International Students House has been watching the events unfolding in Ukraine with concern and dismay. We extend our sympathy and solidarity to the Ukrainian people and to all those from any part of the world who are displaced by conflict. We are particularly concerned about the plight of the many international students desperately trying to flee Ukraine and we hope that they will soon be back home with their families.
For any students in the UK, particularly those with ties to the region, who are worried about the situation and are struggling to focus on their studies, please speak to your academic tutors so that they are aware that this might affect any upcoming deadlines and assessments. It is always helpful to speak to others, whether that be a trusted friend, at ISH: your Resident Advisor or the Dean of Student Life, or your university Wellbeing Service or Counselling Team. For unexpected financial difficulties, ISH residents or non-British students at our member universities can make an application to the Mary Trevelyan Hardship Fund for a small grant or loan. For other sources of support and in particular immigration advice, please see the UKCISA website.
Many universities will have written to their students offering support and a statement of solidarity. Universities UK, the collective voice of 140 universities across the UK, have recently updated their response to the situation in Ukraine with a number of actions that are being taken by the sector.
In line with the vision of our founder, Mary Trevelyan, ISH continues to strive to be a place of sanctuary for students in London. Working with our university partners and cara (the council for at-risk academics), we have been able to host students from Turkey, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan and many other countries in recent years. Cara has recently been in contact with us about the possibility of receiving students from Ethiopia, Ukraine and Russia in our family flats in Balham and we will support this work as much as we can. By welcoming students of many different nationalities and beliefs, it is our firm intention to foster international understanding, respect and tolerance, building bridges across the global community even in these challenging times.