Image Credit: CFJC Today / Kent Simmonds

By Jill Sperling

COVID-19

TRU expecting smaller international student population in September

Jul 16, 2020 | 5:06 PM

KAMLOOPS — The fall semester at Thompson Rivers University is likely to look much different than previous years.

Classes will be going virtual as the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The usual crowds of new and excited students flocking to the campus in September will likely be smaller, especially as international student enrollment is expected to decrease.

“Earlier we were projecting a 30 per cent decrease, but we’re working really hard to make sure that our decrease is not greater than the 30 per cent drop,” said Baihua Chadwick, chief executive officer of TRU World Global Operations.

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Chadwick, says prospective students are facing challenges around travel and obtaining student visas.

“Because of the pandemic, many of the visa offices globally were closed,” she said. “Now, [they’re] reopening in some countries. However, many of the countries are still in lockdowns.”

However, Chadwick says international students will have the option to remain in their home countries as they complete courses online.

“We are explaining this option to the students,” she said. “In fact, the federal government has also made policy change, they call it a temporary policy adjustment, to allow this to happen. We’re anticipating the majority of our fall students will be taking this option.”

Dea DiGiovanni is an international student from Indonesia. She will be going into her second year of studies at TRU this fall.

“Rather than having everything online I would prefer to have things in person,” she said, “but it’s not something that would make me cancel everything, go back home and cancel my life plans basically.”

DiGiovanni is staying in Kamloops over the summer. She encourages prospective international students to apply for the fall semester if they are able to.

“I know some people have decided to defer their application to the next semester, so in January,” DiGiovanni said. “I think mostly it’s because of legal problems, because they could not process their visas in time. But for the most part, I think once you have your visa and everything, everything is set, you just have to come here. TRU will definitely support new students in coming here.”

For students who are able to travel to Canada for the fall semester, the university will be providing each student with a 14-day mandatory quarantine plan, complete with airport pick-up, accommodations and the delivery of three meals a day.

“We are not only doing this to support our international students, but we are also a public institution,” Chadwick said. “Everything we’re doing… with the quarantine plan, we are making sure that not only are we protecting our students, but we also need, we have an obligation to protect our community.”