This weekend many of us travelled home, “evacuating” the storm and getting to see our parents and loved ones in the process. However, for some students this weekend had the effect of bringing up a question all too often asked: “where do I go?”
Hurricane Florence ended with the question having a very simple answer; students could have safely stayed indoors on campus and been fine, or could have gone to numerous shelters and locations throughout Raleigh for relief. However, even in times without natural disasters the question remains unanswered for many international students.
While natural disasters like hurricanes make up a share of international student troubles, other more planned breaks can put the living situation of international students in an even more logistical limbo. A problem easily solved if the University opened housing during these breaks.
NC State has a number of breaks during the academic calendar, and often requires that students living with university housing leave their residence halls during these. For plenty of students this isn’t a problem. In the past, most have gone home for Christmas and Thanksgiving to spend time with their families. For others the dilemma is clear: buy a flight home or find a way to stay in Raleigh.
Rithika Shivkumar, a second-year studying industrial engineering and identifying as from Dubai, UAE, but living in Lee Hall, stated that during last year’s Thanksgiving break she stayed at her sister’s place because they “kicked me out.” She further stated that the tickets were quite expensive during the holiday season.
Shivkumar further stated that University Housing needs to “cater to international students just because we have nowhere to go,” and that she would be especially pleased if she didn’t have to leave during the breaks, particularly Thanksgiving. Fortunately, housing will not be closing dorms for Thanksgiving this year.*
The prior knowledge of a planned break doesn’t solve the dilemma for students like Shivkumar either, since even when off-campus, students are well aware they must leave during these periods. That knowledge gets them no closer to finding somewhere to stay in or around Raleigh.
Likewise, it is important to consider that this problem not only affects international students, but also students who view NC State as a safer and healthier location than home. The cost to mental well-being arguably outweighs the cost of an airline ticket and should be addressed by housing with greater or equal importance.
NC State University Housing needs to ensure that students like these aren’t left with such few options during planned breaks. “Planned breaks” should mean planning for the inevitable results of such a break, including the displacement of a large student body demographic, especially when regarding University Housing.
Moving forward, University Housing can address this by creating options for students who desire to not go home during the break to stay in their hall. It would be understandable to raise the cost of living for those who choose such an option. That being said, it should only be raised by the bare minimal amount, since to live on campus during such breaks students must be quite desperate, and for the university to capitalize on their desperation would be morally abhorrent.
University Housing acted in good faith regarding its treatment of students during the storm. That being said, there is still a large amount of improvement that can be made for students whose main place of housing is in a different country. The question of “where do I go” will always be a question too frequently asked until University Housing acts in a way that accommodates all students appropriately.
*Correction, Sep. 19: Information was added to clarify that University Housing will remain open over Thanksgiving break
