All the questions can be worked out in the subcommittee, O'Brien said.

The motion passed unanimously.

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