September 26, 2005
More overt discrimination against international students
It seems that international students and other concerned organisations have made an impact on Nelson to have him worried about the services that should be provided to international students. But the move he has made to allow universities to charge international students fees ‘under the table’ is anything but a productive change.
NLC, NUS and CAPA have been vehemently voicing out against VSU. I have feared that the legislation as is, would already allow for a wedge to be placed between international students and local students. As the legislation stands, the university is required to provide certain services for international students. The legislation has merely been vague as to who would be providing the resources for those services. I’ve been of the opinion that if the bill is silent on where the money is to come from, the university CAN and WILL charge international students a fee for the compulsory services. This would potentially cause a situation where international and local students are overtly differentiated and separated in an obvious manner. Institutionalised discrimination – call it what you will, but it’s a reality. I recall debating this issue with another member of NLC, who claimed that they certainly wouldn’t be stupid enough to drive a wedge between local and international students that way.
This aforementioned discussion took place at a VSU debate in Swinburne University about 2 months ago. Apart from making the usual commentaries about services and the network of clubs and societies that are the general arguments against international students about VSU, I also stated my opinion that VSU will bring Australian universities into an era of open discrimination. Can you imagine what it would feel like being an Australian student in a university, needing help with essay writing skills and being denied them because your student ID didn’t have ‘international student’ written on it? My views were received with a few raised eyebrows then, but now?
It’s as though my worst nightmare has become a reality. I feared the worst when the legislation didn’t specify where the money for these services was to come from. I don’t have to fear it now. I KNOW it’s coming out of my pocket, and the pockets of my fellow international students.
So what’s the way forward for an organisation like NLC? It seems likely that the legislation will go through. It seems unfair – and not to mention, a hotbed for discrimination – if we are to be the only ones receiving services that local students also require. But it also seems to be taking the concept of the ‘international cashcow’ to an all new level if not only are we essentially funding the HECS places of local students (read: international students bring high levels of revenue into Australia and to universities – and the government keeps cutting funding to universities) but also the services on campus. Do we defend our own and open the gateway to overt institutionalised discrimination? Or do we become good Samaritans and pour our own money into providing services to local students when the government of Victorian and New South Wales don’t even see fit to allow for public transport concession for international students?
It seems that either way, international students are set for a few more injustices on their palate.
fon @ Monday, September 26, 2005 link to post * *