Qualified Students Denied Study Abroad Opportunity
Outrage fueled students and faculty across St. Lawrence University’s campus as 36 qualified applicants were turned away from participating in Spring 2019 abroad programs. This led to the administration reevaluating the budget and allocating more funds.
Following the release of study abroad program decisions by the Patti McGill Peterson Center for International and Intercultural Studies (CIIS) Office on Wednesday, Oct. 3, professors across campus advocated for qualified students who were waitlisted. Steven White, professor of Modern Languages, was among those who were pressuring the university to provide additional funding.
In total, the CIIS office received 235 applications for Spring 2019. It originally accepted 177 students and waitlisted 36 qualified applicants, according to Hanson professor and associate dean of International and Intercultural Studies Marina Llorente. Through a meeting of nine faculty members, three students, all members of the CIIS selection committee, Vice President for Finance and Administration Stephen Hietsch, Vice President of the University and Dean of Academic Affairs Karl Schonberg and Llorente, the University was able to approve more funds to increase the number of accepted students from 177 to 189. According to Llorente, there are juniors currently on the waitlist for abroad participation, and CIIS hopes to get them into one of its programs as well.
White said that he and his colleagues “fought like hell to have the policy looked at” in order to successfully send abroad as many students as possible. The number of students interested in studying abroad during Spring 2019 was notably higher than in previous academic terms. 142 are abroad during the Fall 2018 term and 182 went during Spring 2018. This may be due to the Association of International Educators (NAFSA) awarding St. Lawrence with the 2018 Sen. Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization last spring. According to the CIIS website this award “distinguishes excellence in integrating international education throughout all facets of university.”
This award is given out to recognize universities offering excellent opportunities and programs to students in regard to their international education. According to White, SLU was ranked alongside large schools with extensive international studies departments. “There’s nobody like us on that list,” he stated. “It’s absolutely awesome SLU would win this award.”
White, like so many others across campus, was befuddled when admittance committees for programs met to discuss student applications and were told that they needed to accept fewer students than in previous years due to budget issues, especially after SLU was given such a prestigious award. “I’ve asked for a clear explanation about the finances behind that decision,” White stated. “What is it about sending our own students on our own programs that is so costly?”
SLU prides itself on its study abroad programs, and actively markets the University to potential students as an institution that sends hundreds of students abroad each semester.
Llorente said that CIIS strives to give the opportunity to “as many students as possible” to experience off-programs who have not yet been abroad, especially those who are juniors and seniors. “I think it’s important for students to have the opportunity to go to the program that they choose,” Llorente said. “We have a big junior class next year and we hope to send abroad as many qualified students as possible.”