Welcome back to Did You See This? — the SUNN Post’s biweekly column spotlighting news that students like you (and us!) need to know. You may notice something different about this installment — this week, I’m sharing the byline with Andie Korenge, a SUNN Post staff writer, freshman at the University of Michigan and former editor-in-chief of her South Florida high school’s paper. This will be my last installment of Did You See This? before handing Andie the reins.
In the spirit of welcoming Andie to the team, let’s get into this week’s headlines!
— Kate Rodriguez
Judge pauses new visa rules that would affect foreign students in the United States.
The Rundown
New student visa rules from the Department of Homeland Security were paused by a federal judge Sept. 14, the day before they were set to go into effect. International students can typically stay in the U.S. for however long it takes to complete the reason for their visa, often a degree program. The new rules would change that, giving international students a fixed max of four years. The rules would also limit changes to their education, such as swapping majors.
This could cut many of their educations short. About 19% of bachelor’s degree recipients take more than four years to finish, and the issue may be bigger at the Ph.D level: Most doctoral degrees require around six years. For instance, 97% of international Ph.D students training in astronomy or physics need longer than four years.
The judge argued that these visas have allowed tens of millions of international students to study in the U.S. and produce groundbreaking research and big economic growth. In the 2024-25 school year, before the immigration policy changes, 1.2 million international students attended American universities. In part due to uncertainty about these policies, fewer are coming to the country. New foreign student enrollment fell 20% this spring semester compared to last year, and their absence is already taking a toll on colleges and universities, the U.S. economy and the workforce.
Where To Find More
DHS also made changes that hurt universities’ ability to authorize temporary work, like summer internships, for international students. The Daily Texan, UT Austin’s student newspaper, reported on how that’s affecting the international community there.
As driverless taxis face opposition from local governments, Waymo ramps up efforts to tap into the teen market.
The Rundown
Waymo, the world’s largest driverless taxi service, is facing pushback from local governments as it attempts to expand services into new areas. Waymo is currently available in 15 U.S. cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami. But other major hubs — including New York and D.C. — have blocked the company’s attempts to deploy new fleets citing safety concerns and pressure from labor groups.
In the face of the opposition, Waymo is finding new ways to reach communities — this week, the company launched a teen-rider program for Nashville residents. The initiative, which kicked off in Phoenix last year, allows kids between 13 and 17 to use parent-supervised Waymo accounts. For some young riders, driverless vehicles are a path to independence. “It’s convenient because it allows me to ride to the places I want. Before, if I didn’t have a ride, I’d have to miss it,” Mikaylee Whitlatch, an Arizona teenager, said in Waymo’s release announcing the launch.
From the parental perspective, Waymo’s programmed driving can eliminate potential risk factors. But some parents aren’t on board with the tech — Domonique Townsend, a Nashville mother of teenagers, told NewsChannel 5, “For me, technology doesn’t provide judgment that a human could give. So having someone in a car … I’m more comfortable with because that person can have judgment.”
Where To Find More
Some Gen Zers documented their Waymo experiences on TikTok under the hashtag #waymo. As more young users gain access to the cars, keep an eye on this tag to see vlogs from their perspectives and reviews of the cars’ driving skills.
Concerned about students offloading thinking to AI, universities are going analog.
The Rundown
MIT researchers warned last month that the growing presence of AI in academic life is leading to “cognitive surrender.” The better AI technologies become, the logic goes, the easier and more tempting it is to have them complete “thinking” tasks for us.
Some universities are taking matters into their own hands. The University of Chicago is pushing AI out of certain undergrad and law school classrooms by turning some courses into “device-free spaces.” UChicago President Paul Alivisatos said the school has a duty to teach students to think with, without and about AI. No-tech classes have also been tried at the University of Virginia, University of Pennsylvania and other campuses.
Some professors have dusted off an old-school torture device: The blue book. Sales of blue books at colleges — from Texas A&M to the University of Florida to Berkeley — have increased recently, some as much as 80%. Blue-book exams are effective at preventing cheating but often disliked by students since they are handwritten in-class. UVA student Peter McHugh told his campus newspaper he feels the blue-book revival is “postponing the inevitable, where classrooms will have to eventually adapt to the AI environment.”
Where To Find More
Some Yale University students have noticed AI use affecting the quality of class discussions. For more on how cognitive surrender relates to Gen Z’s unwillingness to be alone with their thoughts — yikes — check out @shakeanndblake’s TikTok essay.
