http://www.boston.com/news/daily/02/english_schools.htm

Enrollment drops at English-language schools since terrorist attacks

By Mark Sherman, Associated Press, 10/02/01

WASHINGTON -- Intensive English-language programs that depend on nonresident foreign students are reporting sharply lower enrollment as would-be students stay away, worried about another terrorist strike in America.

Harder times still may lie ahead for the $1-billion-a-year industry, especially if Congress further restricts who can come into the country.

The English-language programs cater to U.S. college-bound students who need to improve their English, professionals planning to work in America or for U.S companies abroad and people who come to the United States for what amounts to extended vacations.

About 200,000 students a year have been enrolling for the courses at traditional colleges and smaller, specialized schools. School administrators and leaders of two organizations representing the programs say enrollment has dropped up to 20 percent in the three weeks since the suicide hijacks in New York and Washington.

At the American English Academy in Monterey Park, Calif., east of Los Angeles, 30 of 150 students canceled their spots in classes that began this week, said Kenneth Policky, the school's director. "Parents don't want to let their children come," Policky said.

Several Asian students in an intermediate English class said they have friends back home who are reconsidering plans to study here. "They're afraid to come to the States," said Munenori Nmeda, who is from Japan.

Language teachers and administrators in Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Texas reported similar numbers and explanations. A recruiter in Brazil wrote the director of a Boston-area school that six of 10 students planning to take English courses decided to study in Australia instead.

There also have been scattered withdrawals and cancellations among students from the Middle East. A Saudi student preparing to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Texas abandoned his language studies, said Terry Simon, director of the Texas Intensive English Program and president of the American Association of Intensive English Programs.

"He didn't want to leave, but his father called and ordered him home because of concerns about safety," Simon said.

Not every school has experienced significant declines. Only four foreign students, all from the Middle East, have dropped out of the University of Southern California since the attacks, said Alfred Kildow, a university spokesman. He said 5,000 foreigners, pursuing a variety of degrees, study at USC.

The common thread among the intensive students, school directors say, is they typically come from wealthy families. "They pay tuition, buy books, stay with American families and have fun," said Jean-Pierre Guittard, co-owner of three schools in California and Florida.

Their exposure to the United States also benefits this country after their return home, administrators said. "People who study in the U.S. are a tremendous foreign policy asset for the U.S.," said Peter Thomas, director of international programs at the University of California, San Diego.

U.S. military action or another terrorist attack probably would cause more students to consider courses in other English-speaking countries, several teachers said. Students currently enrolled in classes "almost had one foot on the plane already," Thomas said.

Domestic reaction to the attacks might be more damaging to the schools. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., wants a six-month suspension of new foreign student visas to give immigration authorities time to tighten requirements for obtaining the visas and implement a tracking system once students arrive.

One of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers apparently entered the country with a visa to study English at a school in Oakland, Calif.

Program directors doubt the efficacy of halting the flow of foreign students, pointing out they make up just 2 percent of foreign visitors. They said suspension could put them out of business.

"The six-month moratorium would kill our industry," Thomas said.

Meantime, English-language programs continue working with the Immigration and Naturalization Service on a tracking system that is supposed to take effect nationwide in 2003.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001