The Office for International Student & Scholar Services is hosting a free weekly webinar series during October aimed at expanding students’ understanding of the U.S. political system.

Attendees will expand their understanding of

• the basics of the U.S. political system,
• international student rights and responsibilities when engaging in political activism,
• U.S. media and consumerism,
• and international student advocacy.

“This is an important election. Many of our students have reached out hoping to get involved in the political process, but they also feel scared about potential impacts to their immigration status,” said ISSS Director Chelsea Wells.

Wells noted that while most universities are offering election-related programming, there remains a need to highlight the unique interests and concerns of international students as they relate to U.S. politics. While these students cannot register to vote, there remains much they can do to advocate for their positions and interests. “We’d like to provide them with tools so they can engage safely,” said Wells.

This series is hosted in collaboration with faculty and staff from the Department of Political Science, The Law School, The Office of the Dean of Students, as well as other campus and community partners.

All events are hosted on Zoom. The webinar sessions will be recorded for those unable to attend live. The series is free and open to the public.

Learn more at https://isss.utah.edu/news/us-political-webinar-series-fall2020.php

EVENT INFO:

Basic Overview of the U.S. Political System and U.S. Elections

Tuesday, October 6, 2020
4-5 P.M. MST (time zone converter)
Registration will be done through Zoom – register here.

Panelists will provide an overview of the unique system of government in the United States, the philosophy behind the system, and the basics of how U.S. Elections work.

International Student Rights & Responsibilities in Political Demonstrations

Tuesday, October 13, 2020
4-5 p.m. MST (time zone converter)
Registration will be done through Zoom – register here.

This webinar will focus on the rights and responsibilities of international students, including how to safely engage in political demonstrations and protests, as well as other types of political activism. Our panel will discuss a myriad of topics, including: how international students can be involved in the U.S. political process, student rights when interacting with U.S. law enforcement and ICE, and reminders about what international students can and cannot do during the U.S. Election.

Understanding U.S. Media & Consumerism

Tuesday, October 20, 2020
4-5 p.m. MST (time zone converter)
Registration will be done through Zoom – register here.

Designed for international students who may not be as familiar with rhetoric used in U.S. media, particularly during U.S. Presidential Election season, our panelists will discuss how to interpret U.S. media, how to determine if information is accurate or inaccurate, how to best research the issues reported, as well as how cultural background may impact the interpretation of information. We will also discuss techniques and tactics regarding how to respectfully engage with peers and other individuals on sensitive political topics.

International Student Advocacy

Tuesday, October 27, 2020
4-5 p.m. MST (time zone converter)
Registration will be done through Zoom – register here.

Our panelists will discuss how international students can participate and advocate for changes at both the local and federal level in the United States. We will provide advocacy group resources, review how international students can get involved in campus groups and local organizations, how international students can become involved with local immigrant communities to advocate for change, and also discuss campus and local resources for students who may be experiencing issues coping and dealing with stress during and after the U.S. Election.

Not long after the dust settled on the transition to remote learning across campus in March, the Office of International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) started shifting their efforts to a new challenge–what would it take to bring new international students to the U in the fall, given the challenges presented by Covid-19?

In a typical year, the ISSS office holds several full-day orientation sessions, providing breakfast and lunch and educating students about visa requirements, their rights and responsibilities in the U.S., and how to seek out support on campus and from others who share their circumstances. “Last year we hosted 16 in-person orientation days,” said ISSS director Chelsea Wells. “In May of this year, we realized we probably wouldn’t be doing that for fall.”

Instead of being dismayed at the prospect of creating a catalog of new, virtual-orientation content, the ISSS staff took the pivot as an opportunity to better serve students. “From the start, we really tried to think about it from a positive standpoint. This is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time,” said Wells. Together, the team explored answers to ‘What is orientation?’, ‘What does it mean to us?,’ ‘What kind of presence do we want to have?’

The result of the team’s reimagining begins with a series of robust pre-arrival modules in Canvas (the U’s online coursework management platform), that students complete remotely before they even begin their journey to Utah. Wells noted that in the past, her office struggled with “not knowing how that information landed with students,” but the new format allows for better assessment of comprehension.

The in-person, on-campus sessions were then transitioned to a series of Welcome Week webinars. Students were invited to submit questions in advance and anonymously during the live session. Each session was recorded so that students could review the information as necessary. “It’s no longer just a one-day sprint,” noted Wells. “If we can spread it out over time, it really helps our students retain the large amounts of information they must remember to be successful on campus.”

During the Welcome Week webinar series, students heard from a variety of offices on campus and covered topics from health and safety to student involvement.

“This has really been a fantastic catalyst to launch us into exploring new options and to think creatively while making orientation engaging and student-friendly,” said Wells.

While this year has been unsettling and unpredictable for everyone in the U community, abrupt changes to visa requirements and travel restrictions have added unique hurdles for international students.

Wells remarked that she was moved by the outpouring of support her office received in early July when the federal government issued new guidance that would severely restrict the ability of international students to continue their education in the U.S. (Those restrictions have been subsequently rescinded for all but new incoming students.)

“Students want predictability. They want to ensure that the game isn’t going to change. Anybody traveling to a different country for four to eight years would really want to understand the requirements and, unfortunately, right now many of the rules aren’t stable,” said Wells.

That uncertainly has helped fuel the work of the ISSS office to make the process of coming to the U as comprehensive and engaging as possible. Wells wants international students to know “that the U, particularly ISSS, truly cares about them. Whether they’re on campus or studying in their home country, we are doing everything we can to support their academic journey.”

“Of course, everyone is facing challenges right now, but international students are facing so many obstacles that continuing their studies may seem insurmountable. It’s important for people to have compassion for the fact that they just want to come here and study, and their journeys may be vastly different and more challenging than for students already in the United States,” said Wells.

The ISSS team is committed to doing everything they can to ensure students from all over the globe can do just that–come, study, and have a great experience during their time at the U.

Originally appeared in @theU on Aug. 5, 2020.

The following editorial by the University of Utah President Ruth V. Watkins and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Dan Reed appeared in the Deseret News on Aug. 3, 2020.

The University of Utah attracts thousands of international students each academic year. Approximately 2,500 students—1,333 undergraduates and 1,205 graduates from about 100 countries—attended the university in fall 2019. We have a mutually beneficial relationship with these students.

By attending the U, international students receive a world-class education at a leading research university that prepares them for success in today’s globally connected workplace. In turn, our international students add experiential, cultural and academic diversity to our campus that benefits faculty, staff and other students—enabling them to develop skills and insights necessary to thrive in a global workforce. These students also enrich the culture of our communities and our state.

In addition, more than 140 scholars from other countries serve on our faculty, offering global perspectives in their specialized fields to their students and their academic colleagues.

The value of such cross-cultural exchange is well understood by the many Utahns who have completed international service missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. More broadly, this is a state whose residents value diversity as shown by the consistently warm welcome they give immigrants and refugees.

Our appreciation of the extraordinary value our international students contribute to our institution is the primary reason we joined numerous colleges and universities across the country in challenging a U.S. Department of Homeland Security rule that would have revoked or barred issuance of visas for international students whose classes will be fully online this fall.

These misguided machinations have generated uncertainty and angst for our current international students, adding to their confusion and worry over the coronavirus pandemic. Like all of our students, they had to shift rapidly to online coursework in the spring. Some of our international students were able to return home in the midst of this disruption but many now face uncertainty about their ability to return to Utah due to travel restrictions.

Other international students were unable to return home this spring due to those travel restrictions and remain in Utah, some continuing to live on campus. As is the case for all our students, they are prepared to engage in the hybrid approach to instruction we are preparing for fall semester that will undoubtedly include some—and, depending on courses selected, potentially all—online classes.

We have reassured our actively enrolled international students that, however fall semester may unfold, we will be able to support their academic ambitions. Now, we are working with our newly enrolled international students who hope to come to the U for the first time. Some already face obstacles in obtaining visas due to U.S. consulate closures. We are working to help them create course schedules that include at least one in-person or hybrid class so they are able to enter the U.S. and to reassure them they’ll be able to remain here even if the pandemic requires a return to all online classes.

Our university is focused on discoveries and innovations that will solve the grand challenges that confront not just our state and our country, but also the world—a necessity made more apparent by the coronavirus pandemic.

This focus is consistently reinforced in our discussions with business leaders, who tell us the employees they seek must understand and be able to succeed in a globally connected workplace. Both our domestic and our international students develop some of that capability through opportunities to learn in shared spaces, whether in a physical or online classroom.

On Aug. 24, we will begin a new academic year in a time of unprecedented uncertainty that is requiring extraordinary flexibility and nimbleness by all members of our campus community. Across the U, we are working diligently to reduce stress on our students, staff and faculty and to provide a safe environment in which to explore, learn, teach, research and work.

We want our international students—those who are new to the U as well as those who are returning to our campus—to know they are vital participants in the invigorating process that encompasses the pursuit of knowledge.