Richard BaganThis guest column is written through a partnership with the Black Graduate Students’ Association and The Gateway.
As history tends to repeat itself, international students are looking at Canadian universities, but there needs to be a focus on community building. More than 150 years ago, W.E.B. Du Bois, founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), held a meeting of Black scholars across the American border in Niagara Falls to find a more favourable location for their demanding course: the full realization of civic rights. He recognized then that academic excellence and social progress require an environment that is both respectful and intellectually open.
International students are finding it increasingly difficult to navigate the political and social hurdles of universities south of the border. Since this is the case, more applicants are looking to Canadian institutions as a sanctuary for scholarship. The latest enrolment update at the University of Alberta is telling: graduate applications from the United States (U.S.) have increased by 88.6 per cent. Applications from Nigeria have grown by 82.1 per cent and Bangladesh by 70 per cent showing similar surges. In light of this significant shift, fostering a deep sense of community is not merely a nicety, it is central to enriching the student experience.
If anything, I should know. As a graduate student and a member of the ‘Half-devil, half child’ collective — a friendship group of four international graduate students from former colonies — I have seen how community is the literal lifeblood of student success. At the centre of the framework of access, community, and belonging (ACB) is, appropriately, community. Whether in classrooms, labs, or workstations, community building at the university must be intentional. To support this new wave of scholars, we must prioritize the key drivers of positive outcomes identified in the university’s own Student Experience Action Plan (SEAP).
The foundational requirement for any scholar to “contribute fully” is safety — emotional, cultural, and psychological. For international students, this means more than just the absence of physical threat; it means an environment where diverse perspectives are recognized as strengths that “strengthen inquiry and discovery.” When the Board of Governors (BoG) withdrew its commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) from its hiring policies, it signalled a retreat from the very cultural safety that made Canadian universities such as the U of A an attractive alternative to their American peers. There is now a need for a recommitment to fostering such inclusive spaces at the university.
The transition to a new country and a rigorous graduate program is fraught with procedural, informational, and structural barriers. Ease of planning and navigation is therefore critical. Community acts as a map; through student groups and similar associations, the “hidden curriculum” of academia becomes navigable. A strong community ensures that a student from Nigeria or Bangladesh doesn’t just arrive at the U of A but actually understands how to thrive within its complex systems.
Community building is also a tool for transparency, essential for communication and awareness. To achieve equity, faculty and student associations must work constructively with organizations of Black faculty, staff, and students. By fostering these links, we ensure that students are aware of their rights, available research grants, and mentorship opportunities. Without this intentional communication, the university remains a collection of silos rather than a cohesive “intellectual haven.”
Finally, relationships and belonging are the “so what?” of the university experience. Academic excellence flourishes in a respectful environment where all members can contribute fully. My own collective provided the resilience needed to face the disproportionate burdens of labour often placed on historically underrepresented communities. True belonging is not a passive state; it is an active, ongoing construction of affirming and accessible spaces for learning.
The data shows a clear divide in our current culture. Students report feeling more strongly connected to students within their area of study (73 per cent agree or somewhat agree) than to students outside of their area of study (51 per cent). While 59 per cent of students have participated in student groups, clubs, or athletics, a significant portion of the population — including those 700-plus new applicants from key international regions — remain at risk of isolation.
If the U of A truly believes that “opportunity must be genuinely open,” then we must recognize that community is not a byproduct of enrolment — it is the prerequisite for success. We must be as intentional in our community building today as Du Bois was in 1905, ensuring that every student who looks north puts more than a little U of A in their resume.
Ajibola ‘Jibs’ Adigun is a PhD student in Educational Policy Studies and President of the Black Graduate Students’ Association at the University of Alberta.
