The University of Ottawa has decided to ban all international university-related travel for the rest of 2020 cancelling all exchange student programs for the fall semester. Students who were set to participate in exchanges in the fall will be offered a number of different alternative options.
The seven University of Ottawa students on exchange in Hong Kong are safe amid escalating violence between protesters and police, the university says. Meanwhile, several universities across the country are urging their students to leave the city.
“It’s the stuff (Canadians) think is normal that is hard for us. You can get resources for the big things, but no one is around to tell us how the recycling system works or what long johns are … I think that is where the school has been a big help.”—Ajit Maheswari, international student in software engineering.
“It’s (an opportunity) to welcome all international students from all over the world and it’s a chance for Canadians to meet international students as well and mingle and learn about different cultures,” explained Natalie Morris, a representative from U of O’s International Office.
On average, there are five advisors taking appointments at a time, two advisors at the front desk, and two advisors taking phone calls. For an undergraduate body of over 9,000 students, it is not humanly possible for two operators to field incoming calls from every student. This system is made to fail.
In response to the travel ban issued by the United States government against seven Muslim-majority countries, the University of Ottawa has announced that it will be taking measures to assist students affected by this executive order.
The hardest part about being back in Ottawa is just moving on. It feels like things were on pause here while I was gone and now I have to pick everything back up where I left off.
On Nov. 18 the University of Ottawa hosted a delegation from Belgium’s Université catholique de Louvain, where the two schools officially introduced a new master’s double-degree in criminology.
