As the fall semester looms closer, uncertainties about what this semester will look like continue to grow. In recent days, news about visa restrictions for international students and increasing case numbers across the U.S. have caused tremendous upheaval in higher education. Students need to know that university administrations are making the necessary efforts to address these concerns. In this article, I discuss the difficult decisions graduate students and international students must make if they want to return to U.S. institutions.
In the first installment of this series, I discussed some of the immediate issues that students choosing to return to campus in the fall will face. From inequities surrounding access to food and housing, to uncertainty about the availability of mental health and affinity group resources, students must carefully weigh the benefits and consequences of returning to campus. International students and graduate students are in a particularly vulnerable position. These students face the risk of losing their visa status or access to complete their education, or a loss of funding for education and housing. This article describes these challenges and offers suggestions for how Novel Hand readers can advocate for themselves and their peers.
International Students
As early as March, the Brookings Institute predicted coronavirus would have serious consequences for international students. In the spring, international students choosing to return home faced the possibility of being unable to return in the fall. Many universities established deadlines early in the summer for students to select remote learning. This unequally impacted international students, forcing them to make premature decisions about how they will take classes in the fall. As students who often receive less in financial aid than domestic students, financial inequities will follow. Students may incur additional costs for flights, quarantining off-campus before returning, and even housing costs, should campuses shut down again.
A release this Monday from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) barred international students with F-1 or M-1 visas from returning to the U.S. if their universities transitioned entirely online. While online classes reduce health risk to a minimum, they also come with significant costs. Students may not have consistent internet access or deal with time zone differences if they must stay abroad to take classes at their universities. Pragya Bhagat, a Novel Hand summer intern and international student at Vanderbilt University, stated that international students are stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the risk assessment of returning to campus.
“My university is currently planning to follow a hybrid model of in-person and online teaching, so I will be able to enter the United States. However, I will be constantly stressed about the possibility of a switch to online-learning mid-semester, in which case I will be deported. My future and education should not depend on the goodwill of domestic students to be responsible and follow COVID-19 guidelines. Alternatively, if I choose to study remotely from India, I will not only be subject to 1 a.m. Zoom classes, but my visa will also get canceled.”
Pragya Bhagat, Novel Hand Intern
Graduate Students
Often responsible for teaching classes on top of their coursework, graduate students are both students and instructors in higher education. Potential exposure to coronavirus among their peers in graduate courses pales in comparison to exposure from undergraduate classes. While many U.S. graduate programs have relatively small student cohorts, graduate students often teach large introductory seminars. Hybrid plans for in-person and online education leave many graduate students uncertain about whether they must be in the classroom. Grad student instructors have a markedly positive impact on undergraduate students, yet the health risks may make grad student TAs less enthusiastic to teach in the fall.
In addition to health inequities, graduate students are likely to face significant financial inequities due to coronavirus. Doctoral students in the U.S. often rely upon stipends to cover living expenses in return for teaching classes. Guidance is unclear about whether these stipends extend to graduate students who do not return to campus. At Boston University, the administration told graduate students that if they did not return to campus in-person, they would lose access to their stipends and health insurance. This cruel ultimatum forces students to choose between the risk of exposure and the risks of loss of insurance and income.
Solutions and Next Steps
There are many ways we can advocate for international students and graduate students on our campuses. Below, I have listed a few ways to alleviate the inequities that these students face. In addition to these links, it is important to directly contact the administrators of your university. Many of these return to campus plans are changing on a daily basis, and a large portion of these changes come from your efforts to achieve equity for all students.
- Text “sign DLSZGN” to 50409 to sign a petition entitled, “Denounce ICE Policy Revoking Student Visas,” which will be sent to your political representatives. Additionally, you can sign the “Allow F-1 and M-1 Students with Valid Visas to Stay in the United States” petition and the “Allow International Students to Finish Their Degrees” petition!
- Call members of the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship, under the House Committee on the Judiciary, to leave a message advocating for an end to this ban on international students.
- Write prolifically about these inequities. Share your thoughts with your audience on social media, and continue to share your thoughts within your campus community.
- Organize with your fellow international students and/or graduate students to present demands to your university or college that address how a return to campus plan can equitably include your voices.
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