Sage Kiernan-Sherrow |  News Editor

COVID-19 has forced nearly everyone to adapt to new life changes and make unprecedented decisions. This is especially true for Western’s international students and students participating in the National Student Exchange or other study abroad programs. Some students had just barely begun their study abroad experience when news began circulating. And, as countries began closing their borders, students had a difficult decision to make — stay in place and continue their education as planned or return to their family members. In some cases, the decision had already been made. 

Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs, Emmanuel Macías, said, “the reality of NSE students in March was three things: making travel arrangements, processing the unfortunate reality that their exchange programs had come to a sudden end, and understanding how they would finish their course work remotely.”

Some students are able to continue their studies remotely, but the sudden program closures resulted in an inability for some students to meet the requirement of cultural immersion, according to Macías.

Over 160 colleges and universities are involved in the NSE program and the future for these programs seems unclear. At Western, virtual informational sessions are still being held for future participants, but out of the 11 Western students who were placed last year, several have already cancelled due to financial difficulties, a side-effect of COVID-19, according to Macías.

In response to this, the NSE program has allowed students to defer their enrollment an entire year, in some cases. But as Macías said, “there is a lot of unknown.”

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Illustration by Rachel Hetzel