The Office of International Student Affairs accommodates students during uncertain times

Photo courtesy of Megan Naftali. // The Office of International Student Affairs has accommodated international students in a variety of ways during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to COVID-19, Hofstra University’s Office of International Student Affairs (ISA) developed a hybrid process of supporting international students, instead of the fully in-person support effort from March 2020.  

 In the Fall 2021 Semester, after travel bans on most countries were lifted, campaigns like “Together Again” and “Safe Start” demonstrated that Hofstra’s campus was striving to be similar to how it was before the shutdown. 

 ISA helps international students by making it easier for them to get their visas and ensuring students can participate in their classes online if the travel bans make it difficult for them to get a visa abroad, according to Anne Mongillo, director of ISA. 

 Mongillo noticed the struggles international students have faced when coming to the U.S., especially during the pandemic.  

 “I care so much about all the hoops the international students have to jump through. I know it’s so much harder to get here and stay here as an international student,” Mongillo said. 

 A student who had trouble with his visa due to closed embassies was Vincent Turina, a freshman undecided major from Sweden.  

 “The embassy in my country was closed because of COVID-19. So, I had to fly to Poland to get the visa there,” Turina said.  

 The ISA office tries to make it easier for international students who come to Hofstra by making use of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, Mongillo said.  

 Hofstra works with a government body to make it easier for international students to get into the U.S., Mongillo said. For example, since March of 2020, signatures on documents needed for a visa are provided electronically instead of by mail.  

 “The whole office kept up [with] every change, and also we had to learn to adapt because the pandemic hit every country and every student differently,” said Clarissa Stewart, the assistant director of ISA. 

 Even though ISA tried to accommodate international students as best they could, the students still struggled. 

 “My experience coming to the U.S. was very turbulent,” said Julia Mocellin, a sophomore international business major. “The U.S. embassy shut down in Brazil, so I had to try to get a visa abroad.” 

 Mocellin managed to get a visa last June, but she did not have the same experience starting her semester at Hofstra as American students since her mother could not come to the U.S. on her tourist visa.  

 “My parents always dreamed of helping me move into my dorm, but that didn’t happen,” Mocellin said. 

 Mocellin felt support from the ISA office as they offered Zoom meetings as an alternative for certain on-campus career events. 

 “My friends who aren’t Hofstra students did not have the opportunity to follow Zoom events, but Hofstra always made sure that there were options for international students with online events,” Mocellin said.  

 These Zoom meetings aren’t a solution for all international students, especially those living in undemocratic societies, according to Dr. Grant Saff, a professor and chair of the Global Studies and Geography Department.  

 Students living in undemocratic countries cannot read class material or obtain access to classes due to their internet censorship, Saff said.  

 Saff hopes universities think of these types of students going forward. For those students, the only option is to have in-person classes, he said.  

 In some countries, there are still no defined dates as to when travel bans will end.  

 Zainah Alhamad, a sophomore international law major, had trouble during these times too and even considered taking some time off from college. Eventually, she decided to take classes online last year.  

 “The previous administration used the travel bans to prevent immigrants from asking for asylum. Obviously, they and the current administration were taking into consideration the dangers of COVID-19 as well,” said Dr. Rosanna Perotti, a professor of political science who has worked at Hofstra University for almost 30 years. 

 Despite the difficulties the COVID-19 pandemic has brought, Hofstra students are happy with the support they received from the ISA Office.  

“Hofstra was very supportive during my online period. Not only the teachers, but the staff as well. They understand that the situation is hard,” Mocellin said.