The international community at Michigan State University marked years of persistence and hard work when the International Students Association headquarters held its grand opening Friday.
The headquarters, located on the bottom floor of the International Center across from the Spartan Bookstore, will serve as a space for international students and organizations at MSU to gather.
Before the ribbon cutting ceremony, a few speakers gave insights into the creation of the headquarters, speaking to international students and other community members on campus who gathered for the celebration.
Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Thomas Jeitschko thanked those who advocated for the headquarters and reaffirmed the university’s support for all international students.
"I want to reinforce MSU's commitment to making this an inclusive university where every member can feel safe, welcome and supported," Jeitschko said. "This includes all of you here today and all of our international students. I also want to reassure you that MSU’s core values will not change, regardless of what happens in Washington or elsewhere."
Associate Dean for International Studies and Programs Titus Awokuse said he could relate to many of the international students there today, as he himself was once an international student.
"I don't think this will come as a surprise to you that international students, international scholars, have been part of Michigan State University for a very long time," Awokuse said. "We had our first batch of international students in 1873, four of them, and that was only 18 years after the university actually started."
Awokuse said that both himself and others at International Studies and Programs are very excited to see international students take advantage of this new space.
"Now have a dedicated space, your own headquarters where you can come together and spend time with each other during various hours during the day and hopefully in the evenings," he said.
Awokuse ended his speech by calling upon all international students to continue to provide feedback and ideas to the administration.
"The only way we can know how to better serve you and support you is by hearing from you," he said. "It's very important that we hear about your viewpoints on the challenges that you are facing."
Assistant Vice President of Student Life and Engagement Genyne Royal also had a hand in making this space come to fruition.
She said the idea for the headquarters began around three years ago when she was approached by a previous ISA president, Nikunj Agarwal, who asked her to create a space for international students.
Royal and Agarwal began exploring potential areas to implement this space until they settled on the International Center, she said.
"We came in this building and Nikunj talked about what this building meant to all of the international students, and we started to talk about the opportunities within this space," she said. "What could we do in this space to find something that would be home for all of our international students?"
Royal said she made two promises to Agarwal: She would do everything she could to make this happen, and he would be gone before it would come to fruition.
"And I had to tell him that, because one of the things that I've learned about students here is when y'all ask for something, y'all want it, and y'all want it right now, and it never happens," she said. "Things never happen as quickly as you all expect."
They continued work after he graduated, occasionally updating him on progress, Royal said.
And now that space exists today for students to enjoy.
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Royal stressed that students shouldn’t feel like they always have to fight to get what they want.
"Sometimes the reality of life is there are some things that all of us have to fight for, but there are also some of us here who just want to work with you, to get some of these things in space and in place for you, and this is a perfect example of that, right?" she said.
International Student Association President Celia Madrid said that the ISA headquarters will provide a safe and welcoming space for all international students.
"It will provide support for international students who may just need a familiar face to connect with someone who understands exactly what they're going through in their college journey, leaving home at an early age, sometimes not even 18 years old, crossing oceans and sometimes even continents, it's not easy, but the ISA room is a place where all those challenges can be shared, understood and validated," Madrid said.
Office for International Students and Scholars Director Krista Beatty, who is also the ISA adviser, challenged the crowd to be like Agarwal.
"Be a Nikunj," she said. "Do something now that will make it better when you leave."
