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Sunrise
No full textScannedII082SabaH is a Bosnian-language weekly newspaper that was published in the United States between December 1997 and October 2014. It was founded in Astoria, NY. In 2006, publishing was relocated to St. Louis, MO, but the newspaper continued its national distribution. A typical issue contains about 50 pages and features bold headlines and many photos, with articles from both Bosnia- and US-based contributors. SabaH was established to help Bosnian immigrants deal with life in their new home and keep them informed of events in their war-torn country. Its name translates to 'sunrise', symbolizing the arrival of a new generation of Bosnian immigrants in the US.Click on the blue Maximize button in the top right corner of each image to browse the pages of an issue. This project was made possible by a generous donation from Susan Powers of St. Louis, MO. Digitization is ongoing
Sunrise
No full textScannedII076SabaH is a Bosnian-language weekly newspaper that was published in the United States between December 1997 and October 2014. It was founded in Astoria, NY. In 2006, publishing was relocated to St. Louis, MO, but the newspaper continued its national distribution. A typical issue contains about 50 pages and features bold headlines and many photos, with articles from both Bosnia- and US-based contributors. SabaH was established to help Bosnian immigrants deal with life in their new home and keep them informed of events in their war-torn country. Its name translates to 'sunrise', symbolizing the arrival of a new generation of Bosnian immigrants in the US.Click on the blue Maximize button in the top right corner of each image to browse the pages of an issue. This project was made possible by a generous donation from Susan Powers of St. Louis, MO. Digitization is ongoing
Sunrise
No full textScannedII069SabaH is a Bosnian-language weekly newspaper that was published in the United States between December 1997 and October 2014. It was founded in Astoria, NY. In 2006, publishing was relocated to St. Louis, MO, but the newspaper continued its national distribution. A typical issue contains about 50 pages and features bold headlines and many photos, with articles from both Bosnia- and US-based contributors. SabaH was established to help Bosnian immigrants deal with life in their new home and keep them informed of events in their war-torn country. Its name translates to 'sunrise', symbolizing the arrival of a new generation of Bosnian immigrants in the US.Click on the blue Maximize button in the top right corner of each image to browse the pages of an issue. This project was made possible by a generous donation from Susan Powers of St. Louis, MO. Digitization is ongoing
Sunrise
No full textScannedII080SabaH is a Bosnian-language weekly newspaper that was published in the United States between December 1997 and October 2014. It was founded in Astoria, NY. In 2006, publishing was relocated to St. Louis, MO, but the newspaper continued its national distribution. A typical issue contains about 50 pages and features bold headlines and many photos, with articles from both Bosnia- and US-based contributors. SabaH was established to help Bosnian immigrants deal with life in their new home and keep them informed of events in their war-torn country. Its name translates to 'sunrise', symbolizing the arrival of a new generation of Bosnian immigrants in the US.Click on the blue Maximize button in the top right corner of each image to browse the pages of an issue. This project was made possible by a generous donation from Susan Powers of St. Louis, MO. Digitization is ongoing
Sunrise
No full textScannedIII109SabaH is a Bosnian-language weekly newspaper that was published in the United States between December 1997 and October 2014. It was founded in Astoria, NY. In 2006, publishing was relocated to St. Louis, MO, but the newspaper continued its national distribution. A typical issue contains about 50 pages and features bold headlines and many photos, with articles from both Bosnia- and US-based contributors. SabaH was established to help Bosnian immigrants deal with life in their new home and keep them informed of events in their war-torn country. Its name translates to 'sunrise', symbolizing the arrival of a new generation of Bosnian immigrants in the US.Click on the blue Maximize button in the top right corner of each image to browse the pages of an issue. This project was made possible by a generous donation from Susan Powers of St. Louis, MO. Digitization is ongoing
Sunrise
No full textScannedIII140SabaH is a Bosnian-language weekly newspaper that was published in the United States between December 1997 and October 2014. It was founded in Astoria, NY. In 2006, publishing was relocated to St. Louis, MO, but the newspaper continued its national distribution. A typical issue contains about 50 pages and features bold headlines and many photos, with articles from both Bosnia- and US-based contributors. SabaH was established to help Bosnian immigrants deal with life in their new home and keep them informed of events in their war-torn country. Its name translates to 'sunrise', symbolizing the arrival of a new generation of Bosnian immigrants in the US.Click on the blue Maximize button in the top right corner of each image to browse the pages of an issue. This project was made possible by a generous donation from Susan Powers of St. Louis, MO. Digitization is ongoing
University News - Volume 101, Issue 003 (November 18, 2022)
No full text24 pages.VOL. CI No. 3 / November 18th, 2022 UTHE UNIVERSITY NEWS it’s the most
wonderful
time of the
year?
Underrepresented Holidays at SLU p. 6
Gift Ideas on a Budget p. 7
Holiday Movies & Books p. 8
Seasonal Recipes p. 9
Diwali Celebration p. 12-13
Graphic by Evie Nguyen
Cover Design by Diana Jakovcevic
ince the start of the Russo-
Ukrainian War on Feb.
24, sophomore Mariya
Yasinovska has been
diligently following the
news of her home country
Ukraine. An English major at SLU
and an aspiring author, she was born
in Cherkasy, a city around 100 miles
south of Kyiv, the capital. She moved
to St. Louis last year when she began
attending SLU. Her family currently
lives in Iowa.
Yasinovska says she remembers
vividly the day Russian President
Vladimir Putin announced the military
operation in Ukraine in February of
this year.
“I remember exactly how I felt. I
remember my vision going black for a
few moments, because I was terrified
of what this would mean. It was really
hard to keep going about my day and
going to classes because I felt like my
world was ending. Honestly, that was
one of the hardest days of my life,”
Yasinovska said.
Since early in the invasion, Ukraine
has been effective at repelling
Russian attacks. More recently, they
have gradually taken back many of
the occupied territories. On Nov. 11,
they forced Russian troops out of
Snihurivka, a town in the Southern
region of Kherson. But, the military
remains alert as they fear Russian
troops could be taking time to
reorganize for eventual reoccupation.
Yasinovska has held an optimistic,
persevering attitude through various
phases of the war.
“Ukraine will win this war. After nine
months of fighting, that much is clear –
Russia thought Kyiv would fall in a day.
Putin expected Ukraine to be weak, but
now it’s the Russian government giving
up occupied territories and cutting its
losses,” Yasinovska said.
In total, the Ukrainian military has
forced the Russians into three major
retreats, according to The New York
Times’ article, Tears of Relief as
Ukrainian Soldiers Move Back Into
Kherson, “from north of the capital
Kyiv, last spring; from the northeastern
Kharkiv region in late summer; and
now from at least portions of the
western bank of the Dnipro River in
the south.”
Human Rights Watch has documented
several cases of Russian military
forces committing war crimes against
civilians in occupied areas. Russian
news reporters continue to justify
their aggressive, inhumane behaviors
as necessary by calling Ukrainian
citizens “neo-Nazis” and “terrorists.”
According to a platform run by
Russian and Ukrainian journalists
called Meduza, on Nov. 15, a Russian
journalist was fined for “discrediting”
the Russian army when saying, “You
can’t send a woman to the front.” The
official ruling was that a “front” can
only exist in a war, and since it is a
“special military operation,” it must be
referred to as a “line of contact.” This
displays the Russian government’s
refusal to acknowledge it as a true
war and the censorship it places on its
people.
Those who have spoken out and
protested the issue have been
arrested, tortured and, in some cases,
murdered by their government. An
article published by Human Rights
Watch states that “Russian authorities
have arbitrarily arrested thousands
of peaceful protesters at anti-war
rallies across Russia, in line with
their increasingly brutal crackdown
on those who disagree with Russia’s
military offensive in Ukraine.” The
director added, “Russian authorities
continue to deny people the right to
freedom of assembly and stifle the
voices of those who disagree with
Russia’s war in Ukraine. The escalating
police violence illustrates the length
to which Russian authorities will go to
intimidate and silence dissent.” This
magnifies President Putin’s acts of
terror as it highlights how unpopular
this war remains within Russia.
Many Russian people, who have
stood against this war from the very
beginning, have fled to avoid being
drafted. According to an article from
Meduza, the mother of a man named
Andrey Marchuk, who received draft
orders in late September of this year,
said, “In Zaitseve. Luhansk region.
Troitske district. They took them to a
hole there. There were no amenities in
the hole. A lot of guys there, they said,
who don’t want to fight. Refusers. They
pressured them and pressured them,
they’re not signing anything. They
don’t want to fight. What is there to
fight for, and with who?”
Russia’s actions have become a true
humanitarian crisis and continuously
defy universal moral laws. President
Putin hides his true intention to
establish a broad, Russian-dominated
security zone resembling the power
Moscow wielded in Soviet days
through his insistence that Ukraine
is fundamentally part of Russia,
culturally and historically, according
to a New York Times article.
“Having family both in the United
States and in Ukraine makes it easy
for me to always be in touch with
my culture and feel connected to my
heritage,” Yasinovska said. “We speak
Ukrainian at home. Always.”
Yasinovska says her family has helped
to preserve her relationship with her
culture.
“Now that I’m in college, I still wear
traditional Ukrainian clothes for
02 NEWS
By ASHLEIGH RYBSKI
Contributor
(Courtesy of Mariya Yasinovska) Christmas and Easter suppers when I go
home. I still call my grandparents and
my family,” she added.
This war has affected, and continues
to affect, millions of people in Ukraine
through forced evacuation, electrical
outages due to drone attacks, devastation
through bombings, or the rape, torture
and slaughter of innocent civilians.
Although it appeared that Russian
troops only looted buildings recently in
the town of Snihurivka, they continue to
commit heinous acts of terror in other
regions of the country.
“The majority of my family still lives in
Ukraine…my grandparents and aunt and
uncle’s family still live there. It’s been
very difficult watching my grandparents
go through this war. They have both
already been through so much, and I
wish so much I could visit them and hug
them both right now. They always stay
so positive, but their lives have not been
the same since February 24th, and will
never be the same again,” Yasinovska
said.
Globally, the war impacted various
countries, mainly through gas prices
and the cost of imported goods. U.S. and
European financial penalties have been
throttling banks and other businesses
in Russia, limiting the Russian
government’s ability to use its enormous
foreign currency reserves. A New York
Times article notes that President
Biden’s sanctions have prevented Russia
from importing American technology
critical to its defense. Ultimately, global
disapproval of Mr. Putin’s aggressive
acts has helped foster a united front.
“A lot of people try to make the war
into something political or economic.
But there are people dying every day.
Soldiers, civilians, mothers, children,”
Yasinovska said. “There are over seven
million displaced Ukrainians, and that
number keeps rising.”
The best way to stay informed,
Yasinovska says, is by digging deeper
than Twitter threads and social media
headlines and instead getting the news
from more credible and accurate sources,
including Ukrainian outlets.
“There are many popular US news
outlets that are not always accurate when
reporting about the war,” Yasinovska
said.
She adds that there are ways to also
support Ukrainians.
“Support Ukrainians by engaging with
their art, their online small businesses
and their online presence. Support
Ukraine by supporting the people
who have lost so much in this war,”
Yasinovska said.
From the Perspective of SLU
THE WAR ON UKRAINE
Sophomore Ma riya Yasinovska
S
News 03
poll conducted
by SLU YouGov,
a research group
at Saint Louis
University, found
that 48% of voters
would choose
to have the Missouri abortion
ban reversed. This statistic isn’t
representative of the landslide
victory of Republican pro-life
Senator-elect Eric Schmitt, in last
Tuesday’s midterm election win
over pro-choice candidate Trudy
Busch Valentine.
With a supermajority in the state
House and Senate, the Republicans
have a hold on Missouri. “You
don’t expect Democrats to win
in Missouri,” says freshman and
life-long Missouri resident, Jessica
Quin.
Most voters did not expect the
Democratic Senate candidate,
Valentine, to have a chance. It is
possible that her pro-choice stance
on abortion could have led to her
defeat given the other legislation
that straddled party lines, like
the legalization of recreational
marijuana.
“No Democrat is really going
to win statewide office [in
Missouri],” says Steven
Rogers, a member of
the research group
YouGov and political
science professor
at SLU, “She did
probably get some
votes from some
c o n s t i t u e n c i e s
because of how pro-choice
she was” he
added.
However, these votes
were not enough for
Valentine with a mere
868,000 votes compared
to Schmitt’s 1.1 million. With
the newly elected claiming their
seats, the question of whether there
will be any change for abortion
rights in Missouri remains.
“If you want something done on
abortion in Missouri, it is going to have
to be done by the initiative” Rogers said.
The initiative petition process gives
citizens the opportunity to submit an
issue they would like to be addressed in
the next general election and petition
for signatures before presenting it to the
Secretary of State. It then goes through
a series of certification assessments
before being put on the ballot for the
next general election. This is how
marijuana was legalized last Tuesday.
Because the Republicans in office
support the ban and little power is held
by the Democrats, there is nothing
other than the possible initiative
petition process to expect for abortion
rights being voted on in the next general
election. Unless the supermajority in
the Missouri House of Representatives
and Senate is diminished, it is unlikely
any Democratic issues will be passed.
Quin reminds community members
affected by abortion bans that “you can
still go out of state to get an abortion.”
Although legal abortion services
are still available in nearby Illinois,
abortion bans will continue to affect
those who have financial
or legal barriers
in accessing
out-of-state
abortions.
pproximately 30
students gathered in
the Wool Ballrooms
on Nov. 8 to watch
election results come
in. Midterm elections
were held in all states
with different legislative offices up
for grabs. Missouri’s ballot featured
the Senate and House candidates and
ballot measures such as Amendment
3, which called for the legalization of
marijuana.
The watch party was a part of SLU’s
voting and civic engagement programs.
Riya Shah, SLU junior and Director
of Voter Engagement, is working to
engage voters on multiple levels. “I
noticed there was a low voter turnout
in our student group and for those
who are socially and economically
disadvantaged,” Shah said.
Youth voters have a historically low
turnout in the polls. According to
CIRCLE, a nonpartisan, independent
research organization focused on youth
civic engagement in the United States,
there has been a near 39% increase
in youth electoral participation
between the 2016 to 2020 elections.
Shah believes that her peers’ voter
participation is tied to an increase
in civic engagement, “I’ve noticed
there’s been a lot of civic engagement
with protests and petitions, but when
it comes to showing up to the polls
there’s definitely less turnout.”
Shah’s passion for voter engagement
also carries a personal meaning. “For
me, South Asians are typically the
most underrepresented and I did want
South Asians to vote and have some
sort of representation. Also, students
have the least turnout in the polls and
I wanted to be a representation for
both of those voices,” Shah said.
The watch party featured speaker
Sabrina W. Tyuse, an Associate
Professor in the College for Public
Health and Social Justice. She has
been registering voters for decades,
including the students in her classes.
Tyuse also offered advice to students
at the watch party when it comes to
casting their ballots. “No one politician
is going to give you everything you
want. But, if you can get 80% of what
you want, then you should consider
that when voting,” Tyuse said.
She also emphasized the importance of
being present in the community when
advocating for voter engagement.
Tyuse recounted a story of a voter
approaching her while tabling, saying
“‘I was so hoping you’d be here.’”
She explained the significance of that
moment, “This woman had seen me
and my team and passed us, but we’d
planted the seed. I want to make sure
you do the same.”
Two community organizations,
SLU’s Black Student Alliance and
the Alpha Omega City-Wide Chapter
of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.,
tabled during the watch party. Haley
Anderson, secretary of the Black
Student Alliance, said tabling at the
watch party was an effort to promote
their organization and mission. “Our
goal is for people to see that Black
Student Alliance is here and for us to
use our power to vote collectively to
create change.” said Anderson.
Inaya Smith, President of the city-wide
chapter of Delta Sigma Theta,
explained that voter engagement is
built into the core of their mission.
“Voting is a very monumental thing
to our sorority. It was one of our first
public acts after being founded as a
sorority in 1913 as we participated in
the women’s suffrage march.”
Mikayla McDowell, Vice President of
the city-wide chapter of Delta Sigma
Theta agreed. “We’re here to represent
our organization and to just engage
with the rest of the community.” One
of Delta Sigma Theta’s five pillars or
“thrusts” is political awareness and
involvement. “If you’re a Delta, you
should vote,” Smith said.
Overall, Shah says the biggest
obstacle when targeting and engaging
student voters is the lack of awareness
and resources. “If more people knew
about our clubs or our teams and we
had a bit more help, people might be
a bit more receptive,” Shah said. Shah
and her team encourage anyone who
has a passion for voting accessibility
and rights to get involved with SLU’s
Center of Social Action, located in
Wuller Hall.
By GABBY CHIODO
Managing Editor
MIDTERM ELECTIONS’
EFFECT ON ABORTION
A
ENCOURAGING SLUDENTS TO VOTE:
ELECTION PARTY
A
By MADELYN KEIB
Contributor
(Evie Nguyen / The University News)
aint Louis University has
been awarded a hundred
thousand dollars from
the Boniface Foundation
to fund mental health
services on campus. The
grant aims to mend SLU’s student
community amid recent suicides
and a local highschool shooting.
Sindhu Ragunathan, co-president
of We Are Saath, a student
group that advocates for South
Asian mental health on campus,
notes a few issues students have
experienced with mental health
resources.
“There is a lack of accessibility
and diversity within the counseling
center. South Asian students and
other minorities on campus do not
have a counselor to turn to that
can relate to their experiences,”
Ragunathan said. “SLU desperately
needs more permanent, diverse
counselors that can provide a range
of counseling experiences for their
diverse student population.”
This ongoing issue, Ragunathan
says, was again highlighted
following the recent school
shooting at Central Visual
Performing Arts High School on
Oct. 24, 2022.
“I knew dozens of kids who needed
counseling after the shooting.
But they couldn’t even make an
appointment since the counseling
center was so backed up. The fact
of the matter is that there is a lack
of accessibility amongst SLU’s
counselors,” Ragunathan said.
The trend Ragunathan points
to is only projected to increase as
students approach finals week in
December.
“In fact, students mainly come to
our mental health events during
finals and midterms week because
they desperately need a reprieve
from schoolwork. It’s good that We
Are Saath is able to help out, but we
do not have the training to counsel
students on personal problems,”
Ragunathan said.
According to SLU’s announcement
on Oct. 10, the lack of counselors to
serve the large student population
is on their radar. The grant money
aims to resolve these issues by
supporting various mental health
initiatives, including assisting
SLU’s counseling center during
high demand times.
“The foundation is very thoughtful
on how we deploy our resources.
We had a number of meetings with
SLU and were very impressed with
what we saw. We wanted to support
the program for its growth and
success,” said Win Reed, chairman
of Boniface Foundation’s Board of
Directors.
Because SLU’s needs are concrete
and manageable, Reed says, the
foundation can assist.
“We are to trust the program
directors to dole out the money in
the best way possible,” Reed said.
Eric Anderson, assistant vice
president for student well-being
at SLU, says the pandemic made it
difficult for the counseling center to
receive the money to train enough
mental health instructors.
“Now that we are back to in-person,
we are going to use the
grant to ramp up our mental health
efforts,” Anderson said.
50,000 will be divided
into thirds. First, it will go to
04 News
By KAVYA HARISH
Contributor
expanding mental health and first
aid training, an initiative that has
been around since fall 2019 which
SLU struggled to complete during
the pandemic. It is important to
note that these instructors are not
counselors. Instead, they are from
various departments on campus and
teach mental health and first aid
training in addition to their regular
duties. Currently, SLU has trained 10
instructors to teach mental health
training, all hired and coached
between the spring and fall of 2022.
This is a large increase from the
center’s two instructors.
“These mental health trainings are
important in building students’ self-care
toolkit. It aims to destigmatize
mental health and think about it
more like physical health. It teaches
students how to be a first responder
and friend that can support mental
health struggles,” Anderson said.
Ragunathan says these training
sessions are a step in the right
direction.
“Mental health training is not as
intuitive as one might think. When
an individual is under their own
stress, it is hard for them to know
what to look for. These training
sessions give students the tools to
help others,” Ragunathan said.
The last two-thirds of the 100,000 to Address
Students’ Mental services, increase training
“When an
individual is
under their own
stress, it is hard
for them to know
what to look for.
These training
sessions give
students the tools
to help others,”
said Sindhu, co-president
of We
Are Saath.
S
NEWS 05
n this corner of Midtown,
located right across from The
Standard Apartments, and
just before Ikea, a family-owned
business, Yapi, has
r e c e n t l y o p e n e d a n e w
location, serving warm, fresh
subs and sandwiches.
Yapi Mediterranean Subs and
Sandwiches was originally established
by Armin and Lisa Grozdanic in South
Hampton six years ago, but they had
their new grand opening on Oct. 22,
2022.
“I kept seeing it during Ramadan,
passing by, going to the West Pine
mosque. I went home and I told my
husband about it. I thought this could be
a great location for the masjid, for the SLU
students and because the area is really
up and coming. We basically decided to
take the chance. It’s a lot further north
than what we’re used to, especially
because our family is from South City,
but it was a great choice. I think that the
business will definitely pick up more and
more. We’ve been doing great since we
PHILLY CHEESESTEAK WITH A TOUCH OF FAMILY LOVE
YAPI OPENS ON VANDEVENTER
got here. All the
SLU students in the
neighborhood have
been very, very
welcoming,” Lisa
Grozdanic said.
Armin Grozdanic,
who moved here
from Bosnia in
1996, said that the
inspiration for the
restaurant was to
serve American-
Bosnian Food that
is “halal,” “food
considered permissible under Islamic
guidelines.”
“When you go to a halal restaurant,
generally, it’s more ethnic food. It’s
more of your rice and meat. Just
because we only eat halal, doesn’t mean
we have to eat rice and meat every day.
Why can’t we have a cheeseburger?
Why can’t we have Philly cheesesteak
or loaded fries? We can have that stuff
too, we just make sure that we make it
halal—that was our purpose,” Lisa said.
Despite their dedication to Yapi’s
restaurant over the years, owning
a restaurant was not always part of
the Grozdan
University News - Volume 101, Issue 006 (April 28, 2023)
No full textNo date on cover. 24 pages.Vol. CI No. 6
UNEWS’ Next EIC Named Truman Scholar
Full Story on Page 2
(Photo Courtesy of Sarah Conroy)News
02
(MC Pavlick / The University News)
Each year, the Truman Scholarship Foundation selects 55 to 65 Scholars to receive up to 28.4 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 306,308 jobs.
However, international students offer more than just a boost to the economy. According to Boundless, “[International students] also enhance the intellectual and cultural environment for American students. The relationships and experiences shared by domestic and foreign students have long-lasting impacts on personal, socioeconomic, and even political growth.”
However, there is a flip side to this data that is left unsaid: what is the level of acceptance and support that international students receive?
“Even though there are almost one million students from over 200 countries who study in the U.S., there is no broader understanding of the value that they bring to American society and are presented with educational and immigration hurdles every step of the way,” Dr. Rajika Bhandari said in an interview with Study International.
When polling the experiences of international students, official universities’ reports often only ask questions like, “How did the US education system help in the advancement of your career?” The nitty-gritty personal testimonies of international students get overshadowed. The University News interviewed international students at SLU to get to know their experience with feeling seen and supported on a U.S. campus. With various concerns that range from academic to socio-cultural, students say more should be done.
Grace Makaza, a communication student completing her final year in the Master’s Program, said she has appreciated the availability of professors and the library resources at SLU. This is something she felt she didn’t get in Zimbabwe, her home country. However, she also sees a clear divide between international and domestic students in her classes.
“The domestic students sit on one side and the international students on the other,” Makaza said.
Besides social challenges, she said having to navigate health costs when she first came to the United States was a struggle. Getting health insurance and paying for it is expensive for U.S. citizens, but it can be even more difficult for international students who cannot work for more than 20 hours a week.
“My sister is a funded graduate international student. She had to rush to urgent care and had to pay $500 from her pocket which was not covered by the insurance she got from her department,” Makaza said.
Makaza has attended a few CPT (Curricular Practical Training) and OPT (Optional Practical Training) sessions in 2021 and recommends more specialized workshops to better cater the various needs of students.
“[The international services office] should offer customized workshops because holding one big OPT session for students from so many different countries and different majors does not feel specific enough and a lot of students may leave the session having learned nothing,” Grace said.
Koyena Biswas, another master’s student in the Communication Department, from Mumbai, India, added that getting acclimated to the colloquial lingo, street language, slang and different dialects was an initial hurdle for her. However, she appreciates the international exposure through programs like the International Office’s CPT and OPT workshops and occasional cultural events hosted by SLU.
“The cultural events thrown by the International Office are definitely heart-warming like the Holi event because you get to have your food and listen to your language’s music,” said Biswas.
For non-STEM international
students, there seem to be fewer support systems. Meha Gupta, who is completing her final year in the English Department’s master’s program, from Jammu, India, said that the present-day international student influx is very STEM-focused, so many career-oriented and recreational events cater to that field. Furthermore, she said that initial orientation days and events which are meant to introduce and welcome students to the campus, are catered more toward undergraduate students. She said as a new student, she would have appreciated it if there were events that included graduate students as well.
International Students’ Experiences at SLU
HARSIRAT KAUR
Contributor
(Ulaa Kuziez / The University News)
SCAN TO
READ MORE05
news
“I wanted to start my own business in Afghanistan but now I can’t anymore because of the state of the country for women,” shared Sahar Hussaini at an Atlas Week event about Afghanistan.
Atlas Week at Saint Louis University was held from April 16 to April 23. During the week, students, faculty and staff from across the University organized events that highlighted global cultures and various issues people face across the world.
Hussaini, a freshman studying marketing, gave a keynote address on her journey coming to the United States as a refugee and the current situation of Afghani women. The talk, titled “What is happening to Afghan women”, was delivered in the Busch Student Center room 254 on April 18, 2023. The room was dark with the only light coming from the screen showing the first slide of Hussaini’s presentation. Over 26 people came to hear her account.
Hussaini started by going over the history of women’s rights in Afghanistan from 1964 to the 1990s and the changes because of the Taliban regime. Then, she discussed the state of women in Afghanistan today.
“Honor killings have been rampant since the 1990s and they are still prevalent in Afghanistan… From 2003-2004, girls could go to school but they were not allowed to join sports or take leadership roles. However, today, girls are sent home by using force and by beating them. 1 in 3 women is forced to get married before they are 18 and no one can speak about it either. The Hazara people are targeted every second,” Hussaini said at the event.
Hussaini said she witnessed her classmates and friends getting shot in the school she used to go to. She saw her teacher, the person who used to encourage the students to dream, cease to exist. Now as a student in the United States, during the summer Hussani would hear people making traveling plans and when asked about hers, she would reply that she has to get the girls from Afghanistan connected to organizations and schools in other countries like Bangladesh so that they can receive the education they deserve.
Shandana Safari, a close friend of Hussaini, volunteered at the session to support her. A junior studying at SLU, Safari reflected on the different experiences that she and Hussaini had even though they both come from the Hazara community of Afghanistan. Safari’s family escaped to Pakistan and came to the United States in 2003. Their arrival was delayed due to 9/11 since they were supposed to come in 2001. She opened up about the Hazara genocide.
“Hazaras are going through an ongoing genocide as we speak. They’re the most targeted by the Taliban and have been fleeing the country since the 1900s. The Taliban has killed more than 70% of the population since the rule of Abdur Rahaman Khan,” Safari said.
Shubhi Ahluwalia, a senior studying finance, also came to the session to support Hussaini. She reflected that it is important for people to step out of their comfort zone to understand the issues that do not pertain to their immediate surroundings.
Once you do that, she said, you get to learn things that move you. She also advised the SLU community to come to support talks and meetings of similar nature.
“I would say come to events like this one and talk about it with your friends. I talked to my friends about this session because Sahar opened my eyes to her and other women’s stories,” Ahluwalia said.
“If you talk to your roommate about an event, they will talk to someone else. That’s how we can spread the word.”
Katrina Churchill, a freshman studying international business and economics, knew Sahar from shared classes. She said that she always wants to support her friends so that they know their stories are heard and accepted, especially when the stories are integral to them as individuals.
“It’s good to be aware of things outside of the bubble of school. It’s good to be aware of how people live in different parts of the world. You can also learn how to support people by hearing first-hand accounts of those who have lived in those parts of the world,” Churchill said.
Safari also reflected on the ways students specifically and Americans in general can help the Hazaras.
“I believe that people can help the Hazaras by listening to them, giving them a platform and spreading as much awareness for it as possible,” Safari said.
“They [the United States of America officials] could sponsor Hazara families to come to the US. They could donate to the Hazara Foundation that builds schools and helps families of the victims in the attack.”
A city with a sizable and ever increasing Afghani population, there are various resources that work to support Afghani newcomers. Hussaini is an intern with the Afghan support program at the International Institute of St. Louis. Her work is dedicated to getting support back home in the form of educational opportunity funds, finding safe locations for refugees and immigrants and connecting people to the Afghan cause.
“Within the Afghan support program at the international institute, we have the Afghan Chamber of Commerce, the Afghan community center, and many other programs to help Afghan immigrants here at St. Louis,” she said.
She also gave recommendations on the small things the SLU community can do to spread the word about the Afghani situation.
“They [the SLU community] can support by raising awareness through social media, doing class projects, conducting research related to the topic, educating the students and implementing it in their education. Community service and volunteering for the organization that supports immigrants here can be another way. I also want them to support Afghan students at SLU to help create an Afghan students association,” Hussaini said.
She is working with other students to launch an Afghan students association in fall 2023 a
Sunrise
No full textScannedIII120SabaH is a Bosnian-language weekly newspaper that was published in the United States between December 1997 and October 2014. It was founded in Astoria, NY. In 2006, publishing was relocated to St. Louis, MO, but the newspaper continued its national distribution. A typical issue contains about 50 pages and features bold headlines and many photos, with articles from both Bosnia- and US-based contributors. SabaH was established to help Bosnian immigrants deal with life in their new home and keep them informed of events in their war-torn country. Its name translates to 'sunrise', symbolizing the arrival of a new generation of Bosnian immigrants in the US.Click on the blue Maximize button in the top right corner of each image to browse the pages of an issue. This project was made possible by a generous donation from Susan Powers of St. Louis, MO. Digitization is ongoing
Sunrise
No full textScannedII103SabaH is a Bosnian-language weekly newspaper that was published in the United States between December 1997 and October 2014. It was founded in Astoria, NY. In 2006, publishing was relocated to St. Louis, MO, but the newspaper continued its national distribution. A typical issue contains about 50 pages and features bold headlines and many photos, with articles from both Bosnia- and US-based contributors. SabaH was established to help Bosnian immigrants deal with life in their new home and keep them informed of events in their war-torn country. Its name translates to 'sunrise', symbolizing the arrival of a new generation of Bosnian immigrants in the US.Click on the blue Maximize button in the top right corner of each image to browse the pages of an issue. This project was made possible by a generous donation from Susan Powers of St. Louis, MO. Digitization is ongoing