For the past 15-20 days now, I have been keenly following the Tri-Valley university case - thanks to the terrific media coverage - interviews of radio-tagged students and their parents, panel discussions exhorting the govt. to come to the rescue of students, ridiculing the American govt official who called the radio tags a fashion accessory and finally taking the credit when radio collars were removed from some. What was however intriguing was the way media's depiction of this whole episode as a 'national' cause, thereby trying to stir nationalism to garner support for the students and that because 'Indian' students were involved we should not take things lying down.
I do not disapprove of Indian govt trying to protect its citizens who are falsely implicated or subject to harsh punishments for minor crimes. The question is should it also vehemently pursue the case of someone who it seems were willingly and knowingly trying to take advantage of the loop holes in the education & work policy in another country and when caught were subject to mere deportation from that country? It was not that their head or hands were chopped off or that they were subject to rigorous imprisonment. Maximum what that punishment meant was that they would be barred from education and entry in that country. And it was not that they were really brilliant students studying in Ivy league universities. For God's sake ! They were just taking online lectures at Tri-Valley.
I will not declare the students guilty before trial. But were these students who claim that they were 'duped' really that innocent to be taken for a ride.
If you are planning to pursue your graduation/ under-grad/Ph.D from a university which is relatively new, far less known and spending some 15-20 lacs, may be more on education, would you not care to browse through the net to find at least some information? At least I would and I did just that; I googled Tri-Valley university and on the first page itself found results which were quite interesting. After the initial 7 links which were primarily focused on the fiasco, the eighth link said in bold letters" TRI VALLEY UNIVERSITY is a BIG FRAUD" - the topic being discussed on a forum catering to Andhraites (since perhaps they have the biggest craze for US). I found similar stories on a forum on immigration. I just glanced at the university reviews on some site and got this observation" TRI VALLEY UNIVERSITY is a BIG FRAUD and all students are also a part of the fraud. If USCIS takes this into consideration all students are subject to deportation.....". The reviewers gave a pathetic 1/10 for most parameters. And these reviews dated much before the fiasco actually happened. What was clearly evident was that it was a sham. No wonder such reviews caught the fancy of ICE officials finally. All it took me was just 15 minuted to know it was a fraud going on there.
Its impossible to believe those who are caught didn't know all this. All this while the 'Jugaad' at Tri-Valley was working fine. And then suddenly the tables turned. Its not like India where you can even have a Jugaad-on-Jugaad to get your work done. If you can easily manipulate or break the laws of your land, that does not mean that laws everywhere are meant to be broken. Sometimes you might end up paying heavily.
But oblivious of all these facts, the matter is being pursued at foreign minister level with their Secretary of State and that too to seek immunity for those who have willfully committed fraud - which brings me to the dilemma if we are promoting chauvinism as nationalism?
I do not disapprove of Indian govt trying to protect its citizens who are falsely implicated or subject to harsh punishments for minor crimes. The question is should it also vehemently pursue the case of someone who it seems were willingly and knowingly trying to take advantage of the loop holes in the education & work policy in another country and when caught were subject to mere deportation from that country? It was not that their head or hands were chopped off or that they were subject to rigorous imprisonment. Maximum what that punishment meant was that they would be barred from education and entry in that country. And it was not that they were really brilliant students studying in Ivy league universities. For God's sake ! They were just taking online lectures at Tri-Valley.
I will not declare the students guilty before trial. But were these students who claim that they were 'duped' really that innocent to be taken for a ride.
If you are planning to pursue your graduation/ under-grad/Ph.D from a university which is relatively new, far less known and spending some 15-20 lacs, may be more on education, would you not care to browse through the net to find at least some information? At least I would and I did just that; I googled Tri-Valley university and on the first page itself found results which were quite interesting. After the initial 7 links which were primarily focused on the fiasco, the eighth link said in bold letters" TRI VALLEY UNIVERSITY is a BIG FRAUD" - the topic being discussed on a forum catering to Andhraites (since perhaps they have the biggest craze for US). I found similar stories on a forum on immigration. I just glanced at the university reviews on some site and got this observation" TRI VALLEY UNIVERSITY is a BIG FRAUD and all students are also a part of the fraud. If USCIS takes this into consideration all students are subject to deportation.....". The reviewers gave a pathetic 1/10 for most parameters. And these reviews dated much before the fiasco actually happened. What was clearly evident was that it was a sham. No wonder such reviews caught the fancy of ICE officials finally. All it took me was just 15 minuted to know it was a fraud going on there.
Its impossible to believe those who are caught didn't know all this. All this while the 'Jugaad' at Tri-Valley was working fine. And then suddenly the tables turned. Its not like India where you can even have a Jugaad-on-Jugaad to get your work done. If you can easily manipulate or break the laws of your land, that does not mean that laws everywhere are meant to be broken. Sometimes you might end up paying heavily.
But oblivious of all these facts, the matter is being pursued at foreign minister level with their Secretary of State and that too to seek immunity for those who have willfully committed fraud - which brings me to the dilemma if we are promoting chauvinism as nationalism?
Fully Agree to your point of view.. One researches intensely before going to a foreign univ.. Its like knowing about IIPM and still joining it.
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