Although I’m an international student, I grew up learning English, and to my chagrin, I speak it better than Bengali, my mother tongue. My whole life — including while I’ve been a student at Syracuse University — people have always been startled when I talk because they don’t expect me to speak English as well as I do. It used to surprise me that, because I’m not from the U.S., others would assume I don’t speak English well.

I have come across many forms of microaggressions and stereotypical comments like this as an international student at SU. These comments range from how my ethnicity doesn’t match what they think I should look like, to how I seem westernized compared to other international students. Common stereotypes illustrate that many people think that international students fit a specific mold. 

College should be a place where differences are accepted and even celebrated, but at SU, differences make international students targets of racist remarks, actions and microaggressions. The Syracuse community must be more considerate and respectful of international students.

Shivani Reddy, a rising senior at SU, said she also regularly faces microaggressions like being told she speaks English well. She told me about a particular moment she had on campus where she experienced this type of stereotyping, when a guy exclaimed “Oh, so you’re the international one!” and proceeded to ask what Reddy said were “peculiar questions.”

Reddy said that people are always asking her questions and making comments. “There is a fascination with international students,” she said. She even was once asked “Do you have an air conditioner in India?” — a question that has stuck with her because of how invasive she found it to be. Reddy, like many other international students on our campus constantly bombarded with questions, felt her privacy invaded by his intrusive comments.

These instances might not sound like a big deal, but for international students, stereotypical questions and comments can be extremely rude and pervasive. 

Jingge Zhao, another international student at SU, has also experienced racism and microaggressions in college. While playing the video game counter-strike, Zhao, who was using a Chinese alias, was yelled at for playing well. 

“I was playing well, and the other team got mad,” Zhao said. “They started to kind of yell at me for being Asian and used some slurs in the voice chat.”

Clearly there is still a lot of room on campus for improvement in the way the community treats international students. Racism and microaggressions are constantly present, even after the creation of the #NotAgainSU movement. SU community members must be more respectful and sensitive to international students.

Many SU community members know little about stereotyping and racism, even though it is easier to educate oneself in this day and age. There is so much information on the internet, in books and on social media, and it is the responsibility of our community to digest this information and change their own behavior.

But this coming semester brings an opportunity for change. Some international students are returning to campus for the first time in over a year, and the pandemic has given everyone an opportunity to reflect on the past. The SU community should use this opportunity to become more considerate of international students.

“A lot of us have stayed back, and were learning remotely,” Zhao said. “There can be some hiccups with returning to in-person learning. I hope the university can take this opportunity to make more inclusive events, and maybe take some time out of classes to help students transition back to this type of environment and learning.”

As we return to school for the fall semester, I hope the SU community has learned to respect international students so that these students feel accepted and welcomed during the entirety of their college career at SU.

Sourov Rayhan is a Junior English major. Their column appears biweekly. He can be reached at srayhan@syr.edu.

Published on August 9, 2021 at 7:25 pm