The partial federal government shutdown during the budget balancing disagreements caused travel problems for some SIUC international students returning to the United States, a University official says.

The budget impasse between White House Democrats and Congressional Republicans caused shutdowns in some federal agencies, including those agencies needed by people traveling into and out of the United States, during the semester break.

Carla Coppi, associate director of International Students and Scholars, said international students who went home for the semester break or will be attending SIUC for the first time this semester got caught in the middle of the budget war.

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Coppi said because the U.S. Embassies and Consulates were closed during the government shutdown, international students were prevented from getting visas to enter the United States. She said now that the agencies are open, the students are rushing around and standing in lines.

It’s very frustrating for them, she said. It’s scary if they don’t have a visa and try to make the journey anyway and wonder if they can even get off the plane.

Coppi said some students have been calling from overseas because they do not know what to do. She said if students are not able to get to the University for the first week of classes, they will have to defer this semester’s admission to a later semester for academic reasons.

They can’t miss a full week of class and not fall behind, she said.

Coppi said it is impossible to tell how many students have been affected by the delay, but she said 86 international students have made it to their new student orientation.

Charles van Rossum, coordinator of Student Development, said the 86 international students who have made it are out of about 100, but he said no students have called saying they would arrive late. He said a memo was sent to the academic deans and department chairs to notify them that there is the potential of students arriving late.

Albert Kent, president of the Faculty Senate, said most of the faculty is aware of the international students’ problems. He said because the Faculty Senate will not meet this semester until February, nothing was decided in this case, but he said the faculty will be understanding of the student’s problems.

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