Student Union
Dear Student Union Community...
When we launched the Student Union almost exactly three years ago, we didn't really know what we were doing. Or, more accurately, I had no idea what I was doing. All I knew was that it should be a place for international students to share their stories - stories to help other students who were going through the same things and to inform prospective students who were just starting to pursue their dreams.
I think the only guidance I gave writers at the beginning was: "Make it more profound than your diary and more personal than an advising service."
Not exactly the most refined concept. But boy, have you guys run with it.
You've shared stories about unexpected and fascinating cultural differences - like seeing a left-handed professor for the first time, or the way Americans complain about every perceived inequality - and the tension between embracing these differences and retaining your own identity.
You've given firsthand perspectives on some very real concerns - like whether Muslims are discriminated against, whether Americans actually like international students, or how high the extra costs of studying in the U.S. can actually get - and told inspiring stories of persevering through adversity.
You've shown how you've succeeded and how you've failed - both in and out of the classroom - so others can learn from your efforts.
I hope that in return we've been able to give you an honest account of the positives and negatives of studying in the U.S., to help you formulate advice that's right for you and your unique path, and to impart to you that success in life is about your own drive and resilience and not about achieving any specific goal (not even if that goal is studying at a U.S. university).
And I hope we've been able to have some fun together. I'm pretty sure we've at least succeeded at that one.
I feel profoundly lucky to have met so many amazing students from all over the world through my role as editor of this site. You have all inspired me and taught me and pushed me to do better, and I cannot thank you enough for that.
So it is with some separation anxiety, but also a lot of excitement about the future (both for myself and for the site), that I am turning the Student Union over to a new editor, Doug Bernard.
Doug is a talented journalist and a great guy, and I can't think of better hands to put the Student Union into. I can't wait to see where he - together with you - takes the site in the future. (Seriously, check out how cool he is!)
Anyone who's written for me over the past three years knows, and has probably come to dread, my rules for giving advice. "Don't write 'you should' and tell people what to do," I remind writers all the time. "Write 'I did' and let your readers learn from your experience." So I'm not going to leave you with any profound advice, but just share one last thing that I've learned from this experience.
It is this: People want to help you. Every EducationUSA adviser, every professor, every university official, every student, every alumnus I've met has been genuine in their eagerness to guide others. Most people are. Don't be afraid to reach out to those in a position to advise you, direct you, and help you when you need it.
But remember, when you do ask for someone's time or assistance, it's your responsibility to show that you're deserving of it - that you're making an effort to help yourself. Do your own research first using all the resources available (and there are many - our weekly events list and resources page can direct you to some of them) so you come in armed with knowledge and ready to ask the important questions.
Few people are braver and more tenacious than an international student. You kind of have to be to decide you want to move to a new country with a new culture and language, no less to actually do it and thrive there. So be brave in reaching out to those who can help you, and be tenacious in taking advantage of everything that's already out there to help you help yourself.
... Okay, maybe I lied. That edged into "you should" territory, didn't it? Oh well. In that case, I'll break my own rules completely and end with one final "you should."
You should: Apply to write for the Student Union during the 2013-2014 school year! Send resumes and writing samples to Doug if you're studying in the States and interested in being a regular contributor. (Of course, you're always welcome to share your stories, even if you're not on our staff.)
Thanks again for an amazing three years, and I can't wait to see this community grow and flourish with more stories, more experiences and more advice ("I did" advice, of course) in the years to come.
Your grateful and humbled former editor,
Jessica
See all News Updates of the Day
- By VOA News
Studying STEM? International students have funding options
US News & World Report takes a look at funding options for international students pursuing STEM degrees in the U.S.
The article explains the different kinds of scholarships and grants and offers tips on getting part-time jobs and private student loans. Read the full story here. (March 2024)
- By Robin Guess
US campuses are battlegrounds in free speech debate
This week the University of Southern California canceled the graduation speech of its senior class valedictorian at a time when there is a growing debate over the limits of free speech on American college campuses.
USC’s Asna Tabassum, a Muslim biomedical engineer major, was selected from among 100 outstanding students to address the graduating class of 2024 this May. However, the school withdrew the invitation for her to speak at the graduation ceremony citing safety concerns.
Tabassum denounced the decision, which she attributed to her public support for Palestinian human rights. She said it is part of “a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice.”
The school maintains it is a safety issue, not about free speech. School officials say they received an alarming number of violent threats after selecting her as speaker.
USC is one of many American universities that have struggled with policies over free speech and campus protest since October’s Hamas terrorist attack on Israel and the continuing fighting in Gaza. After weeks or months of on-campus protests and rallies, schools have been taking more forceful action to punish protesters who administrators say have become disruptive.
On Thursday at Columbia University in New York, police arrested more than 100 students who had gathered on campus for pro-Palestinian protests. The school’s dean wrote that the protesters had been told several times that they were violating university policies and would be suspended. The students say they were exercising their free speech rights.
At Washington’s American University, protests in all campus buildings have been banned by the school’s president since January. Under the new policy, students may not hold rallies, engage in silent protests or place posters in any campus building.
Protests and safety
University students have a long history of engaging in political activism. From the Vietnam War to abortion rights, universities have played a key role in American political debates.
However, students now say that schools like AU with a long-standing protest culture are silencing protesters with new rules.
Arusa Islam, American University student body president-elect and current vice president, says the policies are preventing an open discussion about U.S. foreign policy.
“Indoor protesting was never a problem, it was never an issue before October 7th,” Islam said. “Students were allowed to put up posters in buildings and students were allowed to have a silent protest.”
“And now we don’t have that right anymore,” she added. “We have been silenced and it is affecting us greatly.”
American University’s president, Sylvia Burwell, says the school’s new policies are intended to ensure that protests do not disrupt university activity.
Burwell also referred to recent events on campus that “made Jewish students feel unsafe and unwelcome.” She added, antisemitism is abhorrent, wrong, and will not be tolerated at American University.
While administrators insist that they are making narrow restrictions in the interests of providing an education, critics say the policies have a far-reaching effect.
At Cornell University, where new rules took effect in January, Claire Ting, the executive vice president of the Cornell Student Assembly, said the policies have had an unsettling effect on campus.
“The campus climate at Cornell has been tense surrounding free speech in recent times,” Ting emailed VOA.
Ting said that both students and faculty feel the policy has had chilling effects on free expression.
“Students report facing arbitrary, escalating punishment for violating the policy, with the policy itself lacking clear outlines for the consequences of civil disobedience,” she added.
In its new policy Cornell warns students that disciplinary action may be taken if protests impede people or traffic, damage school property or interfere with the school’s operations in any way.
In its campus-wide notice explaining the new guidelines, the school wrote that the new policy would ensure that expressive activity is allowed but must remain nonviolent.
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, also known as FIRE, has tracked free speech issues on American campuses.
FIRE and College Pulse have produced an annual survey, since 2022, ranking colleges based on their policies and what students say about the free speech climate on campus.
This year the group reported that “alarming” numbers of students say they self-censor or “find their administrations unclear” on free speech issues.
“College campuses have always been places where students have been unafraid to express themselves and with the recent Gaza conflict after the 10/7 attacks, it’s been very heated on both sides of this issue,” said Zach Greenberg, the senior program officer of FIRE.
Harvard ranked last in this year’s survey. FIRE said the school punished some professors and researchers over what they had said or written, and students reported a poor climate for free speech on campus.
The controversy came to Congress late last year, when Harvard’s president testified over complaints of widespread antisemitism.
“I don’t think you’d find many students on campus right now that would say we are the model for flourishing free speech and ideas exchange in the country,” said J. Sellers Hill, president of Harvard’s school newspaper The Harvard Crimson.
“But I think you’ve really seen that be acknowledged by administrators and it seems to be something they are dedicated to taking on.”
As the head of The Harvard Crimson, Hill manages the paper’s 350 editors and 90 reporters, who’ve covered, in detail, the ongoing free speech/protests controversy and the resignation of former President Claudine Gay following her testimony to Congress.
“I think no one would dispute Harvard has work to do and progress to make,” Hill said. “I think it’s a tough sell, for me, that Harvard is uniquely in its own league in terms of intolerance of speech. That doesn’t square with what I have seen on our college campus or on other college campuses around the country. I think Harvard is held to a higher standard.”
Proposed settlement offered over financial aid allegations
A group of U.S. colleges and universities have agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging deceptive financial aid tactics, according to a report published in The Hill.
The schools would pay $284 million to plaintiffs who were enrolled full-time and received financial aid between 2003 and 2024.
The schools have denied the allegations. (April 2024)
Universities in Middle East building research relationships with China
As China bolsters research relationships with universities in the Middle East, the United States has taken notice – especially when that research involves artificial intelligence.
Reporting for University World News, Yojana Sharma has the story. (March 2024)
Tips for staying safe while studying in the US
Recent news events have raised safety concerns among some international students studying in the United States.
Adarsh Khandelwal, writing in the India Times, has tips for staying safe from the moment you arrive until the day you complete your studies. (March 2024)
