Have anyone who doesn’t own American citizenship visited the USA recently?
I am really curious about the use of finger and retinal printing or other biometric scrutiny of visitors, like subcutaneous tattooing.
(Abridged from news)
Decline Seen in Science Applications From Overseas
至美國研讀科學的外國學生人數下降
Bucking a trend that dates to the end of World War II, the number of foreign students applying to graduate and doctoral programs in science at American universities is declining broadly, according to a survey of 130 such programs released here today.
原本的留學風潮可追溯至第二次世界大戰末，一項包含130個科學類課程的調查，今日公佈結果，發現現在申請美國大學科學類別的碩士及博士班學生普遍下降。
The General Accounting Office study said the nation’s system for issuing visas for research in sensitive areas was unnecessarily slow and cumbersome.
主計室的研究指出，護照核發因需要對敏感區域加以調查，負責的系統不適當地緩慢與繁瑣。
For example, it said, while the State Department, the F.B.I. and the Department of Homeland Security are all involved in researching candidates for visas, the three agencies do not have data systems that can work with each other. In addition, the report said, it takes the State Department two weeks just to notify consular officials abroad once it has cleared a candidate to receive a visa.
比方說，美國國務院、聯邦調查局與國土安全部門，都會參與調查護照申請人，但是三個部門並沒有可供協調合作的資料系統；此外，光照會外國領事，申請人沒有問題可以核發簽證這件事，就要發國務院二個禮拜。
The tougher screening has drawn criticism from some scholars. Giorgio Agamben, an Italian professor of philosophy and political theory, chose not to teach a seminar at New York University, saying he could not accept the use of finger and retinal printing or other biometric scrutiny of visitors, like subcutaneous tattooing.
一些學者也批評趨嚴的過濾方式，義大利籍哲學與政治理論教授Giorgio Anamben，就放棄在紐約大學教授一學期的計劃，他無法接受對訪客使用指紋與視網膜，或是像皮下刺青這種其他生物特徵數值的搜查。
The survey of universities, done by Mr. Johnson’s organization and others representing institutions of higher education, found that 59 percent of some 130 research universities and doctoral programs were seeing declines in applications from overseas students, while 28 percent said the number of foreign applications showed no significant changes. About 11 percent said they saw an increase.
大學的部份，訪問對象為Mr.Johnson的組織與其他高等教育代表機構，於130所大學與博士課程中，發現59%遇到了外國學生申請數量下降的問題，28%沒有明顯變化，11%則不減反增。
The survey also polled the 25 research and doctoral institutions that enroll the most foreign students. Nineteen responded, all saying their foreign applications were down, most by more than 10 percent.
該訪查也尋問了25個以招募外國學生為主的研究機構與博士班，有19個單位回應，全部反應外國申請件數下降，大部份降幅達10%。