the badge story

The following story is true and just happened to a friend of a friend of a friend of mine (... right). I kid you not.

Both that person, let's call him A, and his roommate, let's call him B, work in one of the many State Universities in this country. As you may or may not know, the scientific research in the US is shouldered 90% by foreign scholars and researchers, who slave 60-80 hours a week in their labs, for meager (by US standards) salaries. Which is problematic, because due to recent restrictions in visa application process, the foreign students and scholars express a lot less interest in coming to the US. Some colleges reported a drop in application from abroad by as much as 30%, or so I remember reading somewhere.

Those reluctant foreigners may have some point, judging from what happend to A. Stay tuned.

Anyways, late one evening, A and B were out, and B wanted to use a computer or something. A said, no problem, let's go to my lab. Researchers often work strange hours, so this was nothing unusual for them to go into the lab so late. Now, A and B work for different department, so A's badge lets him access his building, but B's badge doesn't. B's badge only allows him to access his building, which is located right next to A's building.

Sounds complicated, especially considering that there is nothing super secret going on in either buildings, just your basic research.

So, they get into the lab, B checks out his e-mail or whatever, and A starts setting up another batch of experiments (might as well, you know). Then all of a sudden A has to go use the restroom, so he exits the lab, leaving B at the computer, the door ajar, and his badge on the desk.

A security officer just happens to be passing by and sees an open door. He walks in and sees B at the computer. He questions B about his identity and his reasons in being in the lab. B answers that he is here with his roommate. The security officer figures out that B doesn't have access to the building. Then, he sees the badge on the desk. He lets them know they are in trouble, seezes the badge, and leaves.

A comes back from the restroom, sees that his badge is gone, B explains him what just happened.

The next day, A shows up at work and finds out that he has been FIRED. Consider that A has worked in the department for a few years, the last three in his current capacity, putting in crazy hours and basically hauling the project on his back. His professor calls everywhere, pleads in his behalf, and is told that nothing could be done, that A's H-1 (work) visa has been TERMINATED, effective immediately.

The reasons for such drastic action were given as follows: 1) A let an unauthorized person into the building (B, his roommate, an employee in the same university), and 2) A, irresponsibly, left his badge by itself in an open room; this could have had dire consequences if the badge was stolen and used inappropriately.

B got in trouble, too, for unauthorized access of A's building.

A is obviously not without fault here. I don't know about letting B to his lab, I mean, come on, B is a fellow lab rat, what's the big deal? I do agree though that leaving the badge on the desk was indeed rather dumb. Overall, IMO A does deserve some kind of reprimand.

But to be FIRED? For an otherwise model employee, who made an error and was hit by a bad luck, this seems too much. And for the visa to be TERMINATED? Keep in mind that it takes a foreign researcher years to earn the H-1 status; as a rule one has to climb from F (student) or J (visitor), get sponsored by the school, and in general the whole process is quite tricky. But apparently, it takes only a moment of time to undo it all.

I get shivers just thinking about it, because I remember my own visa application and maintenance process. This incident brings up, and intensifies, the feeling of helplessness I had back then. The people higher up in the system have a complete control over you, and hold your life, as you know it, in their hands. If something goes wrong with your visa, you get a swift kick in the butt and fly out of the country faster than you can say 'Good-bye America'. And if you have been out of your home country for years and have neither family now opportunities back there, you land on a very hard place.

Getting back to A's situation, things eventually turned around for him, although he still in a legal and financial limbo. After some scurrying here and there, and F (student) visa was created for him out of thin air. Now he has to find something to study real quick - but he can't work at all. So go figure what to do and how to live.

I remember back when I was a student in another of the many State Universities in this country. My badge was my student ID, and I rarely had to use it, only at night. I could go into my husband's building and meet him there, and it bothered no one - and vice versa. Within a short time though, the security was tightened quite a bit; e.g., I could no longer get into my husband's building without showing my ID (I was in different department, but it was OK). Who knows what it's like there now. May be one should badge in and out of each classrom, I wouldn't be surprised.

Just another Sign of the Times. Keep your eyes peeled.

www.signs-of-the-times.org

and if you want to go tink while at work, please don't forget to take your badge with you. Especially if you are a foreigner.