I knew that I wanted to study abroad before I even knew what I wanted to study. Being able to experience not just another culture but their ways of teaching and learning during such a formative time in my life seemed like an invaluable experience — and it has been. However, it hurts to see Hamline’s Global Engagement Center (GEC) sit unsupported and understaffed for more than just my reasons: students are being deprived of an indispensable way to combat a political agenda that seeks to alienate everything “non-American.”
This goes both ways. Experiencing and understanding cultures outside of your own firsthand is maybe the most effective way to challenge the prejudices that are baked into our upbringings. But for those who do not have the privilege of living abroad, learning about it secondhand can have a significant impact, too. It may be cliche, but you cannot overstate the power of existing in and engaging with a diverse community.
The bottom line is that new people bring new ideas. Research routinely shows that immigrants have an outsized contribution to innovation (whilst making up just 14% of the US population, nearly a quarter of all patents since 1990 have been registered by immigrants). But new ideas also mean different values, traditions and insight which threaten the tightly controlled narrative that governments strive to maintain in order to evade scrutiny. Therefore, listening to, amplifying or being the diverse voices who drive change is one of the most powerful tools we have against reactionary and bigoted ideologies.
It’s never been a more dangerous time for someone on a student visa in the U.S. Students across the country are facing detention, deportation and the revocation of their visas for uncertain reasons, and this culture of fear is a very purposeful strategy by the current administration to create and maintain an insular environment where ideas and speech can be controlled.
We cannot let this scare us into silence. It is no surprise that internationals are some of the biggest voices when it comes to criticizing the government — they are often the ones feeling the worst of their actions, especially when it comes to foreign policy. Those voices are the ones teaching us about the real consequences of administrative decisions abroad, reminding us that American politics doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
We also cannot let growing nationalism restrict us from the travel that is so vital to widening our worldviews. We need to experience and absorb other countries and cultures, and bring back the lessons we learn — literally, as in my experience, classes outside of the U.S. offer inherently more international perspectives on almost every subject.
It may sound like an overreach to imply that study abroad programs hold this much weight in the face of this political climate. I am not saying that the GEC is the cure to xenophobia, or even that participating in any of these schemes guarantees some life-changing, eye-opening experience. All we can ask for is the opportunity to begin to understand those different from ourselves, to reject the othering and fear that some try to instill in us. The chance to get a taste of another lifestyle, even for a few weeks, creates a crucial foundation for tolerance and knowledge on a deeper and broader level.
Traveling for education has a long history, and has only become more and more accessible in modern times. It wouldn’t be surprising to see study away programs lose both interest and funding under the current administration, but the issue is that at Hamline, much of the damage is already done. The GEC has shrunk to a staff of just one in recent years, seriously limiting the number of opportunities for both outgoing and incoming students. The loss of J-term restricts the timing of short-term study abroad programs. Between this already vulnerable state, funding cuts across the school and the changing political face of the country, I worry that Hamline could see a vital organ diminish even further.
So now, more than ever, we need to ensure that these programs that facilitate international experiences are not only accessible and protected, but also have the support to grow against all odds. Hamline’s range of study away opportunities is a huge privilege to have and they still exist despite it all. Utilize the resources available to you, however difficult they may be to access — only by showing that there is demand for these programs can we advocate for more of them. Only by proving that we value them, against all odds, can we continue to reap the rewards of cultural diversity.