https://www.stetson.edu/today/2020/11/two-stetson-professors-receive-second-fulbright-awards/
NAFSA Region VII Annual Conference – Orlando, 2019: A Reflection
When the world is asked to stay home and socially distance from others, it is easy to yearn for a simpler time when we didn’t stare at the same four walls day in and day out. But, as we creep into another month of social distancing, mask wearing, extensive hand sanitizer, and increasing cases, we reflect back on the good times. Those times when we could celebrate, interact, network, share a laugh and a meal with others outside of our house. Today, I reflect back on the NAFSA Region VII Conference held last November at the Hilton Orlando, Lake Buena Vista.
NAFSA: Association of International Educators is the world’s largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and is comprised of eleven regions throughout the United States that offer conferences each year. The Region VII conference brings together international education professionals from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This conference was especially impactful for me as I had the honor of representing our home town of Orlando/Central Florida as the Local Arrangements Chair.
My role in the Leadership Team started back in November 2018 on the last day of the regional conference held in Memphis. We met as a team and discussed what worked and improvements we could implement during the Orlando conference. March 2019, the entire team joined together again, but this time in Orlando at the host hotel. Over the span of three days we strategized on workshops, layouts, sponsorships, exhibitors, plenary speakers, and more for the 2019 Orlando conference.
My team worked diligently to select a phenomenal plenary speaker that would highlight Orlando perfectly. We selected the Orlando Fringe to showcase how the longest-running Fringe Festival in the United States can bring over 75,000 people to a 14-day theater and arts festival each year. The festival prides itself on bringing together artists from all over the world for a truly inclusive, accessible, and uncensored cultural event.
Conference attendees were not only treated to a lively speech from the executive director on the history of the Fringe and their message of equity and inclusion, but also performances from two remarkable artists. Lindsay Taylor presented a monologue from the theater production, The Lightweight and Tymisha Harris brought down the house to roars and a standing ovation after performing two incredible songs from her one-woman burlesque cabaret, Josephine. The regional leadership team said that it was the first time a majority of conference attendees stayed until the very end of the plenary event instead of heading to the session rooms early. Walking the halls of the conference hotel, you could hear people buzzing about how fantastic the plenary event and that the performances gave them goosebumps.
The biggest decision during the March planning meeting was where would we host the All-Conference Event. It is the main networking event of the conference and a time for the host city to really shine. The previous year it was held in a blues café in Memphis and included a full meal, drinks, and three levels of different live entertainment including an incredible Blues singer. Orlando needed to top that in a big way for no other reason than to showcase our Orlando pride! The decision was an easy one to make. By unanimous decision, they agreed to my proposal of busing the entire conference attendees to Disney’s Epcot for an unforgettable evening of drinks, desserts, and most importantly, fireworks. The bonus, and what probably sealed the deal for everyone, Disney would allow our guests 2 additional hours in the theme park after the fireworks to eat, shop, and enjoy all the attractions. How could we refuse?
Thanks to my fantastic Local Arrangements team, we successfully bussed 550 conference attendees to the backstage area of Epcot before being escorted to our private event area at the World Showcase. Our attendees were so excited to see a little of the backstage Disney magic and to be treated to a prime location to party, network, and watch the new firework show.
Attendees loved the opportunity to explore the theme park after hours and ride the attractions with little to no lines (unthinkable at Disney World). Throughout the night and the next morning, the conference was abuzz sharing stories of the remarkable night they had at Epcot. Many said it was a night they will never forget and cannot believe that any future conference could ever top this experience. Attendees from other NAFSA Regions as well as staff from the NAFSA National organization said it was by far one of these best conferences they have ever attended. I am so bless to have been a part of such a remarkable event and grateful for the hardworking team that supported all our events.
On top of organizing all the local events for the conference, I also had the honor of presenting two conference sessions with fantastic colleagues from the region. I partnered with Kim Priebe, Director of NC State Study Abroad, on the session Engaging Faculty through International Faculty Development Programming. The session room was at capacity with conference attendees as we discussed the various professional development opportunities our schools offer for faculty to encourage international programming and intercultural competency.
The second session, Retaining International Students through Student Programming and Events, was a lively discussion with Charlotte Bingham (Florida Gulf Coast University) and Maria Elena Gaborov Jones (UNC Wilmington) as co-presenters. We focused the presentation on the various robust initiatives and best practices our three institutions implement that aid in the retention and engagement of our international student populations. Both sessions were very well attended as well as received incredible feedback from conference session evaluations.
As that conference is well in the books, and the 2020 Region VII conference kicks off this week virtually, I reflect back on our All-Conference event and the closing line of the Epcot Forever firework display. It is as relevant today as much as it was a year ago: “May peace go with you forever and ever as you celebrate the future hand in hand.”
Placing Care at the Center of Internationalization
The transition between spring, summer, and fall 2020 semesters drew on the unshakable resilience of our international students and deep care by Stetson. The chronology below offers evidence to this end and showcases obstacles and wins experienced by students in order to successfully rejoin Stetson this fall.
March 2020
With the declared need to place health first, students were encouraged to leave campus. Our international population response was different to domestic students. For many, leaving campus to travel outside of the U.S. created fear of not being able to return to complete their studies. Students who could or desired to go left rapidly, but this represented only 21% of the population. Most students stayed on campus while others left to reside off-campus with friends and family.
April 2020
International students overwhelmingly communicated feeling safest at Stetson housing until the end of the term. This was especially true for our graduating seniors, many of whom were applying to participate in Optional Practical Training (OPT), a post-baccalaureate employment training program. Our student-athletes were also interested in completing the season in the event that they could play. Some students were concerned about the impact leaving might have on scholarships and academic progress. A smaller group wanted to simply prolong their time away from home. Several students had to stay because of airports closures worldwide. By the end of April, a growing number of students began requesting financial help for accommodations to reside in the U.S. during the summer or assistance with departure from the U.S. Unfortunately, the federal CARES Act had no provisions for international students.
May/June 2020
U.S. immigration laws prohibit the employment of international students. Without financial recourse, homelessness was certain. Recognizing the dire need, staff at WORLD: Rinker Center for International Learning initiated a collaboration with offices across the Deland campus to seek summer funding to support international students affected by the pandemic. For example, Financial Aid, Development and Alumni Engagement, and Grants, Sponsored Research and Strategic Initiatives worked aggressively with WORLD to offer students $250 mini grants from the Stetson Student Support Foundation to offset the cost of first week of food and housing. Friends of Stetson also stepped up to offer just-in-time financial help.
96.2% students return fall 2020 180 total enrolled
Then, a significant win arrived in the form of a $35,000 grant from the Jessie Ball duPont Foundation to assist 19 students with housing, food, toiletries, and travel.
By the end of summer, almost $50,000 raised in grants and donations for 2020 summer housing & meal support. As a result, students from Armenia, Bulgaria, Egypt, Kenya, Latvia, Mexico, Pakistan, Taiwan, and Uganda were supported. And, no international student at Stetson fell out of federal compliance for a pandemic-related reason.
Students communicated deep gratitude for the care they experienced. An International Student Emergency Endowment Fund was created to aid students with emergencies. The fund is in need of additional resources to reach the $25,000 minimum required for endowment status.
July 2020
On July 6, federal regulation changes threw the entire international learning community into upheaval. The ICE guidelines required international students to leave the country if universities offered required courses online. In addition, enrolled students were required to be physically present in the U.S. to complete studies online and maintain international student status. Our students indicated being afraid, angry, confused, uncertain, depressed, losing hope, and downright frantic over the possible loss of traction in continuing their studies. Frequent communication from Stetson to students and parents via webinars, emails and WhatsApp messaging became an imperative, as was translating how the ICE guidelines would impact each unique situation. Fortunately, the guidelines were overturned and returned to previous status quo.
August 2020
Students began arriving on campus early to complete the required 14-day quarantine. Several had to quarantine in another country before arriving at Stetson. Their willingness to self-isolate for as many as 28 days indicates students’ grit and a strong sense of connectedness and belonging to Stetson.
Today, our international students are thriving and taking courses while residing on-campus, off-campus, and abroad (above). In sum, students’ resilience and Stetson’s community of care created brighter futures and a powerful win for our students.