The president of Western Iowa Tech is denying claims the community college lured foreign students to the United States with false claims so they could be used as cheap labor in local factories.
Terry Murrell said Tuesday that the allegations resulted from a "breakdown in communication" between the college, which serves five northwest Iowa communities, and the students it brought into the country.
Represented by a pair of social justice groups, Des Moines-based Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and Iowa City Catholic Worker, 11 students from Brazil and Chile this week claimed they were lured to the country with promises of free tuition, housing, food and job placement.
The students were brought to the United States under J-1 visas as part of a U.S. State Department-sanctioned cultural exchange program to study in the college's culinary arts program or other training programs.
ICCI and Catholic Worker said that after they arrived, some of the students learned the job placement they had been promised was in full-time, minimum-wage work at food processing factories. They said that if the students complained, they were threatened with expulsion, deportation and a requirement that they repay thousands of dollars in recruitment fees.
Murrell said there was no such requirement.
“The J-1 students are not responsible, have not paid, nor will be asked to pay for the following: airfare from their home country to the United States, transportation and hotel accommodations accrued during their travel, tuition for classes, fees associated with attending college, housing in the dorms on campus at Western Iowa Tech, textbooks, uniforms and tools," Murrell said. "At no point were students expected to repay anything should they leave the program early.”
Murrell, however, said he was disturbed by a June 2019 acceptance letter for the program that ICCI and Catholic Worker provided to the media telling one of the students that "meals will be provided at the College."
He said the student handbook states the students are responsible for meals.
"Meals is the most troubling part of this to me," said Murrell, adding that he had not seen the letter until Monday. "There was a tremendous amount of miscommunication."
In the meantime, he said, the affected students have been given access to the campus pantry and gift cards they can use to purchase food. He said the college is looking at options for ensuring the students are fed.
Murrell said the college recruited students for the program and followed up with trips to interview candidates with representatives from J&L Staffing, a Sioux City-based temporary worker agency that was responsible for lining up the internships required under the visa agreement.
The students were only required to work 32 hours a week at their internships, he said. But ICCI and Catholic Worker provided a contract a student signed with J&L stipulating a minimum of 30 hours, and up to 40 hours, of work a week, with shifts that would range from eight to 12 hours per day. For this work, the students received the Iowa minimum wage, $7.25 an hour, with additional money going to the college to fund their scholarship package, the organizations said.
Murrell denied that students were forced to work more than 32 hours a week. He said they only agreed to additional hours "out of their own desires" for more pay.
Some students in the culinary studies program found placement in restaurant settings, but ICCI and Catholic Worker said others were placed in line positions at food manufacturers like Tur-Pak and Royal Canin — positions they said did not offer the relevant work experience promised by the program. Royal Canin manufactures pet food.
Murrell said the disparity was the result of some students arriving with less work experience than others.
"We knew early on these were not the optimum jobs we wanted our students to be in," Murrell said. "They came with minimal skills so these were the jobs that were available."
Students who complained to the college about their placement were allowed to return home at the college's expense, he said.
He said the college has found 43 internships and is still looking for seven more to be in compliance with federal regulations.
As for the future of the program, Murrell said no more students have been recruited and that he was unsure the Western Iowa Tech would continue it next year. Still, he said, the college planned to honor its agreement with the international students still in the country.
"We are reassessing everything right now," Murrell said.
https://www.press-citizen.com/story...rn-iowa-tech-responds-allegations/4532742002/
Terry Murrell said Tuesday that the allegations resulted from a "breakdown in communication" between the college, which serves five northwest Iowa communities, and the students it brought into the country.
Represented by a pair of social justice groups, Des Moines-based Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and Iowa City Catholic Worker, 11 students from Brazil and Chile this week claimed they were lured to the country with promises of free tuition, housing, food and job placement.
The students were brought to the United States under J-1 visas as part of a U.S. State Department-sanctioned cultural exchange program to study in the college's culinary arts program or other training programs.
ICCI and Catholic Worker said that after they arrived, some of the students learned the job placement they had been promised was in full-time, minimum-wage work at food processing factories. They said that if the students complained, they were threatened with expulsion, deportation and a requirement that they repay thousands of dollars in recruitment fees.
Murrell said there was no such requirement.
“The J-1 students are not responsible, have not paid, nor will be asked to pay for the following: airfare from their home country to the United States, transportation and hotel accommodations accrued during their travel, tuition for classes, fees associated with attending college, housing in the dorms on campus at Western Iowa Tech, textbooks, uniforms and tools," Murrell said. "At no point were students expected to repay anything should they leave the program early.”
Murrell, however, said he was disturbed by a June 2019 acceptance letter for the program that ICCI and Catholic Worker provided to the media telling one of the students that "meals will be provided at the College."
He said the student handbook states the students are responsible for meals.
"Meals is the most troubling part of this to me," said Murrell, adding that he had not seen the letter until Monday. "There was a tremendous amount of miscommunication."
In the meantime, he said, the affected students have been given access to the campus pantry and gift cards they can use to purchase food. He said the college is looking at options for ensuring the students are fed.
Murrell said the college recruited students for the program and followed up with trips to interview candidates with representatives from J&L Staffing, a Sioux City-based temporary worker agency that was responsible for lining up the internships required under the visa agreement.
The students were only required to work 32 hours a week at their internships, he said. But ICCI and Catholic Worker provided a contract a student signed with J&L stipulating a minimum of 30 hours, and up to 40 hours, of work a week, with shifts that would range from eight to 12 hours per day. For this work, the students received the Iowa minimum wage, $7.25 an hour, with additional money going to the college to fund their scholarship package, the organizations said.
Murrell denied that students were forced to work more than 32 hours a week. He said they only agreed to additional hours "out of their own desires" for more pay.
Some students in the culinary studies program found placement in restaurant settings, but ICCI and Catholic Worker said others were placed in line positions at food manufacturers like Tur-Pak and Royal Canin — positions they said did not offer the relevant work experience promised by the program. Royal Canin manufactures pet food.
Murrell said the disparity was the result of some students arriving with less work experience than others.
"We knew early on these were not the optimum jobs we wanted our students to be in," Murrell said. "They came with minimal skills so these were the jobs that were available."
Students who complained to the college about their placement were allowed to return home at the college's expense, he said.
He said the college has found 43 internships and is still looking for seven more to be in compliance with federal regulations.
As for the future of the program, Murrell said no more students have been recruited and that he was unsure the Western Iowa Tech would continue it next year. Still, he said, the college planned to honor its agreement with the international students still in the country.
"We are reassessing everything right now," Murrell said.
https://www.press-citizen.com/story...rn-iowa-tech-responds-allegations/4532742002/
