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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 12, 1980)
page 6 daily nebraskan friday, december 12, 1980 Concerned with war Tension eased, but Iranian students still uneasy By Mary Louise Knapp Tension beteween American and Iranian students at UNL has decreased considerably since last year, but some students and faculty advisers say many Iranian students do not feel entirely comfortable here. "Last year was terrible," said an Iranian graduate stu dent who asked not to be identified. "I think most of the tension has decreased since then, and that both sides have realized that we (Iranian stu dents) can do nothing about it (the hostage situation). I used to go out a lot, but I don't now. I feel that people are watching me." The student, who will graduate this year, said, "I don't know what to do now whether to go back to school or try to get a job. I'll just have to see what happens." The students said that many arguments have taken place between American and Iranian students, but that these have been "mostly discussions-not fist fights." Annoying phone calls Mahdi Ayapollahi, an Iranian graduate student who is working on a degree in industrial engineering, said that he has received two annoying phone calls, but he is not sure if they were, from American students. 'I don't know what to do now -whether to go back to school or to try to get a job. Ill just have to see what happens.' "Other students have received telephone calls too," he said. "Maybe they're not from students. They might be from other people." Ayapollahi said that although harassment of Iranian students has decreased in the past year, he and other Iran ians prefer "to keep a low profile." Moira Ferguson, faculty adviser for the Iranian Student Association, said that American attitudes toward Iranians have mellowed. "The American public is slowly coming to realize that the shah was a vicious dictator supported by the United States," she said, "and that the anger of Iranians against him is understandable." Ferguson said that the 13-month-old hostage situation is "a shame, but the United States could have solved it long ago by agreeing to Iran's reasonable demands (that the United States return the Shah to Iran). After that, the United States should have kept out of it." War main concern The war between Iraq and Iran is now the main con cern of Iranian students, said Peter Levitov, director of International Educational Services at UNL. "Iranian students are out of touch with their country they are getting only incomplete reports of what is happening and the anxiety and paranoia is overwhelming students," he said. The hostage crisis has gone on so long, he said, that people are no longer as concerned about it as they were a year ago. Levitov said that one or two incidents involving harass ment of Iranian students have been reported in the last six months, but there has not been a flare-up of last year's large-scale harassment and abuse of Iranian students. Levitov said he is not aware of antagonism between Iranian and Iraqi students because of the war. "The students are not at war with each other out of their own country," he said. "That's why they can't understand why the American population acts out of an tagonism on students who have obviously not made any contribution to the situation." Restrictions eased Certain governmental restrictions on Iranian students have been eased, but several still are in effect, he said. Ten days after the American hostages were taken, the federal government required all Iranian students to report to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service for address, visa and passport checks. Of the 193 full-time Iranian students at UNL, all were found to have acceptable documents. Some students were required to have their passports renewed, he said. On April 17, the United States terminated diplomatic relations with Iran. All Iranian diplomats had to leave the country. Iranian students or tourists who were temporarily out of the United States were not allowed to return, and stu dents who had been admitted to American schools but had not yet left Iran could not get visas to the United States. i Avitnv sflifl that these restrictions are still in effect. After the American attempt to rescue the hostages on April 16, new regulations were put into effect. The Immigration and Naturalization Service began admitting Iranians to the United States for limited periods of time by marking the date on which they would have to leave on an entry pass. 'The United States could have solved it long ago by agreeing to Iran's reasonable demands. After that, the United States should have kept out of it.' "Some students were admitted for only one year, some were permitted to stay until they finished college," he said. Authorization rescinded Authorization for extensions on these admissions was rescinded except for students in unusual circumstances. In early June, a new immigration regulation provided that students in American schools could finish their edu cation in the United States if they had been accepted to their school for the next year by June 9. Levitov said the transfer of money from Iran to stu dents in the United States has been extremely difficult since the breaking of diplomatic relations with Iran. "The U.S. Treasury Department had put a hold on Iranian government assets," he said. "Many banks re fused to honor checks from Iranian students because they feared they would be uncollectable. After a couple of months, though, the banks were told that only govern ment assets (not private monies) were under control." Levitov said that there have been, no direct flights from New York to Tehran since April 7. The transfer of money from all Iranians to the United States is being handled by a small staff of Algerian diplo matsan almost impossible task, Levitov said. Levitov said that because of the Iran-Iraq war, mail cannot be sent directly to Tehran, but must be sent to agencies in Turkey. Mail trucks must pass directly through the war zone into Iran-a "slow and unpredictable" pro cess. Some federal restrictions on Iranian students may be removed in the near future, he said. We'll Pay 75 of Your Tuition for 2nd Semester! iL HE WEBRASECA AIR GUARD Call for Details on our $1,500.00 Cash Bonus s UTTL NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY Wednesday, Jan. 31st 7:00-1:00 music by Footloose Disco Rock V Roll HATS, NOISEfflflKERS. V DOOR PRIZES NEW YEAR'S EVE PUNCH 7:00-10:00 Come spend New Year's Eve with us at "Little Bo's" Tickets available in advance for Footloose at Team Electronics, Bo's Off-Sale, Hair Emporium, & the Atrium Musicfand. , 27th S ComhunftQp) N V T ft35