Since the issuance of the executive order of January 27th, the ban and heavy travel regulations targeting 7 majority-Muslim countries have caused chaos and uproar nationwide. While many travelers, even those with legal visas and green cards find themselves detained at airports, others have been sent back to where they flew in from, sending waves of panic and distress through many citizens of many different nations.  Despite the temporary freezing of the enforcement of Trump’s order, the dust is far from settled.  It has affected many people, and college students are certainly no exception. Those who will be returning to their majority-Muslim home countries after the end of their current semester have been advised not to do so. Many colleges are trying to lend a hand, though.

One such institution is Pennsylvania’s Lafayette College, located in the suburban area of Easton. Following the increasing trend of colleges that are responding to the travel ban, Lafayette College Provost Abu Rizvi announced that the institution would be providing special services to all students who were directly affected by the president’s order. The announcement came in the form of a campus-wide email, stating that the college would be offering free housing for affected students. These students would also be receiving pro bono legal advice from a law firm located in Philadelphia. The email also made clear many policies regarding the affected students, including one that instructed the general public “not to ask students about students’ visa or immigration status or to act on the basis of that knowledge.” Prior to the email, many students had voiced their concerns, a topic which had been addressed by Lafayette’s student government.

As the free housing is only available to students who are being directly affected by the ban, each individual’s eligibility will be determined on a “case by case basis,” stated Rizvi. He added, though, that the “college will, in ‘good faith,’ do the best it can” when it comes to helping students in need. As of now, the college has not determined what specifically will go into deciding the eligibility of each student applicant. As Rizvi stated “I can’t say that we have well-developed criteria or thoughts on that.”

Lafayette students are responding to their college’s recent announcement in different ways. While the president of Lafayette’s student government described it as “very reassuring” that the college was doing its part to help and that it responded to their requests so promptly, not everyone is so sure.  One student expressed concerns that limiting free housing to students affected by the ban would not be fair.  Another student, who would not be allowed to return to the U.S. if the executive order were left in place, was thankful for the free legal assistance, which he would use to get some clarification as news reports aren’t always clear.