International students at Dal face tough housing search

University acknowledges more support is needed.

International student enrolment hits record high. Photo: Miles Kenyon

Ann Harvey has heard the woes of new students at the Dalhousie International Centre from her position behind the front desk.

"Apartment-hunting when you're not in the city is difficult; apartment hunting when you're not in the country and it's in a different language is a little more difficult," she says.

She's not only a student assistant at the Centre — she's also an international student from the United States.

International students now make up 12 per cent of Dalhousie's total student population. According to statistics from the university, that's the largest that cohort has ever been.

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Employees at the International Centre work to create a welcoming environment for incoming students. Photo: Miles Kenyon

Enrolment Breakdown

 

• Total countries represented at Dal: 110
• Greatest amount of students from: China, Middle East and the Americas
• Faculties with greatest number of international students: Management, engineering and science

 

Services the International Centre provides

• Information on study and work permits
• Conversational English classes
• International Student Friendship Program
• Cross-cultural learning

Bonnie Neuman, vice-president of Dalhousie Student Services reports in an email interview, "The increase in international students is a deliberate strategy." These students bring a wealth of knowledge and experience and Neuman hopes that ultimately, they will decide to put down roots in Nova Scotia.

Only first-year students are guaranteed on-campus residence, which some think is inadequate.

"There's no room for short-term exchange students," says Yin Juan who is visiting Dalhousie from China. She had to find her apartment online, using resources from the International Centre.

"It's unfair."

To ensure new students don't end up with shady landlords, the International Centre offers a slew of resources, including specific questions to ask when viewing a potential home, but that still doesn't solve the problem.

Opening their doors

For students coming to Canada, the International Centre is their first point of contact.

Pam Williams, manager of the centre, says her aim is to "help international students transition and adjust here." However, she says the increase in students has meant a higher workload for her staff to shoulder. As students are making more appointments for counseling, they need to hire more advisers.

But increased services require increased funds.

Last spring, the provincial government told Dalhousie that there were limitations to how much they could raise tuition fees for international students - instead of the seven per cent Dalhousie suggested, they had to settle for 3.5 per cent.

Last year, international students paid tuition surcharges of $3,630.00. Rough estimates place this year's surcharges at $3,757.00, although an exact number from Dalhousie as unavailable.

Building new residence spaces has not escaped the notice of the administration.

"We do recognize that the international students are in a unique position and a lot more plans are being made to help international students find housing on campus," says Kewoba Carter, the Hospitality Coordinator at Dalhousie Student Services.

The International Centre will be hiring more staff soon, and a new residence will hopefully house young minds in the next few years. But Neuman says that because they didn't get all the extra income they had anticipated, they "can't do quite as much, quite as fast" and will be waiting for "government decisions" before deciding if they will raise tuition rates again for next year.

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