Category: WBUR

  • You don’t have to go to Salem for Halloween fun. Here’s what’s happening in Boston

    By Anna Albrecht

    In October, Halloween decorations take over Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. (Ashley Hernandez Ramirez for WBUR)

    Looking for a dose of Halloween magic in Boston? While Salem’s spooky history often steals the spotlight, there’s no need to travel north for some haunted fun. From eerie tours to creative parties, Boston boasts plenty of its own goosebump-worthy happenings. Here are six local events to get you in the Halloween spirit — no road trip required.

    Halloween on the Hill

    Friday, Oct. 31

    Head to the historic Beacon Hill neighborhood known for its spookily dressed homes fit for a perfect Halloween evening. Residents elaborately decorate their homes to set the scene for the eeriest night of the year. The Beacon Hill Civic Association has partnered with the city’s police and transportation departments to close off popular streets for a safe and enjoyable trick or treating experience. No tickets or registration necessary to visit.

    Three large skeletons dressed as witches surround a cauldron in front of a house on Mt. Vernon Street in Beacon Hill. (Angelica Vivas for WBUR)

    ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ at Symphony Hall

    Friday, Oct. 31

    The Boston Pops will host a screening of the iconic silent film, “The Phantom of the Opera,” at 10:30 p.m. on Halloween night. Pops orchestra member Brett Miller will play live organ music to accompany and celebrate the centennial of the haunting story of the Paris Opera. The 1925 film stars Lon Chaney in the titular role. Ticket prices vary by seat selection, with the starting price at $110.

    Boston’s historic burial grounds

    Times vary, open daily

    Boston is packed with historic sites, and its burial grounds offer a haunting glimpse into the city’s past. At Granary Burying Ground, you’ll find the resting places for American Revolution heroes like Paul Revere, John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Established in 1660, it is located along the Freedom Trail. Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, the second oldest burying ground in the city, sits in the North End near the Old North Church, hence becoming the burial site of Puritan officials and merchants of the historic neighborhood. Finally, stop by the oldest graveyard in Boston, King’s Chapel Burying Ground, to visit the longest residents of Boston’s cemeteries. Entry is free to all sites.

    Family trick-or-treating at the Museums of Illusions Boston

    Through Friday, Oct. 31, 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily

    Over at the Museums of Illusions Boston, families can celebrate Halloween all week long with a trick-or-treating event among various attractions throughout the museum. Stop by the Ames Room to experience the illusion of miraculously changing size from one corner of the room to the other, or the Vortex Tunnel which allows visitors to feel like they are in a rotating room even while perfectly still. Kids have the opportunity to collect treats in the museum’s galleries. Tickets are $33 for children aged 5-12, and $38 for adults (ages 13 and up).

    Night(mare) in the Stacks at the Boston Public Library

    Friday, Oct. 31

    The Boston Public Library Copley branch will, for the first time, be hosting their after hours event usually called “Night in the Stacks” on Halloween night. Head over to spend an evening among the spookiest of Boston’s tales. Gothic costumes inspired by Boston are encouraged. A live performance by The SweetBeats band will fill the iconic building with music for the special event. This sold-out 21+ event will raise money for the Boston Public Library’s free programs and services.

    Visit the Omni Parker House

    Open daily

    Steeped in eerie lore, the Omni Parker House hotel is sure to put you in the Halloween spirit. Wander the storied halls to see if you encounter the ghost of the founder, Harvey D. Parker. The elevator is said to unexpectedly stop on the third floor, where Charles Dickens lived for five months, even without the button being pressed. You can take the rumors at face value, or you can dare to check them out for yourself. The hotel is free to enter, and often a stop on haunted walking tours of Boston.

    This article was originally published on October 29, 2025.

  • Young adults in Mass. favor statewide high school graduation requirement, poll shows

    By Mara Mellits

    Less than a year after voters scrapped MCAS as a requirement to get a high school diploma, a new poll finds that two-thirds of young adults support the development of a new statewide graduation standard. Several of the options presented in the poll received strong support.

    The poll, sponsored by the policy nonprofit MassPotential and conducted by MassINC Polling Group, asked high school graduates aged 18 to 29 their opinions on requirements. Respondents overwhelmingly supported several options, including passing required courses with at least a D grade, passing financial literacy courses, and courses that teach “interpersonal and social-emotional skills.”

    In that question, 60% said they would support a requirement that students pass courses needed for entrance into college. But in a separate question, three-quarters said they would support aligning the high school graduation requirements with the minimum standards needed to attend a Massachusetts public college or university.

    Entrance requirements for universities in Massachusetts typically include four years English class, three years of math and two years of science.

    Just 37% of respondents said they would support a standardized test like MCAS as a graduation requirement.

    Voters last November decisively approved Question 2, which eliminated passing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test as a graduation requirement.

    Without a statewide standardized test, graduation criteria are now left up to local districts. State lawmakers and members of the Massachusetts K–12 Statewide Graduation Council, which Gov. Maura Healey established in January, are developing a new framework to set up high school graduates for their futures.

    The poll was paid for by MassPotential, a lobbying nonprofit that works with policy makers on K-12 education. The poll of 600 people has about a 4% margin of error.

    Mary Tamer, founder and executive director of MassPotential, said the organization has been “laser focused” on graduation standards this year. She said the group commissioned the poll to hear from more young people, whom she said weren’t represented in the graduation council.

    “I thought they have a really important voice here when it comes to what we should be considering for a new iteration of graduation standards,” said Tamer, who sits on the graduation council.

    The inconsistency of the districts’ decisions is confusing people, Tamer said. Some schools have replaced MCAS with grading criteria as a graduation requirement. Others require “successful completion” of certain courses.

    “They want to make sure that school has truly equipped them with the practical skills to thrive in whatever choice path they take, whether it’s college or career.”

    Andrea Wolfe

    The poll also showed people wished their high schools had offered more services in financial literacy (82%), career pathways training (69%), and vocational classes (66%).

    “People who have just came out and have had a few years to experience the job market or go to college and so forth have seen what the impact of the standards are that we have in Massachusetts,” said Steve Koczela, president of MassINC.

    Andrea Wolfe, president of Mass Insight Education & Research, a local lobbying nonprofit that nationally supports K-12 schools, said the poll shows how strongly young people are calling for real-world preparation.

    “They want to make sure that school has truly equipped them with the practical skills to thrive in whatever choice path they take, whether it’s college or career,” Wolfe said.

    For some Massachusetts high school graduates, the transition to college was hard. Kathy Zhang, a 22-year-old from Northborough who just graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, said she went from being a straight A student in high school to failing tests her first semester in college.

    Once she understood the difference from high school to college classes and learned how to study, Zhang said she received better grades.

    Even though she graduated when MCAS was still a requirement, Zhang said she wasn’t a fan of the testing.

    “I just thought it was unfair for a lot of people, because everyone learns differently, and everyone shows their intelligence differently,” Zhang said. “I thought it wasn’t a fair way to assess all the students.”

    Mei Cable, a senior at Boston University from Framingham, said she didn’t mind MCAS testing and even found it fun.

    “I don’t think that people should be penalized if they don’t do well on it,” Cable said. “It helps with placement into classes, just so the teachers know what level you’re at.”

    This story is part of a partnership between WBUR and the Boston University Department of Journalism.

    This article was originally published on October 08, 2025.

  • UMass Boston enrolls record number of in-state freshmen

    By Anna Albrecht

    UMass Boston says more in-state freshman enrolled this fall than in at least a decade.

    It’s the first year the public university is offering free tuition for Massachusetts residents from households making $75,000 or less.

    The Beacon Pledge, as UMass calls it, is a financial aid program that allows qualifying students starting this year to attend with no tuition payments or mandatory fees.

    “The best way to disrupt inequality is the distribution of knowledge,” Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco said in an interview with WBUR.

    Out of the 2,378 freshmen entering UMass Boston this year, 84% are from Massachusetts, said university spokesman DeWayne Lehman. The 1,988 local freshman represents an 11% increase from last school year, based on the student profile report. UMass Boston reviewed enrollment data going back 12 years.

    Of those in-state, freshmen, 1,014 are receiving free-tuition through the Beacon Pledge, Lehman said.

    Ashley Salmeron, a freshman studying biology who grew up in Everett, said the Beacon Pledge factored heavily into her decision to attend UMass Boston. She said the initiative has helped her and her family feel relieved of financial stress.

    “I think more schools should do that to help the ones that want to keep going with education,” Salmeron said.

    Salmeron said she did not know about the Beacon Pledge before applying to UMass Boston and was considering other regional schools. But when she discovered that she qualified for the free tuition, she chose UMass Boston.

    Suárez-Orozco said he hopes to get the word out about the initiative to more potential students.

    “We are of the city and for the city,” Suárez-Orozco said. “Our DNA is profoundly shaped by our iconic city, a city that has given the world so much.”

    Valeska Salazar, a freshman from Everett, said she knew about the Beacon Pledge before applying but did not “get a clear answer” on whether she qualified for the program until orientation. Ultimately, her financial aid package did not include the Beacon Pledge.

    “I don’t hear people talk about it as much as I would think,” Salazar said.

    Brisa Portillo, a senior from Everett, recalled getting an email about the Beacon Pledge.

    “I thought, ‘Where was that when I started?’” said Portillo, who lost her Pell Grant this year. She said she thinks the Beacon Pledge, while good for new and incoming students, may make other students feel as though they missed out on that assistance.

    Kaya Oleson, a junior from Wayland, said she found out about the Beacon Pledge through an advertisement at an MBTA station.

    Though not a recipient of the Beacon Pledge herself, Oleson said she is “thrilled, truly” that tuition is being waived for more students. “The less barriers there are the better,” she said.

    Suárez-Orozco said he is proud to welcome the largest class of in-state students, indicating that the school is “just beginning to see the beautiful echo” of the Beacon Pledge.

    All four UMass campuses have implemented their own free tuition programs similar to the Beacon Pledge for students entering this fall. Community colleges in Massachusetts have been providing free tuition through the MassEducate program since fall 2024.

    Some private universities have also been waiving tuition for qualifying students. MIT and Harvard began offering certain students free tuition and housing this school year. Tufts University joined the ranks most recently, announcing in September that it will start offering free tuition in fall 2026 for students from households that earn $150,000 or less.

    This story is part of a partnership between WBUR and the Boston University Department of Journalism.

    This article was originally published on October 06, 2025.

  • As Mass. rolls out new guidance on AI, teachers say it’s already in play

    By Mara Mellits

    Massachusetts teachers now have new state guidelines to help them navigate the use of artificial intelligence in classrooms as the technology becomes increasingly commonplace.

    The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education issued new guidance in August that calls for embedding AI literacy into curricula by providing resources and to offer opportunities for teachers to better understand AI tools.

    The new state guidelines, drafted by an task force of educators, focus on how to handle AI topics such as bias, ethics, misinformation, data privacy and environmental impacts.

    AI is already familiar ground to Rayna Freedman, a fifth-grade teacher at Jordan/Jackson Elementary School in Mansfield. She uses AI tools to curate individualized lesson plans, such as synthesizing material into a slideshow or a podcast so students can learn in a way that’s appealing to them.

    Freedman, a member of the state task force, said she started using generative AI — such as ChatGPT — in her class two years ago. Freedman used the chatbot to create a lesson on the chemical properties of air, in the voice of Beyoncé.

    “You better believe I had 100% attention and people actually talking about what was in air,” Freedman said.

    The state guidelines make clear that AI is not replacing educators, but rather “empowering them to facilitate rich, human-centered learning experiences in AI-enhanced environments.” The guidance is part of what Massachusetts education officials are calling a “multi-year AI roadmap” to support AI in K-12 schools, an effort that began last fall. That work continues this school year with planned workshops and trainings before officials plan to more officially integrate AI tools into Massachusetts curriculums, according to the state.

    The task force will continue to collaborate with state education officials as instructors implement their guidelines in the classrooms, according to DESE. 

    Kim Zajac, a middle school speech language pathologist and audiologist in Norton, said the new guidance from DESE around AI is helpful. Zajac, who is joining the task force, works with students who are developing their speech and language skills. She said she leverages AI to unpack figurative language, like idioms, metaphors and similes, by using the tool to generate images explaining them.

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    AI works well “in terms of leveling the playing field, deepening knowledge and giving more opportunity overall to any learner, regardless of their skills, languages [and] abilities,” Zajac said.

    In Lenox, technology teacher Kate Olender introduces her second graders to concepts like data sets and bias in AI using picture cards. Her fourth- and fifth-grade classes spend 10 to 11 weeks just on AI literacy.

    When ChatGPT first came out, Olender said she was adamant about learning it so she could teach it to her students. She started attending conferences and taking classes within the first six months it was released.

    “Even though I work in an elementary school, it’s going to be here, and we’re going to deal with it,” said Olender, who is also a member of the AI task force.

    In Salem, the district is hosting monthly educator workshops on AI starting in October, said Kate Carbone, deputy superintendent of Salem Public Schools. Teachers can take after-school training and be paid for their time.

    The first one next month will cover fundamentals of AI. The district is also convening a technology advisory committee to unpack some of the guidelines DESE put out.

    “We’re not taking a back seat, and yet we’re proceeding with caution and with excitement,” Carbone said. “Technology can be scary, but there’s also an upside. So we want to encourage people to be curious and while at the same time careful.”

    This story is part of a partnership between WBUR and the Boston University Department of Journalism.

    This story was originally published on September 19, 2025.

  • Charlie Kirk shooting sparks reflection, worry among Massachusetts campuses

    By Emily Piper-Vallillo and Mara Mellits

    The fatal shooting of 31-year-old right-wing activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University has shaken college students and administrators across Massachusetts.

    Kirk, a commentator and founder of the conservative group Turning Point USA, was shot and killed Wednesday while speaking on an outdoor stage in front of a large crowd. Authorities announced Friday that a 22-year-old man is in custody.

    Some Massachusetts college administrators and faculty said they hope this moment will allow people to unite across campus divides. But some conservative students said they don’t feel safe.

    “Colleges and universities should be places for peaceful and open dialogue without fear or threat of physical danger,” Wellesley College President Paula Johnson said in a statement. “This can be a time to come together across political and partisan divides; and our colleges and universities should help model this for our country.”

    Meanwhile, Harvard Kennedy School Professor Tarek Masoud said he hopes this tragedy will act as a “wake up call” to spur open dialogue and civil disagreement.

    “Observing how badly things can get out of hand will cause people again to kind of take a step back, lower the temperature and realize that we actually need to be having more of these dialogues,” he said.

    But some conservative students fear for their safety after Wednesday’s shooting.

    “I’m really terrified of what’s happened, and I think a lot of people are too,” said Massachusetts Institute of Technology student Spencer Sindhusen, president of the school’s College Republicans chapter.

    Sindhusen said at first he thought the shooting wasn’t real.

    “I was totally shocked,” said the junior, who saw the headline pop up during class. “You know, in the age of AI, I thought maybe it was a deepfake.”

    But when Sindhusen read reporting from The New York Times and a Truth Social post from President Trump, he realized it was true.

    “It was so sobering,” he said.

    Sindhusen, who started a student group that promotes civic dialogue, said the shooting will likely curtail free speech.

    “People are going to be afraid to speak up,” he said. “This actually concerns me a lot about the future of our open dialogue culture. We’re trying to engage in good faith conversations with people we disagree with, but then the other side might hate us.”

    In an email to the MIT community Friday, President Sally Kornbluth said that over the last week on campus she’s seen two hand-drawn swastikas, a sign wishing harm on a “conservative non-profit,” and multiple messages “celebrating violence.”

    “In the context of this week’s horrifying murder of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, these manifestations of hatred towards others for their views, beliefs or identity are even more concerning,” Kornbluth wrote.

    She asked anyone with information about the incidents to report it to campus police. An MIT spokesperson said in a statement that “the safety of the people on our campus is always a top priority.”

    For other students like Jeb Allen, co-president of Amherst College Conservatives, Kirk’s killing came as less of a shock.

    “It just kind of embodies the insanity that’s taking place and normalized on these college campuses,” he said.

    The junior said he received “schoolwide backlash” after writing an article against DEI policies for the Amherst student paper earlier this year. Allen recounted that episode in a 2025 National Review piece, in which he writes of how he received “a death threat” and was “stalked, socially isolated, encouraged to transfer.”

    “It just hit really close to home,” Allen said. “Because it’s like when you’re a conservative at these institutions, this is what you get.”

    Republican clubs on several campuses said their members read messages online that they thought celebrated Kirk’s death. These comments were “particularly upsetting,” the group from Tufts University said in a statement.

    Members of the Boston University College Republicans were frightened by these reactions, said chapter President Zac Segal.

    “Being a conservative in a more liberal area, you know, when people are celebrating the death of a conservative figure — that makes you feel scared,” Segal said.

    Wednesday’s shooting compelled the BU College Republicans to pen an open letter to University President Melissa Gilliam, citing “hostility” on campus towards conservative students and asking for “appropriate security” at their events.

    A spokesperson for the university said he expects Gilliam to reply to the letter and emphasized that the school takes all necessary precautions to ensure safety for the BU community and campus guests. (Boston University owns WBUR’s broadcast license. WBUR is editorially independent.)

    Other local colleges also maintain they have robust security measures in place for campus events.

    Northeastern University requires pre-registration and checks IDs and bags at the door to enhance safety, according to Vice President for Communications Renata Nyul. The school also works with local law enforcement when necessary, she said.

    “The university also has a thorough vetting process for external speakers, which helps to ensure a diversity of viewpoints and a safe environment in which to discuss them,” Nyul said in a statement.

    A spokesperson for Harvard Kennedy School said the campus is accustomed to hosting high-profile figures.

    “We regularly work with campus security, Harvard university police, local, and other law enforcement agencies to ensure that our events can proceed safely and securely for event participants and guests,” he said.

    Kirk was scheduled to appear at Dartmouth College for a debate with progressive commentator Hasan Piker later this month. The Dartmouth Political Union, the group set to host the event, issued a statement Wednesday saying it was “horrified and heartbroken” over Kirk’s death.

    “Now, more than ever, it’s important that despite our differences we can see the humanity in those across the aisle,” the student-led group said. “Political violence will never be the answer to political disagreement. When we disagree, we must engage in discourse.”

  • How Harvard and Allston slowly thawed a chilly relationship

    As Harvard University finds itself at odds with an aggressive Trump administration, it finds another, older relationship improving — one where the school was once seen as the aggressor.

    In March, the school reached an agreement on the latest 10-year development plan in Allston. It’s the latest step in a relationship between the world’s wealthiest university and the neighborhood it owns a third of the land in — one that has evolved from a history of distrust to a growing understanding of each other.

    “We don’t trust them as far as we can throw them, so to speak,” said Tony D’Isidoro, president of the Allston Civic Association. “But I think we work much better, and I think they’re a bit more transparent and accountable, which maybe in the past they weren’t.”

    D’Isidoro is part of the Harvard Allston Task Force, the group of Allston community members who work with Harvard on its development plans. They spent 14 months negotiating Harvard’s second “Institutional Master Plan,” outlining development in the neighborhood through 2035.

    The plan predicts minimal institutional development in Allston over the next decade. Only six projects were approved by the city’s planning department, and calls for funding affordable housing projects and a new community center were left out of the final document, disappointing community leaders.

    But now, some neighborhood residents say their perspective has changed. As they watch Harvard fight Trump over funding cuts, they said they’re grateful for the recent deal and for the resources Harvard has brought to the neighborhood over the years.

    “I’ve worked with a lot of people,” D’Isidoro said. “They’re very jealous of us, because they don’t have a Harvard University.”

    Harvard’s Allston roots

    Harvard’s footprint in Allston, which now totals more than 360 acres, didn’t appear overnight.

    Harvard Stadium and its business school campus have been in the neighborhood for over 100 years, but rapid expansion came late last century in 1989 when Beal Companies, a Boston developer, began buying up land in Allston.

    It turned out Harvard was in the driving seat of the decade-long land grab, a stealthy play that sowed distrust in the community. Mayor Thomas Menino created the Harvard Allston Task Force in 2006 to give community members a say in how Harvard would develop its neighborhood holdings.

    In 2013 the group helped the city negotiate Harvard’s first master plan, an ambitious outline detailing nine projects to expand the university’s campus and provide benefits for Allston residents.

    Not all of that initial master plan panned out: The intersection of Barry’s Corner hasn’t become the “engaging public realm” Harvard laid out, but the Harvard Ed Portal, a educational, cultural and professional development resource for the Allston community, has been a lasting success, community members say.

    Then there’s the commercial real estate, which makes up most of Harvard’s acreage. One of its landmark deals is the Enterprise Research Campus, a project under construction that will transform an industrial rail yard into a mixed-use development center, including a new home for the American Repertory Theater.

    Through the research campus’ approval process, D’Isidoro said, “mutual respect” began building between the task force and Harvard. Cindy Marchando, another member of the task force, said both sides have worked hard to develop a rapport.

    “By understanding each other’s perspective,” she said, “you walk away with beautiful deals like what we’ve done with the ERC.”

    Still, task force members said they’re always pushing for more from the university. They want Harvard to assess some of the land they own outside of major projects to find new space for housing and an arts district.

    Allston has one of the lowest owner occupancy rates in the city and “severely lacks a public realm,” said Tim McHale, a member of the task force who asked for funding to get a new arts district off the ground in bargaining for the new plan.

    “I was disappointed that we couldn’t get more public realm, more big thinking, more commitment from Harvard to play a role in shaping the public side of our neighborhood,” McHale said. “They’re shaping the institutional, corporate and biomedical side. But with that comes great responsibility to take care of its people.”

    Looking forward

    D’Isidoro pointed to a few recent deals as models for future partnerships.

    For example, a 2007 land swap between the owners of Charlesview Apartments and Harvard allowed the university to expand its business school campus. Charlesview used the money to build new apartments and expand services.

    “It was a business deal that worked out well for Harvard but also worked out well for Charlesview and the Allston-Brighton community,” said Charlesview Executive Director Jo-Ann Barbour. “We’ve been able to really fund a lot of services and programs in the community over the last 10 years.”

    In 2021, Harvard donated an acre of land to a developer where 43 affordable condominiums will be built on Seattle Street as part of the Research Campus agreement, and funded the purchase of a 49-unit senior housing complex at North Harvard Street earlier this year.

    “We’re hoping that there are some more sites out there that really they don’t need, and they could easily put it up for bid and get affordable housing,” D’Isidoro said. “It goes a long way to help them in the community.”

    Despite what some saw as an underwhelming institutional plan for the next decade, lots of construction is taking place in Allston right now, said Mark Handley, Harvard’s director of community and government affairs. It includes the affordable housing developments, the American Repertory Theatre and graduate housing he hopes will bring more people to support businesses in once-sparse lower Allston.

    And there’s more to come: the future of the Enterprise Research Campus, including Harvard’s plan to transform the site of an old freight rail depot along the river into a new neighborhood with the Massachusetts Turnpike realignment project.

    As Harvard faces the threat to its federal funding – and possibly its tax-exempt status – several task force members are glad they came to an agreement on the university’s plans, even if it lacks a broader vision community leaders wanted for the next 10 years.

    “I was reluctantly agreeing to it, but it’s hindsight right now,” said task force member Barbara Parameter. “I think it was the right decision.”

    This story is part of a partnership between WBUR and the Boston University Department of Journalism.

  • As fears persist over students’ visas, Mass. colleges try to offer legal and academic support

    Colleges and universities across Massachusetts moved swiftly to change policies and offer new services to international students affected by the Trump administration’s whiplash actions against their visas.

    From free legal advice to remote study options and emergency financial aid, several schools recently crafted what some educators and lawyers described as “contingency plans” for students whose visa or legal statuses in the U.S. appeared in jeopardy.

    While the government temporarily reversed many of its visa terminations late last week following dozens of lawsuits, uncertainty and fear remains across many campuses.

    As WBUR previously reported, more than 100 of the roughly 80,000 international students studying in Massachusetts lost their visas before the pause.

    The Trump administration “reversed course, because they were sued more than 60 times,” said Sarah Sherman-Stokes, a law professor and associate director of Boston University’s Immigrants’ Rights and Human Trafficking Clinic. “The reason fear and uncertainty remains is because we know that the administration throws stuff up against the wall and tries to see what can stick.”

    Though many students received word their visas were restored, some reported this week that they’d yet to see their statuses reversed. At Tufts University, seven out of nine terminated visas were reactivated as of Thursday.

    In the high-profile case of Rümeysa Öztürk, the Tufts doctoral student from Turkey, her visa has not been restored. She was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in late March and remains in custody at a Louisiana detention center.

    On Monday, the federal government released rules to allow ICE officials to detain students deprived of their visas and begin deportation proceedings. In the past, students who lost their visas could not reenter the U.S. if they left, but were allowed to stay on American campuses to complete their studies.

    Shaking up rules to offer support

    Several college leaders said as staffers and students keep a close eye on visa databases, the schools have expanded choices for international students.

    Harvard College announced to prospective international students that they could create a “backup plan” for their educations by accepting admission to both Harvard and a non-American institution this year, according to the Harvard Crimson.

    Northeastern said in “some cases” students could study remotely, or at one of its international campuses in the United Kingdom or Canada. About 40 students and recent grads had their visas revoked — the most reported by any university in Massachusetts. Each saw their statuses restored.

    The University of Massachusetts Amherst pointed its campus community to an existing emergency grant application program that can offer students “adversely affected by changes in federal immigration” help with “legal, academic, housing, living and counseling needs.” All 13 international students who saw their visas taken away later had their statuses restored.

    UMass is also offering free, confidential legal advice to students, as are Harvard and Boston University. BU’s website also notes the school can provide one-time free legal consultation for “eligible community members.”

    Some schools, like Boston University, adopted new policies after calls from faculty and students. In early April, students rallied outside the Dean of Students office to demand BU establish a “sanctuary campus” by implementing measures like barring ICE entry into private buildings without a judicial warrant. (Boston University owns WBUR’s broadcast license. WBUR is editorially independent.)

    BU spokesperson Colin Riley said BU is not considering remote degrees or studies at this time. It is, however, allowing students to apply for campus summer housing — and financial assistance for it — even if they are not enrolled in classes.

    Sherman-Stokes said while BU’s moves are a start, she wants it and universities across the country to provide students with full legal representation and adopt policies saying they won’t cooperate with ICE. It’s also important to evaluate disciplinary policies, she said, especially regarding protected free speech.

    Many lawyers, politicians, free speech experts and local community members have decried what they argue is a targeted federal crackdown against students, like Öztürk, who have spoken out against Israel’s war in Gaza.

    “There’s a direct line between discipline and detention,” she said. Boston University “needs to be more mindful of that. It’s not inconceivable that those disciplinary records could be demanded by the Trump administration and used to target non-citizen students.”

    In its efforts to ramp up pressure on Harvard, federal officials have asked the university to share disciplinary records of international students. The school did share some records, but did not specify what those documents detailed.

    Sherman-Stokes said BU students have streamed into her office to share travel fears. Some aren’t sure whether to upend plans to study overseas and disrupt their degree paths, she said. Others expressed worry a return home for summer break could prove disastrous when they try to return for the fall semester.

    One BU student, who asked not to be identified because she fears repercussions, landed a “dream” summer internship in her home country — but hasn’t yet decided if it’s worth the risk. She was one of many students who sued the government after her visa was terminated last month.

    Her visa status has since been restored, she said. She added that she’s grateful for the university’s consistent communication and its offer for her to contact university police if ICE comes to campus.

    Still, she said little has been able to alleviate her anxieties over the past month.

    “Getting my [visa] active feels like I can finally breathe again,” she said. “But at the same time, it doesn’t erase the stress and fear that so many of us went through.”

    This story is part of a partnership between WBUR and the Boston University Department of Journalism.