International students to lose scholarships

The International Student Council will lose its scholarship fund next year, and there will be no scholarships dedicated to international students at Utah State University.

When the Presidential Discretionary Fund disappeared one year ago, most groups — including USUSA, Aggie Radio, and some Access and Diversity clubs — were able to find alternative means to support themselves.

“There were a lot of groups,” said Casey Saxton, then the student advocate vice president for USUSA. “The different groups that had been using that funding got a letter last year saying, ‘This funding is not secured and could go away in the future, so look for alternative ways to fund your programs.'”

Saxton worked with Organizations and Diversity Vice President Geoff Andrews to fund ISC scholarships for as long as possible. They were able to guarantee them one year of funding thanks to Student Affairs Vice President James Morales.

“To them, these scholarships were taken away. It’s not seen as ‘this funding is gone.’ They didn’t even consider that these are the only international student scholarships,” said Rob Llewellyn, the adviser for international students and ISC. “It’s kind of moving campus in the wrong direction as far as diversity and globalization.”

The eight scholarships for ISC, a group of students elected by international students, are the only scholarships available exclusively to international students.

“I ask, ‘How does Utah State value diversity?’ At least for my time here, I’ve felt like diversity and international culture have never been a priority,” said Yuzhen Luo, the ISC president and an international student from China. “They’ve put it on the website, and it looks really nice with the wording, but really action-wise and funding-wise I have yet to see an improvement made.”

International students pay 341 percent more than Utah residents in tuition at Utah State — $9,586.16 is only slightly higher than the average tuition for state residents at U.S. public colleges, and the university expects international students to be able to fund their education.

When international students apply to Utah State, they must provide a sufficient finances statement to prove they can afford tuition at USU.

“They say, ‘Oh, you’ve shown us that you have enough money to get you through school, so money shouldn’t be a problem,” Luo said. “So I think we might be overlooked in that way.”

Usually about 30 people run for ISC positions, but this year only nine people are running for the eight positions on the council.

“The motivation is mostly intrinsic. Your doing it perhaps for yourself, perhaps your culture, perhaps something greater. Financial aid is definitely one of the factors that motivates people,” Luo said. “The scholarships definitely had an impact on the number of candidates this year.”

The scholarship is about $1,000 per semester per councilman and slightly more for the president and vice president — it equates to $25,000 total for scholarships. This year’s ISC is fundraising at the International Banquet on March 18. All proceeds, which Llewellyn said will be small, will pay for scholarships next year.

Llewellyn said there are pros and cons to not having the full scholarships for ISC.

“All or most of these people aren’t in it for the scholarship. They’re in it because they want to advocate for international students. The con, though, is — I believe, as their adviser — that these positions do so much work that it’s deserving of scholarships.”

In addition to planning and marketing events for more than a dozen international student associations, ISC oversees the budget for the groups. They also support all facets of international student culture at USU, which includes attending events. Depending on the week, they could clock anywhere from five to 30 hours a week each.

Luo believes unless the university funds scholarships, ISC will slowly cease to exist.

“If no one sits on international council, the office is going to be empty. And that’s not going to look good, and it’s not going to be an accurate representation of international culture,” Luo said. “If it continues like this and scholarships become a challenge, no one is going to want to put in the time.”

In general, international students feel a disconnect with student government, Luo said. Their priorities don’t always align, and so international students don’t feel advocated for.

— brennakelly818@gmail.com
@bckelly8