President’s Statement on U.S. Travel Ban

The United States government’s executive order imposing a 90-day ban on individuals from seven Muslim-majority countries visiting the U.S. has generated fear and anxiety on the part of many members of our community, and has implications that are real and disturbing.

SFU currently has about 450 students, and numerous faculty, staff and visitors from countries affected by the order, which has the potential to disrupt international studies, work placements, competitions, field visits, research partnerships, conference participation, and family relationships.

We must provide comfort and support to these individuals, and do everything in our power to reaffirm our commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Simon Fraser University is proud to be a globally engaged university and to welcome students, faculty, staff, and visitors from around the world. These international members of our SFU community bring a wonderful diversity of knowledge, experiences and perspectives, and make our university a better place for learning and living.

SFU stands ready to support affected students with services ranging from visa advising to personal counselling. If you are in need of help, please do not hesitate to contact International Services for Students; or Health and Counselling Services.

We are also committed to supporting international student mobility, and will do all we can to enable students to participate in programs around the world.

More generally, we at SFU must redouble our efforts to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all members of our community. To this end, I plan to host an event at which we can demonstrate our commitment to these values, and express our appreciation of our international students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

Details of this event will be provided later this week.