Various issues regarding the rights and expectations of university care for international students were discussed at Sunday night’s Student Government Association meeting. Multiple proposed resolutions addressed several of the presented issues.

Resolution 018, sponsored by Senator-at-Large Yamundow Camara, addressed concerns about the recently implemented Curricular Practical Training (CPT) program for Management Information Sciences graduate students.

To review: CPT programs assist international students in obtaining necessary internships and work experience in their field of study without violating their F-1 visas.

Camara explained, “The way it’s set up, the classes that students are supposed to take to be eligible for the CPT program are taken in their first or second semester. So, by the time they get to their last semester where they’re supposed to take it, it’s already too late.”

The SGA adopted Camara’s resolution to address the issues seen in the CPT program for MIS graduate students.

Another resolution, 019, was tabled until the next meeting. The resolution, also sponsored by Camara, discussed concerns international students expressed about the lack of direct interaction between UIS Health Service and the university-provided health insurance.

When arriving to UIS, students are told that they will not be able to register for classes until they obtain their immunizations. According to International Student Senator Wei Jin, many international students get those procedures done as quickly as possible, meaning their student insurance might not be in effect.

What followed for several students was “three months of waiting” to resolve the issue of reimbursement between the student, UIS Health Services, and the school-provided insurance. As described by Camara, the international students had to act as a “medium” between Health Services and their insurance.

Jin, who works for the Office of Human Resources, pointed out several factual inaccuracies in resolution 019, leading to it being tabled.

“I understand the whole process can be complicated, especially for international students,” Jin said, “and I totally understand the whole heart of this resolution, but I think there are some revisions you need to make.”

Another concern for international students was the lack of adequate transportation between the UIS campus and Chatham Hills Apartments, a complex in southwest Springfield where “a large population of students” live, according to SGA President Austin Mehmet.

As discussed in the meeting, driving directly from Chatham Hills to campus takes roughly 13 minutes. When on Springfield Mass Transit District (SMTD) buses, the commute takes an hour and a half because of the additional stops.

“[The] SMTD budget has been cut,” Cynthia Thompson, staff advisor to the SGA, said, “so now is not the time to be demanding anything with them.”

Mehmet proposed the possibility of the school providing a Chatham Hills shuttle, similar to the Shopping Shuttle that takes students to the various stores along Veterans Parkway.

“This isn’t something SMTD should be focusing on. This is a university problem,” Mehmet said. “[International students] are providing us a huge amount of revenue. The least we can do is provide them a bus from here to there.”

As the discussion was not connected to a resolution, the issue was not voted on.

The Feb. 5 SGA meeting has been canceled. The next scheduled meeting will be on Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. in the PAC TV Studio.