Beijing students denied visas, IU trip delayed

Nine students of Beijing University planning to visit IU for a 10-day trip at the end of May were recently denied visas, said Richard Doty, media relations specialist for IU's Office of Communications and Marketing. The students and seven faculty members were expected to arrive in Bloomington May 30, but the trip was canceled due to a visa problem.\nAmerican Embassies base the granting of visas on the number of connections to the respective native country. Most of the students were graduate students, unmarried and without strong ties to Beijing, said David Gallahue, coordinator of the trip and associate dean of the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. Since the visiting faculty have careers and families in Beijing, they didn't encounter difficulty obtaining a visa. \nThe HPER faculty raised over $15,000 to fund the visit from Beijing University of Physical Education. Although the faculty could visit without the students, members of the planning committee decided to postpone the trip rather than continue without the students. \n"Ethically, according to the University guides, we can't use those funds unless students are involved," Gallahue said. \nGallahue contacted Ind. Senator Richard Lugar and the State Department to inquire about the reason the Beijing students were denied visas. He was unable to find an answer, but is optimistic about postponing the trip.\n"A strategy we may pursue is contacting the American Embassy in Beijing and informing them of the nature of the visit," said Betty Haven, HPER professor. "Hopefully the trip will just be postponed until a later date."\nHPER faculty and staff met several times over the last six months to plan the events of the 10-day stay, said Michelle Miller, HPER professor and planning committee member. The committee is looking into hosting a similar trip in September or October of this year. "The two universities have done everything in good faith. I am confident the students will visit in the fall," Gallahue said.