Global: A Veterans-Education Bill Could Restrict Colleges' Use of Agents

The new law would ban the payment of commissions to agents in international-student recruitment. ADVERTISEMENT [Academe Today Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. First Thought Insights drawn weekly from Karin Fischer’s global-education newsletter, latitude(s). [Subscribe here](. The Department of Veterans Affairs could be preparing to carry out a provision of a new law that would [ban the payment of commissions]( to agents in international-student recruitment. In a [letter]( to congressional leaders, a coalition of higher-education groups write that on September 15 the VA issued “internal policy guidance that appears to confirm” that the federal agency is interpreting a provision of the recently passed Thrive Act to mean that Congress intended to prohibit incentive compensation for foreign students. The policy guidance “has brought a new urgency to the need for technical corrections,” the 17 associations write, asking lawmakers to enact such a fix. Without it, colleges that use agents in international recruiting could risk jeopardizing GI Bill funding. The legislation took effect August 1. The Higher Education Act has long blocked the use of incentive compensation in domestic recruitment, but it explicitly permits the practice overseas, since international students don’t qualify for federal financial aid. But the veterans-education bill lacks such a carve-out, putting it in conflict with the HEA. Most observers had assumed that the little-noticed provision was an oversight or an error, but the VA’s guidance suggests it could interpret the deviation from longstanding practice as congressional intent. Brian Whalen of the American International Recruitment Council, which trains and sets standards for agents and the colleges that use them, called that “shocking.” [Read more from Karin Fischer in this week’s latitude(s).]( ADVERTISEMENT The Reading List - The Biden administration will lift travel restrictions for [vaccinated foreign travelers]( to the U.S. While international students are largely exempt from such restrictions, it could help ease their ability to come here because of confusion around national interest exemptions. - A new GAO report finds the [severe slowdown]( in the processing of work authorizations, changes of visa status, and other immigration-related paperwork continues at USCIS. - The termination of two scientists at Baylor University has raised concerns among colleagues that they may have been [targeted]( because of the China Initiative. Featured on Chronicle.com “I’ve been in positions where I noticed a change in an individual but didn’t know what to say. Now, I’m not scared.” —Jennifer Mezquita, vice president for student affairs at Northern Essex Community College, on what she gained from a gatekeeper-training program. Even before the pandemic, professors were playing a growing role in recognizing and responding to students’ mental-health challenges. Faculty and staff members who have participated in Northern Essex’s Mental Health First Aid training say it made them more comfortable approaching students and colleagues with their concerns. [Read more from Kelly Field in]( Chronicle]( SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. THE REVIEW [The Dystopian Delta University]( By Silke-Maria Weineck [STORY IMAGE]( Organ loss, cancer treatments, pregnancy — at the University of Michigan, you have to teach in person. SPONSOR CONTENT | UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA [What Actually Happens When Your Mind Wanders?]( DEPT. OF DEEPLY WEIRD [Why Did a Peer-Reviewed Journal Publish Hundreds of Nonsense Papers?]( By Tom Bartlett [STORY IMAGE]( They’re ridiculous mash-ups of sports research and geological sciences. How so many of them made it into a journal is a mystery, but there are some clues. ADVERTISEMENT SPONSOR CONTENT | ets toefl [Improving International Recruitment Efforts]( Learn how the new TOEFL Essentials test provides international students with additional options to showcase their English-language skills to institutions worldwide. JOB OPPORTUNITIES Apply for the top jobs in higher education and [search all our open positions](. NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK What did you think of today’s newsletter? [Strongly disliked]( | [It was ok]( | [Loved it]( This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2021 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037