FLORIDA.- The Florida International University (FIU) made the decision to “pause” the hiring of citizens from Cuba, Venezuela, China, Russia, Syria, Iran y Corea of the Norte. The measure is based on recently approved legislation, which seeks to address the alleged infiltration of “countries of concern” in the Higher Education system.
The legislation, which functions as a general prohibition on hiring personnel or researchers from the six listed countries, only allows exceptions on a case-by-case basis through “exemptions” to continue with the hiring or incorporation processes, according to the digital edition of the public service. news WLRN.
In that sense, FIU vice president of research and dean of the Graduate School, Andrés Gil, issued a statement to the university’s academic leaders and human resources liaisons, highlighting the need to immediately stop any job offers or efforts recruitment related to individuals from the aforementioned countries, in compliance with new state legislation.
Gil stressed that the university does not have the final authority to approve any candidate, since that responsibility falls to the State Board of Governors, whose members are mostly appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis.
Implications of the FIU measure
The pause in hiring covers any process of incorporating “unpaid research fellows” from the aforementioned countries, affecting prominent Cuban and Venezuelan dissidents who have carried out research at the university through this method, after fleeing oppression. in their countries of origin.
The hiring freeze could have notable repercussions on specific academic programs, such as those in the sciences, which have traditionally recruited primarily Chinese graduate students. Additionally, institutions like FIU’s Cuban Research Institute, which collaborates closely with Cuban academics, could experience significant vacancies.
Gil noted that this pause in hiring could generate complications in human resources and possibly extend until the next academic year, scheduled to begin in August.
Source: With information from WLRN
