The Faculty Executive Committee met on Monday to discuss President Donald Trump’s executive order prohibiting citizens of seven Muslim nations from entering the United States.
The committee debated both procedural and moral obligations of the University in the wake of the executive order.
Committee members began drafting a statement expressing their continued desire to respect and support all members of the University community.
Greg Forest, mathematics professor, said it is important for the University to support students directly affected by the order, many of whom are scared and looking for solace.
“To make such an executive order that picks out select individuals who just so happen to come from a Muslim country is simply unacceptable,” Forest said.
UNC Executive Vice Provost and Chief International Officer Ron Strauss said the University is reaching out to all students and faculty from the seven countries listed in the order.
“I think it would be useful to get an idea of the scope, because we are talking about over 3,000 people on this campus,” Strauss said. “I think it’s important for you to get a picture that everybody that is in this group of international scholars, post-docs and students are all affected.”
Strauss said if a person is from one of the seven countries, he advises them not to leave the country in the next 90 days.
“The thing we’ve got to remember is this is an order that lasts for 90 days,” he said. “One thing we’ve already seen with the Trump administration is they float these trial balloons, see the blowback and sometimes reel things back.”
