Florida bill restricts hiring of Chinese graduate students

NBC Asian America’s newsletter for March 30 indicates that a Florida law restricts hiring graduate students fromo China. It is generating push back from faculty at public universities that rely on these students to conduct research. More below:

A Florida law is prompting backlash from professors, students and advocates across university campuses in the state who say it could keep Chinese grad students out of their schools. 

The measure, State Bill 846, restricts the state’s public universities from hiring graduate students for positions such as researchers and lab assistants, from “countries of concern,” including China, the largest contributor of international students in the state. 

While the measure went into effect last July, schools typically issue offer letters in the spring, prompting the recent protests. 

While Gov. Ron DeSantis’ has said that the legislation is part of an attempt to counter China’s “malign influence” in the state, critics say it’ll do more harm than good. From taking legal action to participating in rallies this week, students, faculty and others are calling for the measure to be reversed, arguing that the law could pose a threat to the state’s academics and impede scientific advancements and freedoms. 

“It’s discriminatory,” Chenglong Li, a professor at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, told NBC News. “Individuals, they cannot decide where they are born. They’re only thinking of their educational opportunities. 

MHC