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Hi,
That person, and their situation, sounds like a good example of problems with the international refugee system (and I use that last word generously). And an intriguing idea for thinking about ways to guide decisions. I will respond off-list. If anyone
else wants in on the cc, feel free to email me or, I assume, Lucas.
—Suzanna
Suzanna M. Crage, PhD
Senior Lecturer
Undergraduate Program Chair
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6
Canada
email: scrage@sfu.ca
Sent from my phone
On Jun 11, 2020, at 6:59 PM, Lucas Herrenbrueck <herrenbrueck@sfu.ca> wrote:
Hi all,
It's me again. Thank you so much to all who replied! I'll try to keep this short.
First: I sent the email in order to gauge support for an initiative that I support. I think I accidentally implied that SFU isn't giving a hoot about refugees. That's not what I meant, so I apologize for that. I think the existing program is a great start,
but yes there are some big cracks people fall through and this proposal is for them.
Second, some more details. The initiative and position paper originated with James Prier and Shelley Mason, who have been lobbying the administration on behalf of an Afghan refugee living in Pakistan to come to Canada on a study permit and attend Simon
Fraser. The WUSC program applies only to UNHCR refugees that are sponsored and approved to enter Canada. There are many reasons why many legitimate refugees (including the student in question and her family) cannot secure UNHCR status. For instance,
UNHCR is not providing refugee status to Afghans arriving overland in Turkey under the Safe Third Country Rule. For another example, the student in question was barred from attending university in Pakistan because Pakistan only grants temporary visas to refugees.
Sponsoring the family to come to Canada under the "Refugee" category would have taken 3+ years. (These wait times have indeed come down in recent years but how much faith do we have that that will always be the case in the future?) So, this case seems to be
in category #3 of those Suzanna had listed.
And as far as SFU is concerned, yes it would take some effort and $$ to adjudicate claims, but for example whether someone has been granted refugee status elsewhere (Turkey, Pakistan, etc) shouldn't be all that hard to ascertain.
The way I understand James and Shelley's initiative at least, they mean to propose a program that mostly mimics York's. So if you think their proposal was worded too ambitiously, I'm sure that can be fixed. They are very happy to discuss this with whomever
is interested: jwprier@yahoo.com, shelleymasonis@gmail.com,
604 298-2975.
And that's all I have to say for now. Thank you for your patience! Don't forget to wash your hands and brush your teeth.
Lucas
From: Suzanna M. Crage <scrage@sfu.ca>
Sent: June 11, 2020 17:12
To: academic-discussion
Subject: Re: "A moral precedent for refugees"
Hello,
Sorry this email is long. It’s after my atempts to make it short. I’ve underlined the main points, for those who want to skim. I have been on the university's Refugee and Newcomer Advisory Committee (RNAC) for a few years, so I
am familiar with some of SFU’s programs. Also, much of my own research has been about asylum policies and programs — but there are SFU faculty and staff who know more about Canada and BC, including people on this list.
I don’t know about past tution efforts, but I am happy to connect anyone who’s interested with the RNAC group. It includes some amazing staff who help run SFU's programs for refugees and newcomers, faculty engaged in related areas, and administration
representatives. Be warned: offers to help might be enthusiastically welcomed! (I know that for the past several months I haven’t been able to be fully active.)
What SFU is doing: every year SFU brings refugees into Canada, as new students at SFU. We pay for their tuition, fees, and living costs. This is the program that Melek linked to. It’s small, but an SFSS student
referendum just approved funding to increase the number from four to six! I’m resisting adding details; you can look up the WUSC program (at SFU or other Canadian universities).
Also, staff at International Student Services, along with students, have been building additional resources for other students who also have refugee backgrounds. We don’t know who they
are; part of the effort is making the resources visible for people who may find them useful.
I don’t see how we’d be charging international tuition to Convention refugees in Canada, because they aren’t international students. People admitted to Canada as Convention refugees (because of persecution for reasons
listed in the UN Convention on the Status of Refugees) are given permanent residency status. So they would pay domestic tuition, just like other permanent residents do.
Who is likely paying international tuition? Students in the asylum system or related situations who…
- applied for asylum while in Canada, and have been given it, but their permanent residency status hasn’t come through yet.
- are refugee claimants, who have applied for asylum while in Canada and don’t have a final decision yet. There’s a backlog, so it can take 1-2 years (and longer).
- applied to SFU from another country and have a refugee status there.
- have undocumented status in Canada, or other temporary residency statuses.
- others?
The first three would apply with a study permit, so I assume they’d be classified as international students. I don’t think SFU would even know they are involved in the asylum system. I’m not 100% sure, though. The fourth group? I don’t know
if undocumented people in Canada even can apply, or if our application process requires paperwork that they wouldn’t have.
I’m happy to support anyone who is interested in checking out these things and starting a drive to reduce tuition and/or open pathways for application, or fundraise for bursaries or awards. In addition to people on the RNAC, there are a few student
groups who may also be interested in getting involved in something like this.
BTW: The York pilot program is primarily for people in Canada who are undocumented or are refugee claimants. There is an academic bridging
course that facilitates admission for students with marginal academic status, and students with relevant status can apply to be charged domestic instead of international tuition. Without residency or SIN’s, however, many don’t have access to most financial
aid programs or jobs, so even domestic tuition is difficult. (Note: This started as a pilot program in 2017, and I’m wondering if the tuition discount program is still active. Neither the university nor the NGO that coordinated it are showing any current information.)
BTW: The proposal forwarded to the list suggests something much more ambitious than York’s program. It isn’t about Convention refugees. It focuses on people who don’t have
refugee status. It proposes that SFU start deciding who we think should be recognize as refugees, give these domestic and international applicants preferential admission, and reduce their tuition. It mentions potential legal objections
because this is usually a government decision; as I see it, that may not be the hard part. Despite treaties and regulations, there is no consistent practice for deciding who should and should not “count” as a refugee, or what sorts of evidence to require.
This is not just an international issue — in many countries, including Canada, the chances of being approved depend greatly on the particular judge who sees the case. I don't know how we'd decide what situations qualify, what evidence we’d accept, what exceptions
to make because the evidence isn’t available or the situation is a little different, whether we’d allow appeals… I may be overthinking it, though, and I’m happy to support people who want to see if we can.
—Suzanna
Suzanna M. Crage, PhD
Senior Lecturer
Undergraduate Program Chair
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive,
Burnaby, BC, Canada, V5A 1S6
Pronouns: she/her
Office: AQ 5081
Email: scrage@sfu.ca
As faculty at Simon Fraser University, I work and live on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw), Tsleil-Waututh (Səl̓ílwətaɬ), Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm), and Kwikwetlem (kʷikʷəƛ̓əm)
First Nations. I seek to support Indigenous peoples as they work to strengthen their communities and land.
Suzanna M. Crage, PhD
Senior Lecturer
Undergraduate Program Chair
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive,
Burnaby, BC, Canada, V5A 1S6
Pronouns: she/her
Office: AQ 5081
Email: scrage@sfu.ca
As faculty at Simon Fraser University, I work and live on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw), Tsleil-Waututh (Səl̓ílwətaɬ), Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm), and Kwikwetlem (kʷikʷəƛ̓əm)
First Nations. I seek to support Indigenous peoples as they work to strengthen their communities and land.
Dear Lucas,
Thank you for bringing up this issue. I don't know to what extent this program at SFU currently covers the tuition of students who are refugees, but there is already something in place. I imagine you've
already been in contact, but just in case:
Best,
Melek
Melek Ortabasi, Ph.D.
Associate Professor & Chair
Department of World Languages and Literatures
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Simon Fraser University
AQ 5127
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, B.C.
CANADA V5A 1S6
Phone: 778-782-8660
--------------------
The knowledge of life, therefore, which
we grown-ups have to pass on to the younger generation will not be expressed
thus: "Reality will soon give way before your ideals," but "Grow into your ideals, so that life can never rob
you of them." If all of us could become what we were at fourteen, what a different place the world would be!
- Albert Schweitzer, My Childhood
and Youth
From: Mark Fettes <mtfettes@sfu.ca>
Sent: June 8, 2020 5:02 PM
To: Lucas Herrenbrueck
Cc: academic-discussion
Subject: Re: "A moral precedent for refugees"
Thank you for this information and proposal, Lucas. I am astonished that the current policy is to charge international student fees to refugees.
The example of the York program is very persuasive. Surely this proposal could and should be taken up and adapted by the EDI unit. To quote from their mission statement: “We are dedicated to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive community where we use
our humility, compassion, intellect and position to dismantle systemic and cultural barriers."
Mark
Dr. Mark Fettes
Associate Professor
Faculty of Education
Simon Fraser University
mtfettes@sfu.ca
Gratefully living and working on unceded Coast Salish territory, including the lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) peoples.
> On Jun 8, 2020, at 4:05 PM, Lucas Herrenbrueck < herrenbrueck@sfu.ca> wrote:
>
> Dear colleagues,
>
> Apologies for the interruption of your scheduled pandemic coverage! This won't take long.
>
> I wonder if there would be support among the faculty for a proposal to give financial support for SFU students who are Convention Refugees. Currently, they are asked to pay the full international tuition, which as I'm sure you all know is a lot. Such a program
would only affect a small number of students (i.e., would cost pennies) but would do a lot to underline the efforts to be the university that Does the Right Thing which we hear so much about from SFU admin.
>
> I'm attaching a position paper from a group that tried to push this proposal last year, but ran into walls. Please contact James Prier ( jamesprierwriting.com, 604 298-2975) for more information.
>
> Thanks!
> Lucas
>
>
> Best regards
>
> Lucas Herrenbrueck
>
> Assistant Professor of Economics
> Simon Fraser University
> http://herrenbrueck.weebly.com
> <A Moral Precedent for Refugees.pdf>
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