The students of the University of Southern California (USC) are academically affected by the infamous Muslim ban imposed by President Donald Trump. Unfortunately, the school community is seeing a growing drop in the classroom performances of their foreign enrollees.
Per the Daily Trojan, the Department of Homeland Security listed about 252 incumbent USC students who came from the countries targeted by the travel ban. Consequently, the Office of Financial Aid reports that at least 46 of them are illegal immigrants. The restricted nations are Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen.
At the moment, both the USC alumni and administration staff believe that making "undocumented" students fell safe is very vital. In fact, USC graduate Andrea Avila told the Business Insider that being a student alone is already "stressing." She added that international enrollees might be facing a more difficult situation given that they are also figuring out how to survive the radical Executive Order.
"Imagine trying to do well in school while thinking that at any point you could be deported," Avila noted. She then stressed that the "lingering fear" of expatriation can have a "tremendous impact" on one's academic performance. Well, the USC management has been taking various steps to help their foreign students in any way they can.
University of Southern California: Emergency Fund
As a matter of fact, the USC Graduate Student Government (GSG) recently appealed to their school administrators to denounce the Trump travel order. This has been done by issuing a public statement about establishing an "emergency fund". This budget, on the other hand, aims to cover the travel and legal expenses of students deported because of the immigration sanction.
The GSG proposed an initial allocation of $11,000. It noted that the money would not come from tuition fees but rather from the budget of Campus Affairs. Their Director, Cristopher Lo-Records, reviewed the proposal and later found out that there was an additional $9000 left over in their org pocket. Thus, the new $20,000 "emergency fund" is now more than sufficient to fund students who need help.
Meanwhile, the said allocation is not limited to immigration students anymore. Lo-Records assured that in the near future, students who have emergencies, family problems, and those experiencing domestic violence could avail its benefits. Approximately, there are around 300 students who fall in these categories from both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
