9/11 effects linger on campuses

The smoke has cleared, but the effects of Sept. 11, 2001, are still being felt at universities around the country, according to a survey done by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

The web survey, "September 11: Effects on My Campus Five Years Later," polled 133 college presidents and found that 9/11 still has a "moderate impact" on visa rules for students and faculty, campus security management, curriculum offerings and increased student interest in Middle Eastern studies.

President Tilghman did not participate in the survey but agrees with some of its findings.

"There has been a sustained increase in students in politics, international relations, Islamic studies, Near Eastern Studies and Arabic language," she said in an email.

As for the impact on international students at Princeton, Tilghman said that visa availability problems mostly affect graduate students from Russia and China. Though the situation is improving, the number of international graduate students is not back to pre-9/11 levels.

"The nadir of this effect was 2003-4, when there was a national decline of 25% in graduate student applications from abroad, with a 50% decline from China," she said. However, "Princeton was less affected than the national numbers would suggest, for which we are grateful."

The survey also found that 9/11 had "little or no effect" on students studying abroad. Though the University continues to encourage study abroad programs, Tilghman said students are now possibly less inclined to enroll.

"I do think the world feels less safe, and students and probably their parents are uncomfortable being outside the country. This is most unfortunate."

Though it does not encompass a statistically valid sample, the report says that "impressions given by the college presidents provide important insights into the academic and community response to 9/11 on private college campuses."

For the most part, colleges are not affected by new policies such as the Patriot Act, and their budgets have not been altered, the report adds. Instead it is the students themselves who have changed, bringing a newfound interest in politics and the world to their classrooms.