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Wednesday, August 22, 2018
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT-RUN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1885
SDSU COLLEGIAN.COM
Stuck for the summer
IAN LACK • The Collegian
Left, junior Kaveen Jayamanna from Sri Lanka has stayed in the country for the past two summers to conserve money and avoid visa complications. Grace Kavunge from Ivory Coast, Africa, a junior economics major, was able to return home and visit her family this summer after two years. Kathy Oh spent her first summer in America this year learning English through the ESL program.
Finance, legality disrupt international students’ plans to go home IAN LACK Senior News Reporter
F
or college students, summer break often means returning home to family and friends and choosing between work and fun. International students at South Dakota State are faced
with a different choice for the summer: stay in the U.S. or travel thousands of miles to return home. For the more than 750 international students, returning to their home for the summer months can sometimes cost thousands of dollars. Some avoid the chance to see loved ones again out of
fear that their return home could put them at risk of being denied entry to the U.S. for unforeseen legal reasons. This is the case for junior Kaveen Jayamanna from Sri Lanka. Jayamanna arrived in Brookings in 2016 to study electrical engineering. Jayamanna said he has not re-
turned to Sri Lanka primarily because the cost of travel would be too great. “I would also miss work here and lose the chance to earn money so that I have to buy insurance, new books and stuff for the next semester,” he said. “I don’t want have to ask my parents for money when I’m here.”
Jaymanna said he also fears complications could arise with his visa when he attempts to return to the U.S. that would cause him to miss school. He said he dreads having to reapply for a visa. Continued to A8