The David and Leighan Rinker Center for International Learning
International students stopped by WORLD on October 26 to sharpen their pumpkin-carving skills. See below for some of the creative faces. If you have any additional photos we can add, please send them to Liz Lew [email protected]
WORLD is excited to host our upcoming Lessons from Abroad Conference on Friday, March 31, 2023 from 11am-3pm in Brown Hall. During this inaugural conference, study abroad and international students will reflect on the impact of learning abroad and global citizenship experiences through engagement with new cultures. Students will present their reflections and invite discussion. We welcome you to join us!
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.
Updated Federal Regulations for International Students with F1 Visas
Hello International Students,
We are so impressed with the high levels of maturity you are all applying as you navigate the barriers to international education which are in place due to the pandemic. We are happy that we are able to support you and will continue to provide the most accurate information that we can.
On July 6, 2020, the U.S. Federal Government issued new regulations that pertain to international students’ access to classes during Fall 2020 term. This new guidance supersedes all other regulations for the Fall 2020 term only as it is currently set to expire in December 2020. The guidelines were counter to expectation and have created major upset within the international learning community. We are currently organizing by signing petitions to the White House, talking with government officials through our professional organizations, and advocating for change with our local SEVP and state representatives. It is possible that some of the guidance will be updated in the coming days and weeks based on the pushback the government is receiving from international educators, students, and the higher education field at large; however, we cannot rely on a change in policy.
The new guidelines state that every international student who wishes to cross borders into the United States will need to show an I-20 form certifying that Stetson University is offering face-to-face classes and that you are properly enrolled in 12 credits or more. Please ensure that you are registered for at least 12 credits by July 15, 2020. Thereafter, we will add the required registration note to each individual I-20. This may require that we post the document to you via regular mail. To ensure that we have your correct information, please submit at this link by July 15, 2020.
The federal guidelines offer three possible scenarios for course delivery, each of which will impact you differently.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve in the state of Florida, Stetson University’s administration is updating its decision-making to ensure your health and safety. At this time WORLD highly recommends you make plans for returning to Stetson in time to quarantine for fourteen days before classes start on August 13, 2020.
Students currently participating in OPT or awaiting OPT approval will not be impacted by these changes.
If you have specific questions, please reach out to Roxanne at [email protected] for assistance. Please know we that we appreciate you and we look forward to our continued partnership in helping you complete a U.S. education.
Thank you,
Roxanne Lewis
International Student and Scholar Services Coordinator
Paula Hentz
Director of International Learning
WORLD: The David and Leighan Rinker Center for International Learning
WORLD is fortunate to give the spotlight to another hardworking and ambitious alumnus from Stetson. This time WORLD is featuring Anirudh Bhatnagar – a Stetson alumnus from India who graduated from the university in Spring 2018 with a degree of BSc Physics. After graduation, Anirudh was accepted to the University of Copenhagen to complete his master’s degree with the major of Quantum Physics. His expected graduation date from the University of Copenhagen is Spring 2023.
Anirudh talked to us about his time at Stetson – his favorite moments, the challenges he faced, and advice he could give to the current international Hatters. His favorite thing at Stetson was the close-knit and diverse community in which he was able to meet people from different backgrounds and with different passions. He met his best friends at Stetson, who he has stayed in touch with even after his graduation.
Anirudh’s advice to the current international students is to not fear making mistakes. He says “It is only natural to slip up and mess up at times…”
Anirudh Bhatnagar
Although Anirudh recalls his time in the U.S. and Stetson as one of his favorite periods, it did not pass without difficulties. The biggest challenge for him as an international Hatter was constantly dealing with accidental mess-ups. He says that every year, something had gone wrong. However, the WORLD office and Roxanne Lewis were always supportive of him and managed to help him fix whatever came up. With this being said, Anirudh’s advice to the current international students is to not fear making mistakes. He says that it is only natural to slip up and mess up at times because studying abroad and adapting to a new culture and ways of living is a challenging process.
Anirudh is currently in India, getting ready for his departure to Denmark in a few months to start his master’s degree. He told us about his employment experiences after graduation. He worked at two jobs – one in the U.S. and the other in his home country India. His first job upon graduation was at an Aerospace company called Satcom Direct as a technical analyst in Florida. Returning to his home country where he had not been for almost a decade, Anirudh started working at the Indian Institute of Technology as a Research Associate. In this position, he worked on developing theories on various projects. He is grateful for both of these experiences as they had helped him improve himself and solidify his topic of interest for his further studies as a graduate student.
Anirudh recalls his time at Stetson with much gratitude and believes that becoming a Hatter was one of the best decisions he had ever made.
Written by Ani Martikyan and Anirudh Bhatnagar
—International Tax session April 6, 2020 2:30 PM EST. Use the link below to sign up by noon April 3rd to be included in a chat during which Albert Aguirre and Roxanne Lewis will be available to talk you through the process of filing your taxes for 2019. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5GJf7i_mhsPmR7nU-PRlPq3q4QfIFDEurC7fvdN6-rGZwag/viewform
Other University Events
–March 23, 2020 from Travis Potter of Stetson’s Wellness and Recreation office [email protected]. Contact him to express interest in joining. “It goes without saying that we are not scheduling any intramural games for the remainder of the semester, but what if we can explore an alternative for your fun and entertainment. The first step is to gauge your initial interest and hopefully there are some commonalities among everyone. I have brainstormed the following activities:
Madden Tournament (PS4; Xbox)Call of Duty Warzone (top finishes; Xbox, PS4, Computer)
8 Ball Pool Competitions (App on Google Play)
FIFA 2020 Tournament (PS4; Xbox)
Rocket League CompetitionNBA 2K (PS4 & Xbox)
Interested? Let me know, I’m starting new tournaments each Monday between now and the end of April. “
–Looking to get involved in Stetson leadership opportunities? Connect with ULEAD www.stetson.edu/ulead