KSU students, faculty share opinions, debate effects of Trump travel orders

Photo by Thomas Hartwell

KENNESAW, Ga. – Seven days after his inauguration, President Donald Trump signed an unprecedented executive order temporarily restricting, and in some cases altogether halting, travel from seven Muslim-majority countries into the U.S. Proponents of the order hailed it as a necessary security measure to prevent terror attacks on the U.S., while critics called it discriminatory and a blatant ban of travelers, visa-holders and refugees, based on religion.

In the days following the executive order, protesters took to streets, capitals and airport terminals in cities all around the country. But some of the most outspoken protesters were found on college campuses. In only three days, an online petition entitled “Academics Against Immigration Executive Order” amassed more than 7,000 signatures from U.S. academic faculty members, as reported by the U.S. News and World Report. The petition now has more than 43,000 total signatures.

President Trump’s initial executive order was struck down by a federal judge in Seattle, and the 9^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling. The president has since amended his executive order and again been blocked by federal judges in Hawaii and Maryland.

While the legitimacy of the newest executive order remains under review, the protests and vocal disagreement with President Trump’s policies and rhetoric have continued on college campuses nationwide. Kajol Patel is a junior at Kennesaw State University and serves on the International Student Association’s executive board as the international festival coordinator. She says, whether the revised executive order is blocked or not, the attempted policy placement is not one of a welcoming country.

Students gather to work, eat lunch and chat in KSU’s Global Village, a hangout spot coordinated and

sponsored by the International Student Association. Photo by Thomas Hartwell

“You know the terms, like, ‘melting pot,’ ‘the salad bowl.’ The U.S. is made up of so many different types of people with different backgrounds,” said Patel. “So, I see (the ban) more as discrimination. It’s kind of grouping everyone – like just because you’re Muslim, you’re automatically considered a terrorist, or you’re bad or have bad intentions. It’s wrongly grouping people.”

KSU freshman, Brian Dickey, disagrees. The orders aren’t discrimination, he says. They’re security measures paramount to national security. Global terrorism is the issue in question, says Dickey, and there’s no solution without a decision.

“Terrorism is kind of a tricky egg to crack,” said Dickey. “But you’ve got to kind of identify the source, and I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere if we just kind of dance around it. I think we need to take some sort of hard action, and I think (the order is) a step in the right direction.”

He pauses, smiles and emphasizes, “I don’t know if it’s necessarily the right option, but I think it should be given a chance.”

Dickey is a self-proclaimed “die-hard Trump supporter,” and he is one of many who say the president isn’t given a fair chance to explain himself or prove his policies’ effectiveness. Dickey says the campaign rhetoric may have been shocking to a lot of people, but now is the time to judge by President Trump’s actions.

“I personally believe people are jumping to conclusions with (Trump) in office,” said Dickey. “People are not giving him a clear-minded chance. When it comes to politics, the truth is – in almost every case-scenario – no one’s ever just said, ‘You’re right,’ when they’re arguing politically. Especially when it comes to balancing relations – in terms of discrimination – and public safety, there’s a very gray, gray area.”

But Patel says, even ignoring the “gray area” of public safety versus discrimination, there’s a concern of a growing acceptance of a culture of discrimination, taught by the president’s words and actions.

“(Trump) is the face of America right now. He’s all over the news, he’s all over the place, and he’s preaching acceptance (of discrimination), and that’s all people are seeing on the news,” said Patel. “If that’s all they’re shown, then I guess that’s what people will believe is OK.”

The comments from both sides of the argument, says Dr. Joseph Bock, director of KSU’s School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development (program site), have often been blown out of proportion as a result of a very divided state of nation over this issue.

“There is a lot of fear in our society,” said Bock. “So this (debate) is a result in a politically charged environment.”

The U.S. and its citizens, regardless of what side of the debate people find themselves on, says Bock, are still the accepting country and people that they always have been.

“I do think people are standing up in solidarity with Muslims here in the US,” said Bock.

But what is most important in the debate is the mutual respect on both sides – a respect that Bock says is common at KSU.

“I think we have a diversity of views at KSU, and that is one reason it is a special place,” said Bock. “We are not ideological conformists. We respect the human dignity of everyone, provided they affirm the inherent dignity in others.”

Patel and Dickey also acknowledge the need for respect and understand that, especially with an issue like this one, sometimes people will just have to agree to disagree.

“I don’t think we’re going to get to a place where everyone’s happy, but as an American, I believe America comes first, before anything else.”

While she may not see eye to eye with Dickey, Patel says, while the issue of national security is, of course, important, so is being the “land of opportunity.” But, if nothing else, she says, there is one good thing that’s come from all of this:

“People are freely talking about (discrimination) now. People are really voicing their opinions,” said Patel. “And maybe it is because of the ban – where it was so shocking that people have a need to voice their opinion – but, in a lot of cases, people are expressing how important they think immigrants are.”