With a $250,000 donation and support from alumni, Macalester College will offer housing and meal plans to international students between semesters as federal changes leave many concerned about their ability to return to the U.S. if they leave for the summer.
In an email to alumni requesting donations on Tuesday, Macalester College President Suzanne Rivera, said that the school has started a fund to provide free room and board for international students that can support 65 students as of Tuesday. As of fall last year, Macalester enrolled 321 international students from 85 countries and 2,138 total students.
President Suzanne Rivera (Macalester College)
“Throughout the semester, we’ve been in touch with our international students to protect their safety and support their well-being in light of the rapidly changing visa landscape,” Rivera wrote. “Many of them are scared, and we’re worried that our visa holders may not be able to get back into the United States to continue their education if they go home for the summer. For this reason, we’ve pledged to offer housing and meal plans for international students who need a safe place to stay between semesters.”
Rivera urged alumni to contribute to the fund, with a goal of raising an additional $250,000 by the end of the month to help Macalester provide housing and food, as well as stipends so students can take unpaid internships. Most are not authorized to work in the U.S., she wrote, and college officials plan to provide $6,250 stipends to at least 12 students.
She also encouraged alumni with local organizations that can provide students with internships or volunteer opportunities to connect with the school or for alumni to spend time with international students, such as taking them to sporting events or hosting them for a meal.
“Contact your elected officials and tell them how you feel about threats to students, and attacks on academic freedom and autonomy at American colleges and universities,” Rivera also wrote.
Monitoring policy changes
At least 1,220 international students in the U.S. have had their visas revoked or legal status terminated since late March, according to the Associated Press, with some colleges cautioning international students against travel abroad.
In addition to creating the fund, Macalester officials are monitoring federal policy changes, working with those affected by them and engaging with national associations and coalitions, Rivera wrote in the email to alumni.
Macalester College has joined the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration and other organizations on an amicus brief in AAUP v. Rubio and in April, Rivera signed a statement opposing “undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses,” according to the statement, along with other college leaders.
“I want to be very clear: at Macalester, we remain committed to the principle of academic freedom, the rights of free speech and assembly, and the importance of respecting different perspectives, points of view, identities, and experiences,” Rivera wrote.
Macalester leadership initially went to the college’s trustees for contributions before turning to its alumni network, Rivera said Thursday.
Students also stayed during pandemic
It’s not the first time the college has had to look into summer housing and resources for international students, Rivera said. When Rivera first began at Macalester in 2020, international students also stayed on campus over the summer during the pandemic when international travel was restricted.
“But that summer, there were federal relief funds that the college was able to access in order to meet the financial demands of that unbudgeted expense,” she said. “But right now, in this moment, there is no federal source of funds to support these students, and that’s why we’re looking to philanthropy to help support the unbudgeted expense of giving our international students a safe place to stay over the summer.”
Macalester has a history of commitment to global citizenship and internationalism and the response from alumni has been gratifying, she said.
“But I can tell you that we’ve been really encouraged by how many people have signaled to us that they felt this was the right thing to do and consistent with our mission and values,” Rivera said. “… And we take really seriously our obligation to support them and take good care of them while they’re here. And none of us anticipated at the start of the school year that we would be facing these particular challenges with regard to international students and their visa status.”
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