Who should international students turn to when facing a financial crisis? The issue of the university’s responsibilities toward fee-paying students has become the subject of a heated discussion.
”No one seems to want to deal with this issue,” says study counselor Sahar Valizadeh.
They came into the study counselor’s office in the middle of the winter. A group of international students in clothes that were too light for the season. They said that their sponsor had pulled out and that they now traveled between friends in Stockholm and Gothenburg looking for jobs in order to stay in Sweden. This and other similar encounters made Sahar Valizadeh, study counselor at the Department of Political Science, write a column for Lunds universitets magasin LUM: “Who helps international students in a crisis?”
“This is about students who are paying tuition fees and are already in the educational system, whose circumstances have changed. The question is: what do we, at the university, do then? Should we force them to go home?”
Impossible to receive social allowance
Every now and then, they seek help at the university. International students, often from Eastern Europe or countries outside the EU. They pay tuition fees, but are struggling to make ends meet. Since they are not Swedish citizens, they cannot apply for social allowance. Sahar Valizadeh says that during her three years as study counselor she has met around ten students seeking help. This also seems to be the case for her colleagues. Some tell of students who have become a little skinnier for each time visiting. The extent of the problem is unknown and there could be a large number of unrecorded cases.
Introducing tuition fees has involved a new dilemma: does the university have more responsibilities toward students who pay for their education than it has toward the average Swedish student who lives off CSN? According to Sahar Valizadeh the answer is obvious:
“How could international students who pay 130 000 kronor a year for their education not expect more from us compared to Swedes? And how can we not feel a greater responsibility for them? But no one seems to want to deal with this issue. We have a policy for equal treatment making us offer the same services to all students. It’s a dilemma.”
Poor despite certification
Before they come to Sweden, international students must show the Swedish Migration Board that they have resources of at least 7 000 kronor per month. But Sahar Valizadeh tells of circumstances that have changed. This could for example be due to their sponsor pulling out, their home country being in a crisis or the family business going bankrupt. In some cases the students have been overly optimistic when applying for studies in Sweden.
“Many come from such harsh situations that they want to come here no matter what. The problem then is that living here costs 7 000 kronor a month and getting a part-time job isn’t easy.”
Jan Kjellström of the Student Chaplaincy regularly meets students who are in need of help.
”They contact us via email and say they need someone to talk to. But it’s difficult when it turns out that the problems are financial. You then feel very powerless.”
Jan Kjellström describes a group of people who are more vulnerable than the Swedish students. They share apartments, live at subsistence level, hunt for all the odd jobs they can get. For them everything depends on finishing their education, getting a residence permit and a job somewhere in Western Europe.
”Coming here is a huge investment not just for the student but for the whole family, and the individual often carries expectations from the entire family, being their hope for the future. If you then have problems and don’t live up to the expectations this can become a heavy burden and lead to desperation.”
Plan for equal treatment makes it difficult
The problem is not new, but Sahar Valizadeh’s column has brought on reactions. Richard Stenelo, Deputy Executive Director at External Relations, says the issue has come up on their agenda.
“We will check with the network of study counselors in order to get an estimate of the extent of the problem. We will also have a discussion about what the university can and will do for these students. The question is: what can we use the taxpayers’ money for at a university?”
As for now, the policy for equal treatment makes it impossible for the university to help students financially. Job fairs and employment websites are examples of preventive measures that External Relations work with. Richard Stenelo believes there are alternative ways to get around the problem.
”We are discussing extending the possibilities of applying for partial scholarships after arriving in Lund. Another preventive measure that we could work on is lowering the prices for accommodation.”
Translation: Karin Briheim
Text: Karin Furuhed
