The Florida International University (FIU) will immediately stop the hiring of researchers from six countries that the state government considers “concerning,” including Cuba.
The banned nations include, in addition to the island, Venezuela, China, Russia, Syria, Iran and North Korea, according to a note published by the station. WLRN.
In an instruction issued via email, to which the aforementioned source had access, deans and directors of graduate programs are informed to pause any job offer or hiring attempt that involves individuals from the aforementioned countries.
The statement was issued on December 19 by the university’s vice president of Research and dean of its Graduate School, Andrew Gilin which he explains that due to new laws announced in the state, it is necessary to “immediately pause any job offers or recruitment attempts” that include individuals from “countries of concern.”
Specifically, the text clarifies that “any offer that has been made and any active recruitment must be stopped until we have good control over the process, so that it can be adequately communicated to candidates and is specifically indicated in our letters.”
Within the FIU, one of the departments that will be most affected could be the Cuban Research Institute (CRI), which has close work with Cuban – and Venezuelan – opponents, with whom it organizes events, scholarships, programs, courses and all types of collaborations in which there may be vacancies if the situation is prolonged.
In that case, “unpaid research fellows” are also affected by the rule. Many Cubans appear affected, especially after this year, the FIU will launch a scholarship programuntil 2026, for Cuban academics who face “serious threats to their lives” on the island, in a growing climate of repression.
The objective was to provide “a temporary shelter” to academics in the humanities and artists of the island that are at risk in the current Cuban context.
With the announcement of this decision by the Florida university, the impact of the campaign for the Republican nomination carried out by the Governor Ron DeSantisto achieve candidacy for the 2024 elections.
More than 300 professors at that academic institution denounced the danger of a rule that, in their opinion, prevents them from recruiting the best students for the sole reason of their nationality, according to the magazine. Science.
“Restricting or even preventing the recruitment of graduate assistants, postdocs and visiting professors from these countries would have a devastating impact on our graduate programs and research activities; in addition, it could negatively influence long-term development, reputation and leadership from FIU,” they explain.
