Abstract
This article discusses the impact of COVID-19 on a cohort of international students studying at one Australian university and the efforts made by social work academics to assist these students through a challenging and distressing time between December 2019 and July 2020. International social work students usually rely on scholarships and casual employment to support themselves while studying. Nonetheless, the Australian government made no financial provisions for international students when the COVID-19 pandemic struck leaving many students without any means of support. Students from all parts of the world attend Griffith University, located in south-east Queensland, Australia, including students from Wuhan, China, where the first known outbreak of COVID-19 was identified. Shame, anxiety, racism and concerns related to the wellbeing of families overseas were superimposed onto their own health concerns and day-to-day survival while still seeking to maintain academic progress. Material and emotional support were provided through the establishment of a food bank and the development of a case management model to address the needs of students. A COVID-19 Alternative Placement course and a field education student hub supported academic success during the health emergency. These interventions developed independently as a crisis response and were merged into a multi-pronged, coordinated approach that included collaborations with other sections of the university and the community. A School working committee was established to co-ordinate interventions to address individual student need that included crisis intervention, referrals to internal and external resources, and developing communities of support. The journey traveled by students and academics and the lessons learned from this experience are described, all of which are relevant to future health emergencies including the value of involving social work in university preparedness planning. The article concludes that intensive support can enhance resilience while supporting students’ own survival strategies, and, importantly, how such efforts can minimize, as far as possible, disruption to academic progress.
Highlights
Australian Universities have undergone a series of transformations in the last sixty years moving from independence to corporate models of delivery dependent on ever-decreasing government funding and increasing student contributions
Natural leaders emerged in this space alongside a domestic student on placement in the Lynne Richardson Community Centre, located near one of the university campuses, who worked with international student leaders and academic staff providing food for the foodbank and emergency relief
Instead the Australian Government, in contradiction to their focus on the economy and the significant contribution international students make to the Australian economy and to universities, left international students to fend for themselves in the midst of a global pandemic (Firang, 2020; Gibson and Moran, 2020)
Summary
Australian Universities have undergone a series of transformations in the last sixty years moving from independence to corporate models of delivery dependent on ever-decreasing government funding and increasing student contributions. A crisis response was initiated which included material, emotional and academic support delivered via a foodbank, a student field education hub and a social work health clinic (Gallagher et al, 2020). Natural leaders emerged in this space alongside a domestic student on placement in the Lynne Richardson Community Centre, located near one of the university campuses, who worked with international student leaders and academic staff providing food for the foodbank and emergency relief Another student in a student ambassador role assisted with other support and information about rental accommodation and access to counseling. On the 16th April, social work academics who had initiated and led the development of the food bank, case management, student hub and alternative placements developed from rapid responses to crises, came together in a co-ordinated, collegial approach forming the School Working Committee in Support of International Students. As confidential and personal information was likely to be discussed about particular student circumstances, students were not included on the committee in the interests of privacy, and confidentiality
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