Study
abroad rates remain steady
Yi-Fang Vicky Lin
On-line Forty-Niner
Nearly
a year after Sept. 11, many students around
the world did not stop coming to Cal State
Long Beach, though they might face a greater
difficulty obtaining visas and might still
have some fears. The number of the international
students enrolled is expected to be the
same this fall compared to last year.
According to Paul M. Lewis, director of
Center for International Education, CSULB
accepted approximately 1,700 international
students this fall semester, compared with
1,883 visa students enrolled in CSULB in
fall 2001.
The actual figure of the enrollment for
fall 2002 will not be released until late
September when the campus census is released.
However, Lewis is optimistic about the enrollment
of international students at CSULB and the
Study Abroad Program, which is an exchange
students program designed for American students
to study overseas as well.
The terrorist attacks have indirectly affected
the number of international students.
According to Cecilia Fidora, study abroad
coordinator for the Center for International
Education, 60 students applied before Sept.
11, 2001 for the one-year foreign exchange
program. After the incident, the number
of applicants dropped to 50, which is about
15 percent drop rate.
“It wasn’t a drastic drop, it was a small
drop for the one-year program and there
is no change on one semester programs,”
Fidora said.
Last September, Fidora received parent phone
calls concerned about their sons’ and daughters’
collective safety.
“I’m sure parents played a part in the 15
percent drop rate here,” Fidora said. “Parents
were asking what is happening, how safe
will my daughter be in Italy? At that point,
we did not know. No one knew, but now we
can see one year later, nothing has happened.”
Also, for the past five years, the number
of international student applicants of CSULB
has traditionally increased at least 10
percent each year. However, this pattern
did not remain this fall.
“But still that number is strong, I don’t
want to give the impression that the number
is vastly different,” Lewis said. “We just
don’t see the slight increase that we normally
see.”
International students are also facing greater
difficulty and longer delays in obtaining
their visas after Sept.11, especially students
from the Middle East and China.
The Overseas American Embassies now pay
special attention and look more carefully
at visa applicants. The consulate’s evaluation
usually takes about a week to complete.
Since Sept. 11, the delay may last as long
as eight weeks without an answer to the
applicant.
“One of my friends didn’t get the visa for
eight months and a lot of my friends couldn’t
get it,” said Ibrahim Alkuwaiti, a senior
business major from the United Arab Emirates.
Another Arabic student on the campus, Sulten
Al-Neyadi, said that his brother, who met
all the academic criteria and was accepted
into a scholarship program, also faced rejection
by the American Consulate.
The visa procedures not only struck Middle
East countries, but the same delays also
happened in Japan as well.
“It used to take a few days in getting visa,
but after Sept. 11, my friend ended up staying
more than a month in Japan,” said Juri Nomura,
a senior business major.
Fears and concerns were found within international
students.
“For a month long, right after what happened,
I really wanted to go back home. My parents
were worried about me,” Nomura said.
Alkuwaiti and Al-Neyadi, both Arabic students
attending CSULB, experienced discrimination
right after the incident. Tighter security
checks, receiving a hard time in getting
visas and fears are the experiences these
international students shared after Sept.
11. Graduating has become a greater motivation
to overcome these obstacles.
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