Some international students are fed up with the lack of help they say is offered to them through the U.
Members of the International Student Council, a group comprised of students from the International Center, are raising complaints about the lack of scholarships and lack of help during tax season for its demographic.
“I do know that many of us are on limited budgets and I am pretty disappointed that there is not a real scholarship targeted to international students,” said Erik Gamez, a sophomore in electrical engineering who is from El Salvador.
Gamez initiated an e-mail campaign that was sent out to all members of the student council and to Anjali Pai Hammond, associate director of the International Center.
“There are a lot of scholarships listed on our Web site for these students,” Hammond said. “The only problem is that none of them are exclusively for international students, so they’re going up against everyone else.”
He said there is a huge difference between a scholarship that is only available to international students and a scholarship for which all 28,000 students on campus are applying.
International students are required to take at least 12 credit hours per semester to remain eligible, Gamez said, and most have to take many more than that in order to finish their degrees by the time their study permits expire.
In addition to the out-of-state tuition costs and various university fees paid by all students, international students are required to pay an additional fee of $50 that goes toward paperwork and other services.
Not only have international students said they have a hassle with scholarships, but students are also raising their voices about problems they face concerning taxes.
“The issue came up because it’s tax season,” Hammond said. “One student was concerned because he wanted help with his taxes.”
The School of Business helps any student whose income is less than $42,000 with their taxes for free. The Beta Alpha Psi Honor Society is available to anyone who meets the restrictions, but international students have also found difficulties in that.
“From what I’ve heard from students, it’s not a great place to go because there are short appointments and long lines,” Hammond said. “I would like to see us do a workshop. We can’t do their taxes for them, but we certainly can help. We just want to provide them with help.”
Students understand, however, the problems that are also facing the center and the inability it sometimes has to solve the students’ problems.
“The International Center should be aware of what the challenges are that the international students face, and when possible, do something,” Gamez said. “But lacking an official voice, the fact that the International Center did not know about our problems does not surprise me.”
Hammond said the International Center is looking to increase help to students confronting these problems and hopes to alleviate some of the stress on these students.
“I wish there were more international student scholarships, but in Utah, it’s very challenging,” Hammond said. “We’ve got a small fund and we’re looking to match that through other avenues.”