Candidly Canada: Follow Canadian example, support Syrian refugees
Although many students find their “home away from home” at college, many people don’t have any home to call their own.
This trend is increasing tremendously with the ongoing Syrian crisis, as crowds of people leave their homelands to wherever they can.
While many countries have welcomed and encouraged Syrian refugees into their borders, other countries have been less than welcoming. According to CNN, Trump’s executive order bars citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States for the next 90 days and suspends the admission of all refugees for 120 days.
U.S. District Judge James Robart from Washington has ruled against the travel ban. This decision has led to legal battles across the country, with the Muslim ban still gravely looming. Although President Trump is still firm on his stance, the final outcome is unknown.
On a more peaceful end, the Canadian government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has shown understanding for those in need. He took to Twitter, just as another world leader is notoriously known for doing, to ensure that all refugees that America might reject are more than welcome in Canada, as reported by Canadian news outlet iPolitics.
Outside the realm of government, each North American country contains a population of people unafraid to stand up for their beliefs. This global crisis should be no different, and the best place to start is in education. College campuses, Canadian or American, can play crucial roles in how the general public views refugees.
At Bishop’s University, a Refugee-Student sponsorship project receives a small dollar amount from students’ compulsory fees to help refugees study and live on campus. As the group’s website states, protecting refugees is both a responsibility and a privilege.
Refugees are forced to leave their home countries because of serious human rights abuses. They have a well-founded fear of persecution and therefore cannot return to their countries. They didn’t make that choice for themselves.
In countries created on a foundation of diversity and immigration, offering these people a safe place to live makes sense.
Bishop’s isn’t the only campus offering services to house refugees. Even American universities like Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, have begun a campaign titled “Every Campus a Refuge” in an effort to call every campus to house, mentor and support a Syrian family in transition.
Professor Diya Abdo told the Washington Post that college campuses, with their housing, cafeterias, health clinics and plethora of other social, academic and human resources, are natural conduits for refugees into their new life.
Additionally, since many Syrian refugees are young adults, their opportunities to further their education take a back seat to the crisis at hand. The Institute of International Education states that more than 100,000 Syrian refugees are university-qualified students.
A lack of quality education and hope for future social mobility for young refugees is a risk factor in terms of security and stability, since a young generation without hopes for social mobility and employment is at risk of exclusion and radicalization.
Access to education is a basic human right, and higher education is a means of achieving stability, work and making a living.
The funding required to support Syrian refugees is limited compared to its growing demand. Universities must make the crisis a priority when considering their budgets and fees for students. The Syrian cause is one of global proportions.
If every North American campus supported just one Syrian refugee, the impact would be astounding. Every country with a higher education fortunate enough to do so bears some of the burden of supporting refugees. The need will continue to rise if key countries ignore it.
Human rights matter. The place to begin teaching that is the classroom.
If you’re a USD student traveling abroad and would like to contribute to The Volante, please contact us at [email protected].
