The collection contains oral history interviews primarily with international students at Stanford University during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviews cover visa laws and travel, both during and before the pandemic.

On March 20, 2020, the US Department of State announced that "[i]n response to significant worldwide challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of State is temporarily suspending routine visa services at all US Embassies and Consulates." Exacerbating this situation, on September 25, 2020, the US Homeland Security Department proposed a new rule that would restrict student visas to two years for citizens from fifty-nine countries. Such visa restrictions can negatively impact student diversity, academic freedom, plurality of ideas, and cultural and linguistic heterogeneity at academic institutions such as Stanford University.

4 gigabyte(s)

While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns. See: http://library.stanford.edu/spc/using-collections/permission-publish

Due to the personal nature of the interviews, all content has been embargoed until at least September 2026, with some content embargoed for longer or indefinitely. All materials are restricted to users with a Stanford University ID.