There is no doubt international students make up an important part of our campus population. Adding diverse perspectives to the University of Idaho, our campus relies heavily on international students.
Recently, there has been a decline in student enrollment, specifically within the international student population.
In 2015, UI had a steady population of 766 international students from 79 countries. A more recent report in 2019 stated that UI had a reduced population of 652 international students from 70 countries according to UI’s FallCensus Overview.
Due to immigration policies, such as the various travel bans enacted by President Trump international students are enrolling not only outside of Idaho but the United States as a whole. The bipartisan atmosphere that politics has inherited has led to an intense separation of views – creating a more hostile environment.
The university does a good job at creating a safe space for all students, but politics isn’t the only challenge international students have to face. Students face all sorts of stress from being able to receive an education, finances and judgments from being a non-US citizen. Not all students are guaranteed a work visa which makes finding a job hard. Most jobs require citizenship, a work visa or green card. Financing essentials, such as food and living costs, can become tricky to those who do not fit job requirements. It isn’t hard to see why students are deciding to pursue education elsewhere. We may not be able to change the inner workings of the administration, but we can change how we perceive and treat others.
As a community, we can make students feel accepted and welcome as they navigate their new environment. We should be concerned about these numbers going down, and we should ask for change but the work shouldn’t stop there.
– Editorial Board