The University of Toronto is extending applications for academic enrollment to allow students affected by president Trump’s temporary ban an opportunity to study at the university.
There have been 1,425 undergraduate applicants from the United States this year in comparison to the 784 applications from last year. U of T has also seen an increase of applications from Iran—one of the countries affected by the ban.
In an interview with The Medium, Sandy Welsh, U of T’s vice-provost stated, “We’re part of a global academic community […]. We know many of our students and faculties are affected by this, and they’re attending conferences at the U.S. We effectively want to make sure to reach out to those who are affected.”
“Targeting and restricting the travel of individuals on the basis of their nationality or their birth place is not what U of T stands for, and is antithetical to our values,” she added.
In addition to the university, some departments at UTM have emailed their students regarding the effect of the ban. Edward Schatz, the chair of the Department of Political Science, sent out a mass email to political science students on February 7, citing the importance of listening to one another, analyzing the recent incidents, and interacting with “compassion and understanding.”
“Please recognize that there are people in our UTM community directly affected by these actions south of the border. They need our understanding and our support,” wrote Schatz.
Schatz also conceded that students should reach out to Muslims as well as those who do not practice the same faith as them.
“We live in troubling times, but some things do not change: we are stronger when we take the time to understand each other,” he added. “Whatever the outcome of that particular battle, there will be others in the future. Be educated, be prepared, be compassionate.”
According to Welsh, U of T “hasn’t made any decisions” regarding when the extended applications’ deadline will be, as of press time.
Besides U of T, according to a CBC article on February 2, “Students affected by U.S. travel ban can apply for free at University of Calgary,” the University of Calgary is taking measures to assist those affected by the ban. The University of Calgary has waived admission application fees, worth $45, for citizens of the seven countries affected by the U.S. travel ban.
