Special Notice to
Rutgers-New Brunswick International Students from the
Center for International
Faculty and Student Services
The Center for International Faculty and Student Services
serves all
international students from
all countries as your advocates and advisors on
immigration regulations,
cross-cultural understanding and related matters.
This remains true at all
times, regardless of any policies or actions of the
U.S. government. We encourage you to use the Center as a key
resource
throughout your studies at
Rutgers-New Brunswick.
In response to recent questions and comments from some
international
students, we want to reach
out to all international students to address the
concerns of living in these
unsettled times. Even as we all hope a
peaceful
resolution to current world
tensions will be found, some students have told
us that their family and
friends at home are receiving negative news about
life in the U.S. and are
urging these students to return home. In some ways
this is not unlike the
period immediately following September 11, 2001, when
reports abroad of life in
the New York City area differed significantly from
what many here experienced.
To avoid this information gap, we recommend that students in
the U.S. share
with their families and
friends abroad a reputable news source as a common
frame of reference within
which to hold conversations about current
international issues. The British Broadcasting Company (BBC),
which is
available in 43 languages,
is one such recommended news source. If
the news
source your family and
friends at home are using has an address on the
Internet, you might wish to
check its content yourself to understand what
your family and friends are
hearing about life in the U.S. at this time.
By
sharing the same information
sources, and thus a common frame of reference,
you and your family may find
it easier to communicate with each other and
make the best decisions.
We have heard from a few students who are experiencing anxiety
over what to
do should tensions further
escalate or war begin. To these and other
concerned students, the
Center also recommends contacting your consulate in
New York City or embassy in
Washington, D.C. Your government may provide
special information for you,
updates and instructions, and other forms of
support.
Whatever happens, the Center will provide information and
advice to
international students as
quickly as possible. It is not possible for the
Center to offer specific
advice at this time without knowing what situation
(if any) we may be
responding to. This is why we encourage you to speak to
your family and your
consulate to gather as much information as you can so
that you can make decisions
that are best for you. We also urge to check
your Rutgers e-mail account
regularly to read the latest "Notices to
International Students"
or to access our website at
http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~cifss/
and click on the link to "Latest
Regulatory Updates."
In addition, although we recognize that it may not be common
practice in
your culture, seeking
assistance and guidance from counseling professionals
about personal concerns is
quite common in this country.
Rutgers-New
Brunswick has several
counseling centers where students may get free and
completely confidential
support on any matters of personal concern.
We
encourage you to use these
services if you are experiencing a degree of
anxiety that is keeping your
from concentrating on your studies.
Finally, whatever your personal feelings about current
international
tensions may be, we can all
take pride and find comfort in the words of
University President
McCormick in his March 12 letter to the University
community. Demonstrating his strong commitment to
maintaining an open and
respectful environment at
Rutgers, President McCormick said, “We are a
richly diverse community,
composed of a tapestry of individuals, religions,
and cultures, which by their
very differences enhance our understanding of
our world and each other. It
is important to honor these differences,
especially in this time of
divided passionate opinions.” For a full text of
President McCormick’s
letter, go to:
http://www.president.rutgers.edu/letters.shtml
You are always welcome you to discuss your concerns with your
Center
adviser at any time. You may contact the Center by calling
732/932-7015 or
emailing
ru_cifss@email.rutgers.edu. Our
commitment to provide support and
information to all
Rutgers-New Brunswick international students will always
be a top priority of our
Center.
*****************
Center for International
Faculty & Student Services
Rutgers, the State
University of New Jersey
Campus at New Brunswick
180 College Avenue
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8537
tel: 732.932.7015
fax: 732.932.7992
email:
ru_cifss@email.rutgers.edu
URL:
http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~cifss/