Metro State has met the Aug. 1 deadline for entering information on foreign students in a new nationwide database, the result of language in the Patriot Act, which requires colleges and universities to track foreign students.

"We've entered more than 200 students into the system," said Skip Crownhart, associate director of the Academic Advising Center and the college's new international student advisor. The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System was created in 2001 to scrutinize foreign visitors more closely in the hopes of weeding out potential terrorists.

Colleges are expected to record all of their students in the system or face penalties from the government, and foreign students in the United States without proper records can be punished and deported.

Although U.S. colleges were previously required to keep track of foreign students, information was only reported to the government upon request. Now, data on all foreign students are automatically reported to the Department of Homeland Security.

The documentation requirements are significant, Crownhart said, explaining that the system is designed to keep tabs on which applicants colleges accept, the dates on which they enter and leave the United States and what they are doing while in the country. There can be serious consequences, she said, if a foreign student drops a class and falls below minimum credit hour requirements. "It's really important for foreign students to come see me before they decide to drop a class. Faculty and staff should urge foreign students to talk to me before reducing their schedule." Crownhart can be reached at 6-4207 or crownhas@mscd.edu.