请阅读下面的信，并前去www.visareform.net签名。
耶鲁中国学生学者联谊会，大纽约学联均是此请愿书的共同发起单位。

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致所有关心入美签证问题的朋友们：

9-11之後美国政府实施的诸多签证限制，安全检查和特殊注册措施，极大地影
响了在美华人的正常生活。屡有耳闻的是签证官以安全检查为由，令返签的熟人，
好友滞留国内半年乃至一年的故事。而留学在外的学生学者，则成了最大的受害团
体: 因为害怕被拒签，被"安全检查"，很多人延迟甚至取消了回国计划。更加严格
的探亲签证审查，强制的返签面谈，与其新增工作量不相称的员工/官员人数，以
及极不完善的安全检查制度，造成了许多不必要的研究计划中断，亲人长期不得团
聚，而在一定程度上使得在美留学人员不能以平等，平和的心态来应对每天的学习，
生活。

签证问题的最大关键，在于受其影响的最大团体没有选举的权力----因此也无从影
响美国政府对法律法规的制订。这次耶鲁研究生工会(GESO, Graduate Employees
and Students Organization)和中国学生会组织的网上签名活动，得到了全美大学
教授协会(American Association of University Professors, 简称AAUP)和美国
最大的几个工会，包括美国全国总工会(American Federation of Labor-Congress
of Industrial Organizations, 简称AFL-CIO)，HERE (Hotal Employees and
Restaurant Employees Union)，UAW (United Auto Workers)，以及全美研究生协
会(NAGPS，National Association Graduate-Professional Students)和全国研究
生工会联盟(CGEU，Coalition of Graduate Employee Unions)的支持，从而赋予
了本次请愿原不具备的说服力。我们希望能让美国主流社会认识到签证问题的严重
性，并由此团结所有关心正义和自由权利的人，一起推动改革。网上请愿开启几天
以来，得到了各大高校，各种国籍人士的支持。请愿不是只为中国留学人员而开启，
签名也不只是为我们自己呐喊。道义的力量既然曾推动美国的民权运动走向胜利，
就也能为在美国工作，学习，生活的各国学生和学者争取到公平的待遇和平等的权
利。

这次运动才刚刚发起，希望你们能够：到http://www.visareform.net/签名来表达
你们对签证问题的关注；转发这封邮件给亲朋好友；通过各大高校和机构现有的
e-mail list来广泛转发这封邮件；以及提供网站连接/co-sponsership来扩大各地
有志者对这次请愿运动的了解，加入我们的行列，为我们的共同利益群策群力。


耶鲁研究生工会国际学生委员会
秦勤 陈虹宇 李晓晔 刘康 万千 等
二零零三年九月十二日



附：请愿书正文：
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Petition to:

President George W. Bush
Secretary of State Colin Powell
Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge
U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. Senate
University Presidents

Since September 11, 2001, tightening visa restrictions, lengthy security checks, special registrations, and other national policy changes have created an increasingly inhospitable climate for international students, post-doctoral scholars, and other academics studying and working in the United States. Such students and scholars often find it difficult to:

* attend academic conferences necessary for advancing their research and professional development
* visit family at home and have family members visit here, leading to long periods of separation from parents, spouses, and children
* continue their studies and research without lengthy interruptions, or the threat of lengthy interruptions, due to delays in the security-check process
* advocate, either individually or collectively, for their own interests - such as fair wages, benefits, and access to teaching and research positions - in a way that might create disagreement or conflict with university authorities
* feel welcome as full and equal members of the academic community in the United States.

While recognizing the paramount importance of homeland security concerns, we, the undersigned, believe that international students, post-doctoral scholars, and other academics should be better recognized and rewarded for their vital contribution to the intellectual and economic life of the United States; that the research and teaching interests of U.S. universities would be best served by eliminating the unnecessary delays and fears caused by many current visa policies and procedures; and that a fair and welcoming environment for the increasing number of international students, post-doctoral scholars, and other academics in the United States is vital to the protection of academic freedom for all teachers and researchers at U.S. universities and of this nation's status as the center of academic research and teaching internationally.

With that in mind, we call upon the addressees of this petition to:

* create a more efficient and streamlined security-check process,
* investigate the feasibility and desirability of offering longer-term re-entry visas and multiple-entry visas for scholars from China and other areas who do not currently enjoy such privileges,
* create additional provisions that would allow international students, post-doctoral scholars, and other academics to change their visa status or renew their visas without leaving the country,
* create a fair appeals process for people who have been denied visas, and
* hold congressional hearings to inform possible legislative changes.

In the meantime, we call upon University Presidents to:

* collectively lobby the U.S. government for the changes described above,
* make clear public statements and engage in other efforts to educate the general public on the value that international students, post-doctoral scholars, and other academics bring to the intellectual and economic life of the United States,
* protect international students' right to exercise their rights to freedom of speech and freedom of association and make clear public statements about these rights,
* waive the SEVIS fee or any other cost to international students for their own surveillance, and
* create ways to share the financial and other burdens caused to international students, post-doctoral scholars, other academics, and their laboratories by extended security checks and travel difficulties generally.
* increase support for ESL training, housing subsidies, dependent health-care and other programs meant to create a secure and supportive environment for international graduate students and scholars working in the United States.


Sincerely,

The Undersigned