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Helping International Students Navigate U.S. Election Season

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.

Reinventing a Warm Welcome for International Students

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.

A Safe Space for International Students and Faculty

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.

Chelsea Wells Appointed as Director of International Student & Scholar Services in the Office for Global Engagement

Chelsea Wells

Chelsea Wells

The Office for Global Engagement (OGE) is pleased to announce the appointment of Chelsea Wells as the new Director of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS). This is an important leadership role in OGE and for the University, ensuring compliance with federal immigration regulations, advocating for international students and scholars on campus and in our community, and providing specialized support services for our 2,900 students and 450 scholars who come from 111 countries around the world.  Chelsea brings exceptional expertise to OGE with respect to federal immigration regulations, advocacy for our international community, international student recruitment and admissions, and the relationships she has built across campus and in the community.

Chelsea Wells is a dedicated higher education professional who has been working with international students and diverse communities for nearly ten years. With a background in Anthropology and Law, Chelsea has worked to advocate for the needs of international students and their families through a myriad of channels, including immigration and educational advising, as well as recruitment and admissions processing.  Chelsea received her Bachelor of Science in Biological Anthropology from Loyola University Chicago, and her Juris Doctor from Seattle University School of Law. Chelsea has worked at the University of Utah for nearly four years, and most recently served as the Director of Operations in the Office of Admissions. Chelsea is greatly looking forward to continuing to work with the international community at the U, as well as for the opportunity to continue to advocate and innovate to expand our programs and initiatives to best serve our international students and scholars.

Chelsea is starting in her new role on July 8, 2019.

Humans of the U Omid Atlaschian

Originally published in @theU on April 8, 2020

“I am an international student, which is a community of about 10% of the students here at the U. I came from Iran. We all made a long journey to get here, that’s common between all of us. Helping others, feeling their pain, and being with them is the least that we could do as a human being. Especially since our community may be the minority, being together and helping each other is very important.

Getting a degree might be the top priority that any student has. However, I think that could be just one goal during school! As a human, we have enormous potential and power, especially when we are together. If we isolate ourselves from others, we get weaker and weaker.

To be involved with other activities will enrich our personalities and make ourselves a more powerful person. Being in school is an exceptional opportunity to know ourselves better, find out more about other communities and cultures, and feel the great experience of being active while in an academic environment and making the most of it.

As a member of this community, I believe it’s our duty and role to help this community as much as we can. We are all busy with schoolwork but have enough time to help other students. I haven’t made a significant contribution; all I have done is to motivate, support, and cooperate with other international students so that we all can make a better community.

I believe that we all could do more to support our community, keep it alive and active. We all could start from our community, try to feel more united and help keep it alive, and further help other communities.

We should also accept our differences, focus on what we all have in common, and try to have a mutual understanding. By being together, we could reach further steps. I would like to ask everyone to acknowledge and respect the effort of those who are active and initiate activities, even though we are all super busy. Help them as much as you can, since it is equal to helping yourselves.

It makes me feel great when I see that someone cares about other’s problems and pain as well. It is the true meaning of a human being, I believe.”

—Omid Atlaschian, doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering,
inaugural recipient of the International Student Council Scholarship

Diversity Lights Up The U

The University of Utah’s annual International Night last November was the U’s largest celebration of international culture in recent history – over 400 guests filled the Union Ballroom for this fun and festive event.  Hosted by the International Student Council (with sponsorship by the International Student and Scholar Services office and ASUU’s Diversity Board), this year’s International Night theme was “Diversity Lights Up the U” and included performances by many talented and diverse student and community groups. The event capped off the U’s contribution to International Education Week, a national campaign spearheaded by the US Department of State which provides an opportunity for American universities to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange.

A celebration of culture

“International Night celebrates the many cultures represented at the U and showcases our global community and diversity,” said Sabine Klahr, Associate Chief Global Officer. “It is an event that brings the campus and local community together and promotes unity and intercultural understanding.”

The event included performances and fashion from nearly every continent, and included representation from over 30 countries. The evening’s talent included dance groups ranging from K-Pop to Bollywood, musical performances that included the Peruvian zampoña (pan flute) and the traditional Chinese zheng, a Japanese kendo demonstration, and much more. The evening would not be complete without the International Fashion Show, which gives students and staff an opportunity to showcase traditional fashion from their culture.

Open to all

Even during his high school days in Salt Lake City, Puneet Singh, Director of the ASUU Diversity Board, heard tales of the magic of the U’s International Night.

“My favorite parts are the performances, because it allows the U community to see different cultures up close and personal rather than seeing different cultures from a book or on screen,” said Singh, who is a volunteer organizer for the event and participated in the cultural fashion show. “The event is never boring and programming is always engaging. It’s an awesome way to support local community members as well.”

The annual International Night is open to all – students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members are all encouraged to attend the event in mid-November and join in on the festivities. Proceeds for this event go toward funding future international student activities and programming through the International Student Council (ISC). Each semester, ISC plans several events which provide opportunities for the U’s international student community to explore Utah, make new friends, and raise awareness of international issues and cultures on campus.

This year event will be on Friday, November 15th 2019 from 6:000 – 8:30pm

 

2015 UGRAD Re-Entry Workshop Gives a Taste of Utah to International Students

International Student and Scholar Services and the University of Utah were pleased to host 2015’s UGRAD Re-Entry Workshop for international students studying in the U.S. in partnership with The Department of State’s World Learning Program.

The workshop, which ran from April 1-3, hosted 83 participants from countries as varied as Yemen, Pakistan, India, Oman, Nigeria, Uganda, and more.

Through the hard work of International Student and Scholar Services Director Chalimar Swain, Associate Director Jessica Schlotfeldt, as well as student assistants Chaise Edebiri and Lacey Johnson, the University of Utah was not only able to successfully apply for the highly competitive opportunity to host the re-entry workshop, but see it through to its successful end.

The Department of State runs a number of programs that bring international students to study in the United States. One such program, known as World Learning, brings students from across the globe to study in the United States for a year.

These students are coming from countries that are typically underrepresented as part of the scholarship program. They come over and take classes for a year, as well as participating in community service and an internship.

The University of Utah itself, usually hosts somewhere between four to six students from the World Learning Program each year, according to Director of International Student and Scholar Services, Chalimar Swain.

At the end of each year, World Learning hosts a re-entry workshop for all of the international students who have spent a year in the U.S. to help prepare them to return to their home countries.

“They talk about not only re-entry shock, but also go over what they have learned, what they are going to do with that information, and what their goals are for using what they’ve learned,” Swain said.

Throughout the re-entry workshop students were able to participate in a number of academic and social experiences that not only helped to prepare them for their return journeys to their home countries, but also provided them a small taste of the culture of the University of Utah, and the Salt Lake Valley as well.

“We offered a combination of workshops on goal setting, paying forward leadership skills in their home community, and re-entry shock,” Swain said. “We did a number of experiential activities as well.  Students participated in a community service activity at the Social Justice Gardens to give the students an idea of service opportunities here in Salt Lake.”

As part of their community service activity, the group visited a local elementary school where they learned a little bit about food instability by helping to plant a garden and directly engage with the local community.

In addition to the community service project, the students were able to visit the National Ability Center in Park City where they participated in a number of learning activities that directly tied into the goals of the workshop.

“We ended up doing a series of activities with the students that provided some experiential learning opportunities that tied into the concepts the Department of State wanted the to take home,” Swain said. “Learning resiliency, team leadership, and working through challenges; these were all things that they are going to need in their home countries to really use what they’ve learned here.”

The students were also given a private tour of the Natural History Museum, after which they participated in a reflection activity during which they created a poster that gave a visual representation of their time in Utah.

“A lot of them had no idea what Utah was really like. There were originally some complaints when they first found out they were going to be attending the re-entry workshop in Utah, but by the time they left, they were actually tweeting with the hashtag #weareallutes,” Swain said. “They were just blown away by how beautiful it is here and I think that the activities that we had stretched them a little bit more than just sitting in a classroom listening to lectures for an extended period of time.”

Culturally speaking, the students were able to not only share some of their own background and history through, presentations, poetry, and open forum, but were also able to experience a number of Utah specific cultural events including a performance by the Little Feathers Native American Dancers.

For Swain, the re-entry workshop provided an opportunity for her to directly impact student lives in a manner that isn’t normally afforded to her, which was an aspect of the event she was especially pleased with.

“For me it was a very unique experience. To actually be in that role, working with a group of students on day to day activities was really fun,” Swain said. “It was a reminder for me of why I do what I do. I get the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and hear their stories.”

In the end, the cross cultural exchange and the opportunity for these international students to prepare for their return trips to their home countries was what Swain said made the workshop such a large success. Her hope is that by the very nature of the international experience the re-entry workshop represents, these students will be able to return to their home countries with the knowledge and planning to truly act as effective future leaders.

“Having an international studying opportunity is supposed to be the type of experience that makes you think about the culture that you’re in and your home culture which really promotes that intercultural understanding and it was neat to see that,” Swain said.

Mongolian Alumni Club Provides Ease of Transition for International Students

Imagine for a moment that you are in a foreign country. Not only are you in an environment that it entirely new to you, but your there to study, to excel in a college environment while adapting to all the new cultural aspects of your new home. Now imagine doing it alone.

This was the exact situation University of Utah Mongolian Alumni Association president Onon found herself in when she first began attending the university during her undergraduate career.

“When I was here it was difficult for me to focus on my studying with everything else. I had a hard time finding that balance early on, but having been lucky enough to go through that experience,  I want to share that with new students to help them go through that in a faster and more efficient way,” Onon said. “When I first came here I wasn’t entirely sure what to do, where to go, how to do certain things, with English being my second language, so it was really challenging for the first few semesters.”

Enter the Mongolian Alumni Club, a new program that Onon along with a few of the other U of U Mongolian alumni have put together in order to facilitate not only continued contact between international Mongolian graduates, but also to aid new Mongolian students entering the university.

The University of Utah Mongolian Alumni club was just formed in August 2014. Onon is currently the president with two additional board members having joined the association. Currently all of the Mongolian University of Utah alumni are working outside of the state except for Onon, who graduated with a business degree in 2011.

Right now there are about 14 international Mongolian students at the University of Utah, with a similar number of alumni having already graduated. However, that number is likely to grow significantly in the coming years thanks in large part to the partnership between Mongolia and the university.

“When I was here at the U of U it was only myself and one other guy studying mining and engineering, so it’s just been amazing to see how quickly the number of Mongolian students coming here has grown. The number has doubled in just the last year or two alone,” Onon said. “We’re hoping that more will come, and as president of the Mongolian Alumni Club, I’m just trying to ensure that everyone is keeping in touch to be a good resource for the new students, including those who are still trying to come to the university.”

For Onon, one of the biggest goals for the Mongolian Alumni Club has been to just be a resource for the Mongolian students who are on campus as well as the families of those who are considering coming here.  One example she gave was of a call she received from a parent of a student who would be coming to the University of Utah from Mongolia. He found her through LinkedIn and asked to meet with her and go over the benefits and ease the transition for the student to study here. She was able to talk him through everything making the student’s transition to international study significantly easier, while easing their parents’ concerns at the same time.

“Mongolia has a really good relationship with the University of Utah through the mining program thanks to the Kennecott copper mines, so they send a lot of students here. So as an alumni club, we’re trying to be the first contact for upcoming students. We want to be a good resource and keep the connections moving,” Onon said. “With most of our alumni and board members not here in the state it has been kind of difficult to organize something with them, so what we’re trying to do moving forward is to arrange meetings with all of the Mongolian students here along with any others who would like to join the club.”

Onon said that when she was initially contacted by the international office who told here about the additional Mongolian alumni who had graduated from the University of Utah she was completely surprised, as she had only ever known one other Mongolian student during her time as a student.

“I was really surprised, and personally I would love to get to know these people,” Onon said. “I think for me, something like this would have really helped me if I had known about it while I was still a student so I could have reached out to them, asked for any helpful experience or stories if I needed help with anything. So I think just having a club like this is going to help invite more students to come to the University of Utah where they can get a good degree at a good school and help each other out.”

Ideally, looking towards the future, Onon said she would love to be able to bring some of the other Mongolian alumni back to the university to meet with them and have them engage with the current Mongolian students, but for now, she’s happy to just provide a stable resource for those students as they pursue their studies.

For more information about the Mongolia Alumni Club:
International Alumni