Developing accommodations for international in Fall 2021
International students faced a number of challenges going into the fall 2021 semester. Many international students expressed concerns to International Student Services (ISS) related to the increase in COVID variant cases around the world, as well as concerns regarding access to vaccines, U.S. consulates, visa processing time, and flight cancellations.
This was brought to the attention of the CASE (Coordinating the Academic Student Experience) team in the spring of 2021, particularly the student concern regarding access to online learning opportunities should they want to or need to stay in their home country for the term. A subcommittee was formed to address their concerns regarding course access composed of representatives from the College of Letters and Science, International Student Services, the Office of Undergraduate Advising, and the Office of the Registrar. This subcommittee recommended that an International Enrollment Coordinator (IEC) position be created in order to give students and Schools/Colleges a central contact to discuss course access options. Angie Rieves from the Office of the Registrar filled this temporary position from July to September.
A list of class sections with seats reserved for international students who faced travel restrictions or issues acquiring a visa was created and the Associate Deans in the Schools and Colleges assigned a contact. An email address was also formed for student and department inquiries. The IEC tracked and responded to inquiries ensuring that consistent criteria were met in order for students to receive access to these reserved sections and, if they did not meet the criteria, she communicated their alternative options. As the Chancellor had broadly communicated that UW–Madison was returning to a safe, on-campus experience in fall 2021 only a limited number of international students received accommodations and were authorized into these reserved sections. This was the most equitable process that the subcommittee could come up with and over 125 students communicated with the IEC during this two month period. Currently, campus is not planning to reprise the role in the spring 2022 semester as the hope is that fewer students will face travel restrictions and challenges acquiring a visa as time goes on.