Features

Growing International Student Population Creates Uncertainty 

By Molly MacGregor (mmacgregor@css.edu)

March 28, 2025

The international student population at the College has grown from 33 students in the Spring Semester of 2021 to 114 currently enrolled. Despite this nearly four-fold increase, the Director of International Programs is still the only position dedicated to overseeing international students.

The current director, Wynter Miller, who has been in this position since 2021, announced her resignation last semester. She agreed to continue her duties until a replacement was hired or until the end of the academic year. According to President Maddy Ploof, the job position was posted as of the Feb. 2 Student Government (SGA) meeting.

Supporting international students to find community and transition into life in a new country is central to the mission of the Office of International Programs (OIP). They support international students with pre-departure orientations, provide welcome packages with toiletries, help students navigate the city bus system and organize monthly transportation to grocery stores. For Jonas Abeleda, OIP office assistant, the office has been an important part of his four years at the college. 

“This office is foundational. It can be difficult coming here in your first year, trying to find the help that you need. This office is kind of that pivoting point to direct students to where they need to be. This office has served as a safe haven,” said Abeleda. 

Miller and a small group of student employees have worked hard over the last four years to develop these support programs for current students and improve the process for admitting international students. Miller credits the huge increase in international enrollment to the improved admissions process. 

“When you make the process more effective, more people can get through the process. The second wave of it is then you develop that reputation and that’s when people start telling their friends, their family members, and then you get an increase in your applicant pool,” said Miller.

Their efforts have been successful, but now the duties of the program director have grown from supporting 33 students to 114. 

“I would definitely say that we’re at a point where it is a question of more staff or what services can we continue to offer. It really, frankly, comes down to hours in the day, and when you add more students that adds a lot more processes,” Miller said. 

While Miller loves her role helping students adjust to life in a new country, that is only part of her job. The other role of the director is to ensure that all students are maintaining legal visa status and ensure that the College is in compliance with the Department of Homeland Security. 

“That has to be the priority of the department: making sure that students are in legal status. When you have more students, there’s more paperwork to be dealt with. What I can say as Outgoing Director is that without additional staffing in some way, mathematically you have to focus on the compliance things,” said Miller. 

Taku Majaraunga, SGA International Students Representative and Resident Advisor, sees that there is too much work for one staff member and the student employees to handle, and worries about what that means for international students. 

“There has to be an admissions person who works with international students, because there is a lot of work that has to be divided. Actually, there are three positions, one in admissions and two in the OIP. SGA asked for the second position in an SGA meeting and they said that they hadn’t posted it because it was still under review. This makes international students think that they just want us to come because they need the money. International students pay more than in-state students,” explained Majaraunga. 

Besides adding more staff to support international students, Majaraunga also hopes for a designated space for international students to socialize. The OIP is a small office close to Storm’s Den with a couch, table and a few chairs. While students do socialize there, it is primarily a working office. 

“If we could have a space where people could just come in and have a chat, it could be a very good space for people to relax and be in community. As an international student, you’re coming from a very different culture and you’re trying to fit in. When an international student knows that when they go to the OIP lounge, they’re going to see people there who can relate to their experiences… When you have that, you feel free to express yourself,” said Majaraunga. 

He experienced this freedom at the OIP office during his orientation. In a room full of only international students, Majaraunga noticed that people felt free to ask questions that they would never ask elsewhere.  “In this room, I didn’t have to try to fit in,” said Majaraunga.

While the increase in the international student population is a cause for celebration, it is also a cause for increased support. The College’s legal priorities must come first before maintaining and expanding  support services for international students. As Miller said, if there’s only one staff member, it becomes a matter of hours in a day.