Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing, Michigan, hosts numerous international students and visiting scholars each academic year. International students from more than 130 countries compose approximately 10 percent of MSU's student population. More than 5,050 international students and scholars attended MSU in fall 2009, and more than 1,000 of them lived in on-campus residence halls and apartments. Emergency response and pandemic planning concerns on campus several years ago pushed MSU to prepare for a potential need to close residence halls. This topic prompted academic planners to consider the housing and support needs of international students.
"If we closed the residence halls and [U.S.] students went home, what would happen with the international students?" asked Peter Briggs, Director of MSU's Office for International Students & Scholars (ISS), concluding that "many options weren't right in terms of the ethics of the situation." His office estimated that 150 international students would have nowhere to go if residence halls were closed. Given that residence halls would be closed for an unpredictable period of time, international students could encounter disruptions in coursework, finances and even visa status if they were to return to their home countries.
Apartments were deemed a better option than residence halls in terms of preventing contagion, according to Beth Alexander, MD, University Physician and Public Health Liaison. Although apartments are generally occupied by families and graduate students, ISS set aside 50 units in the on-campus Spartan Village apartment building for international students who had nowhere else to go during an emergency. ISS also became involved in planning for emergency housing within the larger East Lansing community.
ISS worked closely with international students and the many on-campus international student clubs to develop a reasonable emergency housing plan. MSU has a strong network of 38 international student groups that provides an on-campus community for students from a variety of nations and ethnic backgrounds. ISS also consulted heavily with the MSU International Student Association, whose membership includes more than 4,000 international students.
The largest numbers of international students come to MSU from China, Korea, India, Taiwan, and Canada. When international students arrive in East Lansing, ISS connects them with community groups, houses of worship, and any other services they might need to acclimate to life in the United States.
During the initial phases of MSU's pandemic planning efforts, staff from ISS and the Office of the University Physician spent time speaking with clergy and church members they knew from the community. Via these personal contacts, staff got a fairly good understanding of families that would be willing to support international students who needed a place to stay during an emergency. "In another time, we might formalize this via letters to all area churches, and update it periodically to those churches," Alexander added, noting that it was a fairly informal effort.
Students losing their housing in an unfamiliar country due to a public health emergency would likely be frightened or disoriented, so it was important that any relocation be as comfortable as possible. "We had to think of what the community psychology would be like. Would families be willing to take in a student who might become ill?" Briggs asked.
ISS considered its substantial resources in the community. ISS usually works closely include East Lansing's Community Volunteers for International Programs (CVIP), whose mission is "to increase cross-cultural understanding and goodwill between the greater Lansing community and the MSU international students." Another partnering community organization, the Friendship Family Program, provides regular opportunities for international students to be matched with and get to know an American family. "What I was surprised about was the fact that most international students already had friends and contacts that they felt sure would take them in, should the University shut down," Alexander said.
Although MSU never had to close its residence halls and therefore never used its alternative housing plan for international students, the planning process reaped significant benefits for the campus' international community, said Elizabeth Schrauben from the Office of the University Physician. Most of the outreach and planning for international students came from informal conversations between ISS and the students themselves, demonstrating their ability to advocate and prepare for their own needs. In addition, the international community on MSU's campus developed even stronger connections with East Lansing residents and organizations, demonstrating the strength and breadth of the support system available to international students outside the campus community should it be needed in the future.
"Our community tends to be pretty active and supportive of the international community here, so it did not surprise me that we got a positive response," Alexander said.
