Since Sept. 11, the country has been concerned with safety issues and making sure U.S. borders are protected and its citizens are safe.

As many know, three of the hijackers on the Sept. 11 planes were in the United States on student visas. Since that time, the government has clamped down on allowing students into the country, and numbers of international students have begun dropping significantly.

It’s easy to understand the fear that fuels laws that make it more difficult for international students to enter the country. No one wants to relive the horror of Sept. 11, 2001. It’s incredibly important to protect the country and its citizens from terrorism.

However, keeping international ties healthy and happy is also important. Right now, Americans are faced with the fact that many people in the world hate the United States.

Whether or not the hatred is justified, it’s something all of us must face.

However, there’s no better way to build a positive relationship with other countries than to do it from the grassroots level-meet people from other cultures and let them explore ours.

Maybe some of the assumptions both sides have about each other will disappear.

The government’s blacklist of countries that international students can’t come from unless they are proven to not be a threat to the United States immediately cuts down on the potential for meeting people from the areas that are likely to have the most amount of hatred built up against the United States.

One of the U’s biggest pushes is for diversity. Obviously, students from other countries and cultures greatly contribute to that diversity.

On a less lofty note, international students also give a lot of money to the U.

International tuition is significantly higher, and many international students live on campus, which also builds up a community that is much-needed on campus.

The restrictions are also hurting the international students who are receiving visas because of the newly imposed time delays. Many students aren’t getting their visas in the time needed to start Fall Semester and must wait until spring. Due to such delays, countries like France and Germany are seeing huge surges in international students.

While brain drain is crippling many developing nations, it was benefiting the United States. If international students are denied entrance to the United States, their intelligence and potential contributions go to European countries instead of the United States.

It’s important to keep safety at the forefront of our minds, but it’s also important to remember that diversity is essential.