By Giselle Lee | Staff Writer
As student government elections near, candidates connect with the student body through various mediums, but one group faces an additional barrier to interacting with leaders — international students.
Beneath the flashy videos and fun pins, a disconnected relationship persists between student government and international students, where opinions vary over how inclusive the organization truly is.
Nassau, Bahamas, senior Miracle Bain said that even if international students are not “actively involved” in student government, awareness of student government policies is crucial, as it affects them differently from domestic students.
“I do not know much about the student government body on Baylor’s campus and much of what they do, but I would imagine that the work they do does affect policy here,” Bain said. “I think I would like to hear of the policy when it comes to things like multicultural organizations on campus or thinking about accessibility to certain stuff.”
Bain mentioned the Student Government Allocation Fund as a significant effect of student organization on her, which she described as helpful in showing that student government is involved on campus. However, she said student government can do more to bridge the gap.
“Get connected with our international students department,” Bain said. “Reach out to them and get some information, as well as try to get involved with different organizations on campus that have to do with international students and different cultures on campus.”
However, for Seoul, South Korea, freshman Christian Lee — founder of the Bears International Medical Student Association — student government helped his organization financially through the Student Government Allocation Fund, which piqued his curiosity about policymaking in student government.
“Our team received assistance and valuable information through student government,” Lee said. “Their support helped us gain insight and develop a stronger plan for the future of our organization. The initiatives currently being implemented make me feel properly represented by the student government, and I would love to see even more support and awareness moving forward.”
Lee said that being an international student is not a weakness, but a strength, and he hopes student government will recognize the efforts of international students through fostering a “positive and supportive” environment for them.
“Many international students face significant obstacles during their undergraduate experience; yet they remain passionate and courageous, throwing themselves into new environments, embracing challenges and showing persistence by continuing to push forward despite obstacles,” Lee said. “I would love to see student government give more attention and resources to international student organizations to create greater awareness of that.”
Boulder, Colo., sophomore Lauren Adams is the director of policy for Baylor’s student government. Adams said her passion for connecting with students motivated her to advocate for the student government airport shuttle, which she initiated with international students in mind.
“I’m really passionate about speaking up, and when I see something that I want changed, I want to be part of the solution and part of how to fix that,” Adams said. “A lot of my experience in Senate last year was working with multicultural offices and organizations to get them funding for their events, which is a really big part of what we do.”
Adams said student government could foster community through direct engagement with groups on campus. She said student government’s priority should be to create better dialogue in policymaking with international students.
“In my opinion, I think student government could do a better job at reaching out to these organizations and going into their spaces and then understanding from their perspective — from the international students’ perspective — what they can do to better support,” Adams said. “Getting more representation in the actual system government would be huge.”
