Universities Support Iranian Students Amidst War

0:00Canadian universities are stepping up for international students, hit hard by the ongoing war in the Middle East, especially those with ties to Iran. After the U.S. and Israel struck there on February 28th, schools like the University of Victoria, Queens, and Carlton are offering exam deferrals, tuition extensions without late fees, emergency bursaries, and mental health counseling to help these students cope. Meanwhile, the University of Victoria is also easing admissions hurdles and clearing registration holds for overdue payments on a case-by-case basis. Carlton's reviewing tuition relief requests, too, while student groups nationwide are hosting fundraisers, discussions, and no-res events to raise, awareness and support. The human toll is heavy, with dev counts over 1,900 in Iran and more than 1,311 on, as of last. Thursday, effective students, many unable to reach family due to blackouts and money transfer issues, face massive stress being so far from home during this.

1:01Chaos. Iranian PhD student Amir Mogadom at the University of Toronto calls these moves positive steps, but pushes for a bigger fix, like dedicated emergency, funds, tailored mental health services, and policies ready for any crisis hitting international communities. His grad unions already in talks with admins for leaves, deadlines, weeks, and research adjustments, plus they run grants up to $1,000 for financial hits. It's clear these one-off helps are building towards smarter, lasting systems as conflicts keep shaking student lives worldwide. This has been Vancouver News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with The Story.