International Students At CNC Want Change
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PRINCE GEORGE – International students work under a different set of rules than non-international students. But colleges across the province have been put on notice. There needs to be change, especially to those programs where there are no regulations around class size. CNC Students Union Representative Harman Dandiwal says many programs have limited class sizes and are staffed as such. Other programs, though are not. That means students come from abroad only to find the class they signed up for is full. As an international student, they are in the country on a student visa and must attend school, meaning taking courses they don’t wish to while sitting on a waitlist. The College says it is aware of those concerns.
“The Dean of the School of University Studies in Career Access, who is responsible for our business programs, has been extremely busy on this, watching [the enrolment numbers] very carefully, looking at past data and adding sections on a continual basis,” explains Chad Thompson, the Acting Vice President of Academics. “Students don’t necessarily see that because adding a section and a section appearing for registration doesn’t appear instantaneously.”
That is the main sticking point for international students, but it is not the only one. Other issues for students include the lack of regulations around tuition fees, which can be increased at any given time, the lack of housing, lack of support staff and insufficient orientation to help international students understand student life in Canada. Nor are these issues isolated to CNC. International students in other BC and Canadian institutions are facing the same challenges. But CNC is the first to bring it to the forefront.
“We’re really proactive in terms of taking a lot of initiatives,” says Dandiwal. “A lot of students on campus are pretty vocal. I’m glad CNC is one of the colleges trying to move forward and finding solutions. Real solutions. This could be a catalyst for a province-wide movement and maybe a national movement.”
