Settling into university life isn’t easy for anyone. As a Polish international student, Zofia Lacka has also been adjusting to the United States as a whole.
If the stress of Accounting 310 exams and applying to the BYU advertising program wasn’t enough, she, like many international students, has been worried about recent volatility around student visas.
Indeed, recent U.S. policies surrounding immigration and visa restrictions are making some non-citizen cougars uncertain about how to move forward. Some, like Lacka, are even unsure whether or not they should return home to see family over the summer.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, President Trump recently placed visa restrictions on more than ten countries including Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia, Iran and more.
Per whitehouse.gov, reasonings for the bans include state-sponsored terrorism, improper screenings, high overstay rates and more. Exceptions are reportedly being made for current visa holders and others.
President Trump is also seeking to place a block on entry of foreign students enrolled at Harvard University. The proclamation is currently blocked in court.
Staff at BYU International Student and Scholar Services declined to comment on the situation, stating simply that there wasn’t sufficient information to give details on the matter.
Students reportedly received an email from BYU several weeks ago which explained that, while the university can’t guarantee visa protection, they will do everything possible to assist students with their documentation, and other requirements.
“I’m grateful to be here, but if the policy doesn’t let me be here, then that’s okay,” Lacka said. “It’s not fair, but I’m not in a position of power.“
Another student named Diego Bohorquez used to be in Lacka's position before getting married.
He came to BYU to pursue his dreams of being a filmmaker and animator, dreams that can’t be realized in his native Peru.
Bohorquez is grateful for the opportunities that studying in the U.S. has afforded him, but he is concerned about how new policies could cast a negative light on the country's identity as a “land of opportunity.”
“I think the U.S. is a great country,” Bohorquez said. “But things like that make people not want to invest … it scares them.”
He conceded that there have been instances of international students disrespecting their visa privileges, but stated he doesn't think such individuals are representative of the whole.
"Mainly, people really come here to study,” Bohorquez said.
Beryl Peña, a current international student, also spoke to the exclusive opportunities studying in the U.S. has afforded her. Born and raised in a Filipino family in Saudi Arabia, she hopes to enroll in law school after graduating from BYU.
“I’m really glad that I have studied here in the U.S. because I feel like I’m offered a different perspective and a different education than what I’m used to,” Peña said. “I feel like it makes me a more well-rounded person.”
Despite having been at BYU for four years, Peña fears that her status could be revoked at any time and for any reason.
“You never know when they’re going to stop, you never know who’s next on that totem pole … It’s terrifying to know that you could be next.”
Not only does having a strong international study program benefit foreign students, it is an essential part of BYU’s identity for all students and faculty; the university's slogan being "the world is our campus."
“If we’re really going to take our charge seriously to think about education in a gospel context … we do ourselves a great disservice if we limit ourselves to only interacting with people who are like us,” Spencer Scoville, a BYU professor of Asian and Near Eastern Languages, said.
As a former international student in Russia and Syria, Scoville recognizes how his life was forever changed by immersion to new cultures and ways of thought.
It’s highly common for students of different nationalities to interact in the classroom, clubs, YSA wards and everywhere else on campus. Furthermore, international students play an important role in enhancing others’ education.
BYU is renowned for its top-tier Arabic program, and it’s due in large part to the Middle Eastern students who work with learners in real time to build language skills and cultural connections.
Scoville said the program “couldn’t function without those international students.”
Individual students’ capacity to change the issue may be limited, but Lacka advises students to be proactive in staying up to date and doing what they can to stay within legal status.
“Focus on what you have influence over,” she said. “Try to prove that you’re an asset to American education and the American economy.”
At this time, it’s unclear how student visa regulations will continue to unfold.