The Others: Equitable Access, International Students, and the Community College

Abstract

This qualitative investigation explains the ways in which community college decision makers justify the inclusion of international students at three community colleges in the United States. We identify and explain the ways in which decision makers rationalize institutional policy—particularly recruitment strategies and motivations—related to international students, and discuss whether these policies could be considered ethical in a globalized context. Importantly, we conclude that community college decision makers first crafted a class of privileged international students and then justified price discrimination on the basis of said privilege. This vicious circle, we call the international access paradox, prevented decision makers from recognizing or responding to the needs of low socioeconomic status (SES) international students and international students from disadvantaged countries.

Recruitment of International Students Through a Synthesis of English as a Second Language Instruction, Social Justice, and Service Learning

“…There is an overarching expectation that increasing the presence of international students on campus affords all students with opportunities to refine their international competence and, consequently, participate more meaningfully in today’s interconnected world (Hudzik & Simon, 2012 ), making them more marketable in the global labor market (Kahn & Agnew, 2017 ). On a more institutional level, enrolling international students may bring financial benefits to universities through increasing the number of students paying higher out-of-state tuition at public institutions and compensating for declining domestic enrollment at many private institutions (Viggiano et al, 2018 ). International students are also likely to utilize auxiliary services such as student housing, further strengthening the revenue stream (Johnson et al, 2018 ).…”

Contributors to the Successful Transfer of International Community College Students

“…CRT emphasizes that the dominant group benefits from civil rights legislation more than underrepresented groups (Ladson-Billings, 2005). Viggiano et al (2017) argue that international students have been used as a tool to improve the educational experiences of domestic students without paying much attention to the experience of international students themselves. Furthermore, these students are labeled as a privileged group to justify the tuition price discrimination.…”

“…The racist nativism framework was created from CRT to investigate the connection between anti-immigrant discourse and the racialization of non-natives (Huber, 2011). In the context of this study, the overlap between racist nativism and CRT exposes the false narrative that depicts international students as a privileged group, financially advantaged (Viggiano et al, 2017), and justifies the extra burdens added on them (Hiraldo, 2010). As Viggiano et al (2017) stated, international students in the community college system "were used as placeholders and subsidizers" (p. 12) for domestic students and argue that the othering of international students can negatively impact their sense-of-belonging and subsequently their campus engagement.…”

“…Much of the literature on international community college students defends the increase in recruitment by highlighting the financial benefits and the educational gains to domestic students (Hagedom & Zhang, 2013). This approach was criticized by Viggiano et al (2017) who assert that this way of thinking defeats the purpose of international education and excludes international students from the social mission of the community college system. Viggiano et al (2017) conducted a qualitative study to explore the ways administrators rationalize the inclusion of international students at three U.S. community colleges.…”

“…It is not equitable to recruit international students from different education systems and expect them to navigate the complexity of community colleges and reach their academic goals without targeted institutional support. There is a moral obligation for community colleges to adhere to their own values of inclusion, social justice, and equity and create an equitable environment for international students (Viggiano et al, 2017).…”