Eastern Michigan University is one of the first colleges in the nation to participate in Welcome Corps on Campus, a program that allows refugee students to continue their higher education in the United States. Through grants and private donations, three students who are originally from Somalia, Syria and the Democratic Republic of Congo will be able to finish their degrees, fully funded, for the next four years.
The Welcome Corps is an initiative founded under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, which seeks to bring refugees to the United States and partner them with sponsors to help them transition to life in the U.S. Though this program has existed for only a year and a half, it has already facilitated the sponsorship of 7,000 refugees across the country, with 15,000 sponsors applying to help refugees with the resettlement process. Now the Welcome Corps' new program, Welcome Corps on Campus, seeks to bring displaced college students to leading academic institutions in the U.S.
“It just makes me very proud to be part of this university. It makes me extremely grateful to work with colleagues who have such a welcoming spirit and to be able to be part of such a groundbreaking program,” said Lauren London, the General Counsel at EMU.
As the university’s primary legal counsel and advisor, London has helped facilitate EMU’s involvement in the program. Now she works closely with the refugee students.
“It is an extremely rewarding experience for me to be part of [this] process. It's a huge responsibility, but it's extremely joyful,” said London.
Acceptance into Welcome Corps on Campus requires a lengthy application process for both the university hoping to participate and the refugee students. In this case, the Welcome Corps wanted to ensure that EMU had proper funding for the program, academic accreditation, and mentorship, as well as language support and social plans. Welcome Corps on Campus also wanted to make sure that the refugee students had health insurance and a medical screening scheduled upon arrival. EMU's commitment to supporting international students has seen it through that application process.
University president James Smith credits the success of Welcome Corps on Campus to the university’s past of supporting international students.
“We traditionally have someplace between 70 and 85 different countries represented on campus,” he said. “So we have a long history of facilitating students coming to campus, being oriented to life in the United States, being oriented to class.”
Even after EMU was chosen for the program and matched with the refugee students, the university went through its own independent application process, making sure that each student matched would be a good fit for the school. The baseline requirements for the refugees were that they must be between 18-24 years of age, have proficiency in English, and meet the program’s academic requirements.
With three refugee students, EMU has one of the biggest cohorts among participating colleges. These refugees, who will remain anonymous, come from two different refugee camps. Two come from a camp in Kenya, while the other comes from a camp in Jordan. They have also gone through their own rigorous application process to be chosen for this program and are now beginning their first year at EMU.
This larger cohort size was by design. According to London, since there are three students, each student will have people in their same situation to talk to and lean on as they begin their journey at EMU. They can rest assured that they are not alone.
“We have always felt it's important to have a program of at least that size so that we can create that social culture for them,” said London.
Another way London and Smith have helped the new students find support is having them meet with other international students. They brought the students to the International Student Picnic earlier this school year, hosted by the Office for International Students and Scholars. While it was not mandatory for them to go, Smith said, it was important that they engaged in these types of social events and met students of similar ethnic backgrounds.
“We invited them so they can meet other international students,” said Smith. “We wanted to bring them into the fold and have them meet people, and know who other students are from around the globe.”
Both Smith and London acknowledge the tremendous change these students are going through — coming to a new country, leaving their families behind, and quickly being immersed in an entirely different culture. As they are learning about living and studying in America, London gets to meet with them several times a week. And, she said, the learning isn’t one sided.
“They have taught me about their favorite foods from back home, about their families and their process for applying to the Welcome Corps program. I'm learning about the U.S. immigration process, and how heartbreaking and frustrating it can be for immigrants,” said London. “I am learning about what it means never to have set foot in the United States before, and all of the small cultural things that require explanation, that we might not have thought to explain before.”
Smith hopes that this first cohort is just one of many for the EMU. However, whether or not the university can support another cohort will depend on funding. The university is exploring different long-term avenues to secure funding with the goal becoming a corporate sponsor.
“We want to be able to give them the very best experience, but to do that, we have to have the largesse of others… We'll continue to work with our friends in the foundation to go out and raise money so that we can bring other students,” said Smith.
As EMU continues to navigate this new program and the refugee students navigate their first year on campus, both the university and the students will encounter triumphs and challenges. EMU hopes to deliver on its “All are welcome here” message with continuous support to these new students.
