In a move that came as a surprise to many people, President Leonel Fernandez took a very active part in the “Conversatorio” that took place in the auditorium of the PUCMM in Santiago de los Caballeros. Fernandez listened to Wilson Jacques, the president of the Haitian Students Association, as he described the difficulties faced by the 5,000 young people from the neighboring country who are studying in the Dominican Republic. Answering questions from the audience, the President took an unusually active part in the conversations. The young folks came away smiling. Fernandez ordered his officials to exonerate the Haitian students from the US$25.00 fee that is charged for crossing the border; to include the students in the benefits of the Youth Card Program; to extend their visas up to a year, rather than the three month period now in force, and to offer the visa free of charge. In addition, the students are due to receive two buses to transport them to and from classes as well as to the frontier during school recesses. Finally, their identification cards will identify them as “students” instead of their current “tourist” status.