ETSU’s Office of International Programs was the subject of its first immigration site inspection in more than 30 years on Jan. 27.
The Department of Homeland Security mandated the inspection to see that ETSU was still in compliance with all the regulations that allow the university to enroll international students, said Associate Director for the Office of International Programs Maria Costa.
ETSU enrolls about 150 international students, Costa said, and each student has a file that must be updated regularly and kept available for inspection anytime.
“The government has to know everything,” she said. “If a student moves from Lucy to Luntsford, we have to record it.”
While the actual inspection lasted only three hours, Costa planned well in advance to make sure the office had everything in order.
“There was a 12-page list of things he (the inspector) wanted to look at,” she said. “We are pretty confident we did well. We had everything we needed and maybe some more.”
To make sure all regulations were being followed efficiently, every aspect of ETSU was taken into account at the inspection, Costa said.
The office had to show data on class sizes, number of buildings, number of students living on campus and the inspector even viewed a class in session.
The inspection is something the office has to do, but that doesn’t make the process any less nerve-wracking, she said.
Costa expects the results of the inspection in about a month. A good review means that ETSU can continue to enroll international students and continue its exchange programs.
If any deficiencies are found, she said, the office will be required to correct any problems before a specified date.
“It’s (the inspection) a loose comparison to accreditation,” Costa said.
“You have to be doing what the law requires on a constant basis.”
The office has gone through many changes in the last year because of department restructuring at ETSU.
The permanent director, Dr. Henry Antkiewicz, moved away last year and the office was then combined with the University Advisement Department.
The changes apparently haven’t affected the quality of work in International Programs, said Dr. Ramona Williams, director of university advisement. “I think they did outstanding,” Williams said. “They’ve always done a great job with having all forms and paper work filled out in compliance with federal standards.
“Having international students enhances our campus in so many ways that we want to continue doing all the right things to keep them here.”
The Office of International Programs is located on the first floor of Yoakley Hall. For more information contact Maria Costa at 439-7737.

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