Sioux City, Iowa — (RI) — The President of Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City answered questions and concerns earlier this week on the handling of a foreign exchange student internship program at the school.
President Terry Murrell says he was first made aware of concerns by around 60 students from Brazil and Chile on Monday.
The students came to the college last summer on what’s called a J-1 visa program through the US State Department. The Des Moines-based political action group, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, claimed that some of the students are being exploited. Murrell says they have tried to work with the students.
Murrell says he knows some students were not happy with their internship jobs, but Western Iowa Tech has tried to help them.
President Murrell says the college will continue the current program with the remaining students, but will reassess the initiative and not recruit or seek new international students for the J-1 Visa Program in the next year.
