(Blog) The needs of institutional interventions for Ph.D. international students

If you are in crisis and would like to talk to someone, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text “HELLO” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741. Both services are free, confidential, and available 24/7.

 

Sometimes, tragic incidents prompt actions that would, in turn, make meaningful and life-saving changes. For example, we have seen how the killing of George Floyd triggered national movements against anti-Black racism. Big global companies like Apple, Google, and Nike announced their commitments to support HBCUs across the country by building partnerships and donating significant amounts for years. In the same vein, hate against Asian American Pacific Islanders including killings of Asian women in Atlanta made people unite and stand against racism. 

 

Unfortunately, though, not all death has received the attention that it deserves, or it seems that higher education institutions do not appreciate the gravity of the situation.

 

In 2019, a doctoral candidate at the University of Florida hung himself in the campus building. Huixiang Chen, a Ph.D. candidate from China, left the suicide note to the friend and it was later published online titled Huixiang Voice on Medium.

 

According to the Huixiang Voice, a toxic relationship with the student’s advisor, Tao Li, is the culprit of the student’s suicide. Professor Li and Chen had worked together for the paper to present at one of the conferences. Dr. Li pushed the student hard to fix the paper that has “very severe issues” and Chen testified in a note that “if I destroy his reputation, he will kill me. He said this is his bottom line.”

 

An abusive advising relationship is not new for Ph.D. students. However, international students are especially vulnerable for several reasons. First, it is difficult to speak up for foreign students against a power imbalance because the visa status is tied to their academic performances. Immigration regulations require that Form I-20s for academically disqualified students be terminated. When it happens, students have a short period of time to pack and leave the country. If they have dependents, more burdens will be added.

 

Second, international students who are from a culture where individuals have learned to show respect to elders would have a hard time breaking the unhealthy relationship with their advisors. InsideHigherEd reported Indian students were required to do housework for their professors in 2018. Furthermore, two Chinese female students filed a lawsuit and accused a professor of bullying and sexual misconduct in 2019. 

 

Last but not least, as most international students are away from their families, they have little to no social and emotional support. Unlike students who could consult what they are going through to their families and get appropriate interventions, students from overseas are often pressured to hide bad news. Instead, more often than not, international students tend to solve issues by themselves. Non-existent social and emotional cushions are one of the culprits of unfortunate incidents.

 

Let’s circle back to the recent tragedy that happened at the University of Florida. Who is accountable for Huixiang Chen’s death? It is hard to blame the student’s visa status, culture, or the fact that he is away from his family. To protect international students, higher education institutions need to design and implement intervention programs. From the next paragraph, three intervention program examples for international graduate students will be suggested, based on the existing program examples and helpful statistics.

 

First, from the vantage point that stipend and assistantship are directly impacted by the advisor-student relationship, having a flexible financial safety net for international students is important. One of the great examples might be the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)’s a transitional funding program that launched this March. A transitional funding program guarantees one semester of no-string-attached funding for doctoral and combined master’s and doctoral program students at MIT. On top of the funding, students who apply for the program will be assigned to a transitional-support coordinator who can assist them in finding new advisors and making a smooth transition. 

 

Second, diversity training combined with wellness programming should be available for faculty and staff. According to the report by the Boston University School of Public Health, the Healthy Minds Network, and the Mary Christie Foundation, around 80% of professors had individual meetings with students regarding mental health crises. However, less than 30% of faculty members had previous training experiences from their institutions. What is more, more than 60% of respondents wanted to have mandatory training sessions for all faculty members to better advise students who undergo mental issues. The bottom line is that there is a strong need for training sessions or programs for higher education professionals and practitioners that touch upon academic misconduct, diversity, and mental health. 

 

Lastly, facilitating peer training is another great intervention strategy for international students at risk. A nonprofit organization, Active Minds, found that around 67% of young adults tend to share that “they are feeling suicidal” to their friends “before anyone else.” Anecdotal evidence of Huixiang Chen that he told his friend about how his advisor threatened him before he committed suicide underscores the research finding. Therefore, providing information sessions about campus resources on mental health and how to navigate the toxic advising relationship could empower students to support each other.

To sum, toxic advising relationship has been an issue for decades and international graduate students are especially vulnerable because of their visa status, culture, and lack of social support. To provide a healthy learning environment for them and save lives, higher education institutions should take necessary actions, including funding opportunities and training sessions for students, faculty, and staff. 

 

Writer’s bio:

Hanna is currently a SEVIS and International Services Coordinator at SUNY Oswego. She received her B.A. in Mass Communication and Journalism from SungKyunKwan University and Ed.M. in Higher Education Administration from University at Buffalo. Hanna also runs the website (sevissavvy.com) where she shares her expertise in F-1 and J-1 visa regulations and updates in Chinese, English and Korean for international students.