As a graduate student attending UND, the Winnipeg native could cross the border and visit her family and friends, but she’s hesitant.
What happens if the Canadian-U.S. border closes down completely while she’s home? Is it even worth it when there’s a two-week quarantine period on either side?
“I think I have more of a fear of not being able to come back into the (United States),” she said. “From my experience, I always want to be very, very safe. I don't want to end up in a situation where I can't get back into the United States. Because now not only are all my belongings here, my schooling is here, but I have animals like I have my therapy dog and a cat and a boyfriend.”
“It wouldn't just be something that would have to consider myself but for the people that I live with and care for,” she said.
So, Bento hasn’t gone home since March. It’s the longest she’s been away from home and her mother, who she says is her best friend.
“So, it's tough,” she said.
Bento is one of hundreds of Canadian students at UND and one of thousands across the country who are studying in the United States who are trying to weigh their options in the middle of a pandemic.
The U.S.-Canadian border has been closed to non-essential travel since March 18 as the pandemic first wave began to hit the United States. Since then the closure has been extended twice. It is now closed through at least Aug. 21, which is just days before college students across the country are set to start classes
"We're going to keep working closely with our American neighbors to keep people safe on both sides of the border,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said earlier this month when the border closure extension was announced.
While education is considered essential travel, Amy Senger, assistant director of UND’s International Center, said some students enrolled in the summer semester, which was only offered online at UND, had some trouble trying to cross the border. She noted that there were “several denials” for students.
That likely shouldn’t be a problem in the fall, though, Senger noted, as UND will have some in-person classes.
Regardless, there are other factors that impact students.
While students will be able to cross the border to attend classes, their parents will not be able to come with them, as that would be considered visitor travel.
And when students do cross the border, they are required to quarantine for two weeks, which means Canadian students will have to plan ahead for when they want to arrive in Grand Forks.
If the closure continues, that means family members won’t be able to help their student move-in and get settled in their new homes or be able to hop in the car and visit Grand Forks for the day.
Bento was able to see her mother briefly in March when the two were able to meet at the border so Bento could pick up her dog, Milo, who had been staying with her mother while she was on a trip before COVID struck.
“It was probably the most emotional moment of my life,” she said. Bento and her mother were able to talk to security who allowed the two to exchange a brief hug before her mother had to go back to the other side of the border.
It was a relief to have her dog back, Bento said as he helps her through anxiety and was especially helpful during the initial period of quarantining.
Bento knows it’s to keep people safe though.
“Everyone, hopefully is doing it for the safety of their loved ones,” she said.
In Manitoba, there have been fewer cases in comparison to North Dakota. As of Monday, July 20, there are 29 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 318 individuals have recovered from the virus. There have been seven deaths due to COVID-19, according to Manitoba's coronavirus website. Manitoba, which has a population of about 1.3 million people, has performed more than 76,350 tests since early February.
As of Saturday, July 19, North Dakota has 814 active cases. Of the 5,207 total positive cases since mid-March 4,319 individuals have recovered. The state has reported 94 deaths.
Bento noted that there is a lot more land in Manitoba than in Canada, which potentially allows for people to be spread out even more. But even in Winnipeg, a city of about 750,000, case loads have been lower.
“I don't blame Canada for saying hey like let's close the border for a little longer,” she said. “Because you don't want that cross contamination so to speak.”
Beyond direct concerns about the border and COVID-19, there are also other stressors for international students, like Bento.
A recently reversed immigration ruling that would have forced international students on certain visas to return to their home countries if classes went entirely online this fall was also a spot of concern for Bento. While she’s trying to not be pessimistic about the situation, she knows the possibility of a change is always there.
Immigration is a complicated issue, she noted, and a process that gets derailed even if the slightest detail is wrong on a form like a date.
Canadian law students
UND also has one of the nation’s largest contingents of Canadian law students on campus.
Michael McGinnis, dean of UND’s law school, said they are hoping to have as many students they can on-campus at the start of the fall semester, but understand that each student’s situation is different and some may miss in-class time while they are quarantining.
Students who may miss that time will still be able to participate virtually in class.
Thus far seat deposits for first year law students for the upcoming school year have been steady from Canadian students. McGinnis said there was initially some concern about whether Canadian students would want to enroll in the upcoming semester, but that hasn’t been the case thus far.
For returning law students, there will be a “significant” number of upper level courses that will be available online. McGinnis said he’s heard indirectly that there are some Canadian students who may be crafting schedules that are entirely online, which would allow them to participate from Canada.
“So, if they are most comfortable with a fully online schedule and an upper level … they have that option available to them.”
Marisa Gunhouse, a law student who will be entering her third year this fall, is from Winnipeg and has traveled home to Canada during the pandemic, but has since returned to Grand Forks.
Gunhouse, prime minister of the Canadian Law Students Society, said most of her stress lies in what may happen during the upcoming semester.
“Not knowing exactly if anything's going to change (is stressful) because everyday things seem to be different,” she said.
Gunhouse said she’s also stressed about travel. Typically, she would travel home once or twice a month to visit friends and family or they would come see her. That likely won’t be possible this fall.
“It's stressful because you have to quarantine for two weeks so as a student, you don't have two weeks to go home,” she said.
Gunhouse said she’s been connecting with her friends and family over Zoom calls, something she plans on continuing throughout the fall.
As the semester rolls on, the law school will also have to figure out its spring activities, including its annual Up North event in Winnipeg and the annual hockey game between the UND law school and the University of Manitoba law school.
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Though close to home, Canadian students feel stress of border closure, unknowns - Grand Forks Herald
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