Students have reported mixed reactions after the Center for Global Study & Engagement (CGSE) has announced that it would no longer provide storage to international students over summer breaks.

The decision was announced in an email sent by Sonja Paulson, director of international student & scholar services, on Monday, March 5. “The Center for Global Study & Engagement is working with Zeigler’s to offer summer storage for international students. Students will be responsible for their own boxes and for the cost of storage,” the email reads.

In previous years, the college provided free storage for students who hailed from abroad. Last year the college worked with Zeigler’s Storage & Transfer, Inc. to provide summer storage for international students. Zeigler’s previously came to campus to transport the students’ boxed items to their storage facility. Two years ago, international students stored their property in PODS, through the company PODS, which were then stored in Harrisburg.

Samantha Brandaur, associate provost and executive director of CGSE said, “It made more sense to use our human resources or staff time and financial resources in more strategic ways. Thus, a decision was made to get CGSE out of managing storage for international students.”

Brandauer further explained that Dickinson was an outlier compared to other colleges by “both arranging and still paying for storage for international students.”

Zeshi Wang ’20, an international student from China, confirmed Brandauer’s claim and explained that “I asked my friends at other colleges and they all told me international students manage their own storage over summer [so] I think this decision is fair.”

Domestic students from the West Coast area of the United States also feel that the change in policy is fair.

“I cannot take all of my belongings back to California for every summer break so I have to pay for storage,” said Faviola Saucedo ’19. “I think if the college does not provide the option of free storage to all students who need it [then] it should not be offered to just some students.”

Sophie Martin ’21, a domestic student from New Mexico, shared Saucedo’s sentiment. “I am over a thousand miles away and I don’t get free storage. I feel like it should be free depending on how far away you live, not just if you are international.”

Not all international students, however, expressed happiness with CGSE’s decision.

Nicole Tamvaka ’20, an international student from Greece, said that the removal of free storage for international students was “just one more example of how Dickinson treats international students…we are often left helpless and feeling that we are not cared for nor matter in this school.”

Aboody Rumman ’20, an international student from Pakistan, expressed discontent with the reasons given for the change in policy, “They [the CGSE] explained reasons for the decision. But hardly any of them make sense.”

Brandauer, however, maintained that CGSE would  support international students by “paying for those students who demonstrate need.” She went on to say that this “need” would be determined with the Office of Financial Aid and that CGSE is still “facilitating a process with Ziegler Storage for those who want to opt into it.”

Tamvaka also expressed other concerns regarding the boxes given to students for storage. “…the boxes we will have to buy this year are smaller than the ones we had last year so we will have to pay more money since we will need more than 3 boxes.”

“Things will definitely get harder [for international students],” Rumman said about the lack of free summer storage, “I’m at a loss of words. I haven’t even told my parents about this.”