Dear friends,

The COVID-19 pandemic has been one that has uprooted and dramatically changed the lives of everyone on the globe. We have seen how the traditional college experience has been shifted towards a more isolated, virtual experience. This isolation, though, has hit none harder than those students who live abroad. This year, international students have found themselves mentally, physically, and emotionally distant from their peers who reside on campus, which has led to severe detrimental effects on their mental health and social lives. Students feel that the administration of the college has completely forgotten them and does not take their needs into consideration when formulating decisions about college life. 

Below are first-year international student testimonials outlining the issues they are facing:

“International students are effectively isolated from those living on-campus, or even more generally in the US. Accommodations are hard-won in classes, who prioritise domestic and campus-based students almost unfailingly, especially in niche classes. As an international student, it feels like we are second-class members of the Harvard community.”

“It is very difficult to adjust to US time as an international student. I am living in a country where everything closes after 9 pm. But to work with people in the US, I need to stay up late and sleep during the day. This leaves me little time for grocery shopping, eating, or even going on walks. Maybe classes cannot change, but if they are mandatory to attend, this is not doable. Cooking meals is also difficult -- some way to help us eat normally (no junk food) would be helpful.”

“Every day I make a decision, do I want to get enough sleep, or do I want to see daylight today? All of my friends from home have moved away and due to the national lockdown, I haven’t had the opportunity to speak to someone in real life for over 3 months. My only experience of Harvard College is feeling like a person only valued for their productivity for 3 months; obviously, this has had an incredibly worrying effect on my mental health.”

Requests

To remedy these issues and to better support international students, we encourage the College to consider the following:

• We ask that Harvard extend the petition deadline to allow all students and international students time to make their decision on whether they will return to campus for the Spring 2021 semester. 
• We also urge that Harvard implement counseling services that are visible and accessible to FGLI and international students, and extend the deadline for international students to opt-out of student fees (i.e., health insurance fee, etc.). 
• Further, we ask that Harvard implement a “hybrid” learning program to grant international students the opportunity to return to campus. For example, peer institutions like Columbia and Princeton plan to implement an in-person component to the “hybrid” format (i.e., virtual and in-person), meaning that every class will be available in an online format to students studying at Princeton or remotely. 
• In the event that a “hybrid” learning program is implemented, international first-years should be given first priority for housing for the Spring 2021 semester alongside Harvard College seniors.
• If not, we ask Harvard to send an email in communication with international students and their families about why this is not possible and continue to send monthly communications with international students about the efforts of the administration to serve and advocate for international families.
• If not, we ask that Harvard sponsors opportunities for all first-year international students to study in colleges in their home countries are available to upperclassmen as part of the College’s new ‘Study Away’ program. 
• For large classes, unless lectures are recorded, we urge that professors provide two or more lecture times to accommodate for students in different time zones.
• Additionally, we request that you mandate professors to implement accommodating and inclusive deadlines for international students in different countries by allowing a 12-hour window to submit assignments, quizzes, and tests. 

Closing

Harvard College prides itself on being a place where all students have access to safety, learning, and a feeling of belonging. However, this has not been the case for our international students amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In a time where isolation is rampant in the world as a whole, it has only been magnified for students, specifically FGLI students, living abroad. We implore you to take action on behalf of students who want nothing more than equitable access to education, connection, and gratification in what is meant to be the most formative years of our lives.