Reflections on Academia, Solidarity, and Support for Refugees

Image credit: Budapest Institute of Technology WikiMedia Commons/Dennis Jarvis

As civilians continue to be targeted by Russian armed forces in Ukraine, many are trying to leave their homes and find refuge in neighboring countries. In this difficult situation, governments, humanitarian organizations across the globe, as well as many individuals, are working on finding creative and effective ways to provide assistance and support to people on the move out of Ukraine, as well as those staying behind by choice or chance. However, many of these actions reveal and highlight unequal treatment of white migrants and refugees as compared to nonwhite ones. In the past few weeks, the news coverage from across the globe shows differences in attitudes towards people who have escaped conflicts in countries such as Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Cameroon, etc. Unfortunately, even academic institutions responded very differently to the Ukrainian refugees than any others before.

With the situation in Ukraine escalating, it became apparent that not only is academia inherently intertwined with politics, but that it also tends to strongly follow political trends. While refugees from countries such as Afghanistan continue to face challenges with access to refugee status and education in Europe, support for refugees from Ukraine has been admirably generous. It is nothing new that universities mobilize to support people fleeing an ongoing conflict, but the level of support that has been mobilized for Ukraine in a short period of time is hardly comparable to what we have seen for refugees from countries in Africa or the Middle East.

NAFSA: Association of International Educators is the world's largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange. In a statement issued on March 4, 2022, they labeled the invasion of Ukraine as a “shameful act of aggression” and provided an extended list of resources for all Ukrainian students in the US and abroad. The European Association for International Education quickly announced that it “stands in solidarity with Ukraine” while even the Canadian Bureau for International Education stated that its members support people of Ukraine in their “right to live in peace and to freely choose their future within their own independent and indivisible country.” Universities in countries bordering Ukraine have been very quick to offer financial assistance, temporary placements, and access to facilities to students and academics fleeing Ukraine. For example, Budapest University of Technology, “helps the students affected by the Ukrainian crisis with dormitory accommodation and scholarship. The institution offers help for people fleeing from Ukraine as well.” Similarly, the Technical University of Moldova has announced that it will provide accommodation and assistance to refugees from Ukraine. Even academic institutions in Western Europe have extended their offer for support to students. The University of Zurich in Switzerland stated that it is “open to students and researchers who need to leave Ukraine”, advising them to contact academic network Scholars at Risk. Similarly, Oxford International Education Group is offering free English language and cultural preparation courses for Ukrainian nationals arriving into the country.

In addition to academic institutions’ support, the EU interior ministers agreed to apply the Temporary Protection Directive to Ukrainians seeking refuge in EU countries. The Biden administration announced it will grant temporary protected status to some Ukrainians living in the United States. The speed at which these permits and support were granted is impressive, and should serve as an example of how much can and should be done for ALL refugees, not just those fleeing a European country.

It is beyond doubt that the emergency mobilization is a welcome and necessary move because an institution as formative and essential to society as academia should use its considerable strengths to the benefit of those in dire need. However, the same desire to move beyond assumed limitations is why it is necessary to extend this mobilization to all, and not a subset of the population deemed worthy of aid, due to social/cultural proximity. While we stand with the people of Ukraine, we urge our own University and others across the globe to take a close look at their responses and capacity to support those in need. If all institutions provided equal amounts of support for refugees from other countries, we would be able to move the world at least an inch closer to the equality we, as academic institutions, claim to stand for.

Originally published on IFD website: https://www.ifd.bu.edu/post/reflections-on-academia-solidarity-and-support-for-refugees