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International Students and the International Students Association (ISA)

Overview

Hamilton’s international student population has been a documented feature of campus life since at least the early 1960s, when the college joined the African Scholarship Program of American Universities (ASPAU) and began enrolling students from Ghana, Nigeria, and Southern Rhodesia. The student organization that eventually became the International Students Association (ISA) appears in the Spectator corpus beginning in the mid-1980s, functioning simultaneously as a cultural programming body (sponsoring International Weekend, film screenings, and food events) and as an advocacy and support structure for foreign students navigating academic, social, and immigration challenges.

The ISA is distinct from the Inter-Society Council (ISC) — the fraternity and sorority governing body — which appears frequently in the same corpus under the same abbreviation. The name “International Students Council” does not appear in the indexed sources; the organization consistently uses the name “International Students Association” or “ISA.” It operates alongside but separately from the Asian Cultural Society, the Black and Latin Student Union (BLSU), and La Vanguardia, though coalition programming among these groups is well documented.

By the mid-2010s the Spectator had institutionalized international student voices through a dedicated column called “From Where I Sit,” and the post-2016 political climate — particularly President Trump’s immigration ban — brought new urgency to questions about the welcome and legal security of international students on the Hill.

Key Points

The ISA: Founding, Structure, and Mission

• The ISA was established by the mid-1980s and explicitly positioned as a peer organization to the BLSU and La Vanguardia. A November 1985 Spectator investigation into minority awareness at Hamilton described the ISA as having “similar motives to the BLSU and La Vanguardia, with more concentration on making the adjustment easier for students coming directly from other countries.” ISA wished to “spread information about their diverse backgrounds to the general public, as well as hoping to provide a ‘homebase’ of sorts where foreign students can come to speak about personal or academic problems with other foreign students.” Vice-president Jenny Sanderson noted that Hamilton had “more foreign first-year students than ever before” and that the trend had “definitely been on the rise.” Approximately fifty students belonged to the ISA at that time, hailing from the Netherlands, Spain, Tanzania, Austria, France, England, Turkey, and other countries. Activities included candlelight dinners and a “Happy Hour” — not an alcohol event but “a forum for foreign students and faculty to share their Countries’ culture and food from distant lands.” (The Spectator, November 8, 1985)

• The ISA sponsored International Weekend annually — a multi-day cultural festival. By spring 1985 the ISA had already established International Weekend as a recurring spring campus event. The November 1985 Spectator previewed upcoming spring programming including an International Weekend sponsored by the ISA. By April 1990, under ISA President Cyrus Boga, International Weekend featured a dance in the Coffeehouse, a panel discussion on recent developments in Eastern Europe, an international dinner and fashion show, and a film festival. Boga stated the group planned to “make the ISA a little more prominent within the Hamilton community and to take care of the needs of international students on campus.” (The Spectator, November 8, 1985; The Spectator, April 13, 1990)

• The ISA appeared in the student body’s Community Council representation list. The October 1989 Spectator published a list of organizations eligible for seats in the student Community Council, which included the International Students Association alongside the Asian Cultural Society, BLSU, La Vanguardia, Hillel, the Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Alliance, the Women’s Center, and the Inter-Society Council — confirming the ISA’s status as a recognized campus organization with formal student governance standing. (The Spectator, October 6, 1989)

• The ISA and Inter-Society Council (ISC) are frequently confused in sources due to shared abbreviation. Throughout the 1986–1991 Spectator corpus, “ISC” nearly always refers to the Inter-Society Council (the fraternity/sorority governance body), while “ISA” refers to the International Students Association. Researchers using the source corpus should be careful not to conflate the two.

Cultural Programming and International Festivals

• The ISA co-sponsored a Spirit Ensemble concert alongside the BLSU and African-American Studies in April 1988. The free event in Commons Dining Hall was cosponsored by the African-American Studies Department, the BLSU, the ISA, the Committee on Cultural Activities, HEOP, the Inter-Society Council, the Committee for Cooperative Programming, and the Bristol Campus Center — one of the earliest documented instances of cross-organizational coalition programming involving the ISA. (The Spectator, April 15, 1988)

• The ISA screened the Soviet film “A Slave of Love” in fall 1987. The film screening in the Red Pit was among the ISA’s documented cultural programming efforts in this period, reflecting the organization’s consistent use of film as a medium for cultural education. (The Spectator, November 13, 1987)

• International Students were included in Multicultural Weekend programming. The fall 1990 orientation calendar included a “3:30 International Students Reception, Coffeehouse, McEwen” as part of Multicultural Weekend programming — documenting the ISA’s integration into the broader multicultural programming calendar alongside Hillel, Newman, and the Chapel Board. (The Spectator, August 31, 1990)

• The ISA co-sponsored an Arabian Night event with the Asian Cultural Society and Office of Multicultural Affairs in November 1996. The event featured a belly dancer, Lebanese band, and Middle Eastern cuisine, and was co-sponsored by the President’s Office, the ISA, the Asian Cultural Society, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Tickets were $2 for Hamilton students. (The Spectator, November 22, 1996)

• The ISA and United Nations Association co-sponsored a UN Day event in October 1996, drawing students from 18 countries. Students and faculty from all over Oneida County gathered in the Events Barn to celebrate UN Day. Students in attendance came from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, England, Ecuador, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Trinidad, Turkey, the U.S.A., and Vietnam. The event featured a bagpipe performance by a Scottish student and a lecture by a Utica College professor. (The Spectator, October 25, 1996)

• The ISA hosted a Lunar New Year celebration in February 2010 under President Kumar Bhardwaj ‘10. The event included a skit re-enacting the Zodiac race, a presentation explaining the significance and methods of Lunar New Year celebration, and a dinner catered by Mitsuba. The Asian Cultural Society helped ISA with preparation, though it could not serve as host due to an outstanding bill from a similar event two years prior. The choice of Japanese food rather than Chinese food was deliberate: “to include the several groups that still maintain this tradition,” Bhardwaj explained. (The Spectator, February 18, 2010)

• The ISA co-hosted a Vigil for Nepal Walk in April 2015, following the devastating earthquake. Three Nepali Hamilton students — Priti Kharel ‘18, Ujjwal Pradhan ‘15, and Sharif Shrestha ‘17 — mobilized the Hamilton community by teaming up with the International Students Association to host the walk, which began at the KJ circle and continued to the Chapel. Hamilton students raised $2,700 for #HamforNepal through various campaigns. Other co-sponsors included the Hamilton Christian Fellowship, Philanthropy Committee, and Pre-Health Club. (The Spectator, May 7, 2015)

International Student Advocacy and Campus Life

• Ted Dayie ‘90 of Ghana served as ISA President and was one of the most documented international students in the 1987–1990 corpus. A “Movers and Shakers” profile in March 1987 described Dayie’s arrival at Hamilton from the United World College of the Atlantic in South Wales, where he had met Dean Nancy Thompson who encouraged him to apply to Hamilton. He had problems with his visa and could not come to the U.S. until February — missing the fall semester entirely. A senior profile in May 1990 noted that Dayie had become ISA President, played JV soccer, and captained the ISA intramurals soccer team; he was also active with the BLSU and the Hamilton College and Community Oratorio Society, and served as an RA in his junior year. As a graduating senior, Dayie called for Hamilton to strengthen its multicultural curriculum and said he wanted to see “Afro-American Studies, Asian Studies, and Women’s Studies become an integral part of the curriculum, and not remain on the periphery as they are now.” Dayie went on to graduate study in Biophysics at Harvard. (The Spectator, March 13, 1987; The Spectator, May 4, 1990)

• An international student op-ed writer in spring 1991 described being told to “go home to where I came from.” The letter — published in the context of a Spectator debate over fraternities and campus culture — described the author’s experience as “a member of a minority on this campus” who had “been reminded of this fact by several different people on numerous occasions by virtue of being told that I ‘should go home to where I came from.’” The author expressed pride in not perceiving themselves as part of a minority, framing the incidents as a reflection of campus culture rather than individual prejudice. (The Spectator, May 3, 1991)

• An international student was threatened with “extradition” by fellow students for opposing divestment. A 1990 letter to the editor by Professor Carol S. Rupprecht of the Comparative Literature department described a campus climate of intimidation and noted among specific examples: “Black and white students threaten an international student with extradition if he expresses his opposition to divestment.” This was raised in the context of broader concerns about student intimidation of those expressing minority political views during the anti-apartheid divestment campaign. (The Spectator, April 27, 1990)

• An International Student Discussion Group operated in spring 1993 as a support service. The Spectator calendar listed a recurring weekly meeting: “International Student Discussion Group for students adjusting to a new culture/country. Peer Advising Office, Dunham Basement.” This ran in at least the January 22 and January 29 issues, documenting an institutionalized peer support structure for international students beyond the ISA itself. (The Spectator, January 22, 1993; The Spectator, January 29, 1993)

• The ISA won the intramural soccer championship in overtime in fall 1994. The ISA team defeated H-Team 1-0 in overtime in what the IM Soccer Commissioner called a “classic stalemate between Hamilton’s version of Brazil and Italy.” The winning goal was scored by senior Dave Tranter off an indirect kick in overtime. ISA star sophomore David Tucker was neutralized by H-Team’s physical game, but the ISA’s defense, led by seniors Alan Lee and Todd Moore, proved decisive. This is one of the few documented instances of ISA athletic engagement in the corpus. (The Spectator, November 11, 1994)

• The “From Where I Sit” column was established as a dedicated Spectator space for international student voices, active from at least 2013. A May 2013 retrospective described the column as “written (and run) solely by international students” — “a space for a minority on campus to speak out and have their voices heard.” The author, who had run the column since their first year, described topics that had been covered: “the awkwardness of their first ever Halloween party, about the wonders of Adirondack Adventure friendships, about their long and unconventional roads onto the Hill and about the overall integration into college life.” The column was described as “one of the few spaces on this campus where international students’ voices are heard, and is therefore essential to the exposure of the diversity on this campus.” By 2019–2020, the column masthead had been expanded to include “immigrant generation students, and students from families where English is not spoken at home.” (The Spectator, May 9, 2013; The Spectator, February 7, 2019; The Spectator, February 20, 2020)

• An international student’s presence enriched campus political diversity. Ravi Rastogi ‘92, an Indian student profiled in fall 1989 as an artist who made greeting cards “even on tissue paper,” was described as a member of the ISA, the Asian Cultural Society, and the Young Business Club — a typical cross-organizational engagement pattern for international students in this era. (The Spectator, October 27, 1989)

Visa and Immigration Concerns

• Kwaku Theodore Dayie had visa problems that delayed his arrival at Hamilton by a semester. The March 1987 Spectator profile of Dayie — who had been offered admission and planned to begin in September 1987 — noted that “he had problems with his visa and couldn’t come to the United States until February.” He described the resulting seven-month wait as “great” because he “had holiday,” but the episode is the earliest documented instance of a specific international student’s visa difficulties in the corpus. (The Spectator, March 13, 1987)

• Post-9/11, the INS tightened student visa rules to prevent foreign visitors from changing visa status to student status. A national news item reprinted in the April 2002 Spectator reported that the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) had announced it would prevent foreigners who entered on business or tourist visas from changing to student visa status unless they had indicated upon arrival that they might do so. The change was explicitly framed as a national security response to September 11. INS Commissioner James Ziglar stated: “The events of Sept. 11 remind us that there will always be those who seek to cause us harm.” The article ran alongside campus news without specific Hamilton-focused follow-up. (The Spectator, April 12, 2002)

• Concerns emerged in November 1995 that the number of international students studying at Hamilton might decrease due to funding. A letter to the editor signed by four students — Karina Hahn ‘97, Rich Walker ‘97, Steven Rattendi ‘98, and Denes House ‘93 — expressed concern that “the number of international students studying at Hamilton may decrease in the future,” citing an article from the previous week that had suggested funds needed to be spent more “wisely.” The letter argued: “International students give more than lessons on their country. They contribute to the diversity of Hamilton with their varied background, native languages and beliefs. The entire community benefits from their presence.” The letter praised the diversity of countries represented at Hamilton (including Uganda, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Armenia) and warned against any policy that would “see the college become more limited.” (The Spectator, November 17, 1995)

• In 2002–2003, the ISA and Asian Cultural Society were slated to be relocated to the Afro-Latin Cultural Center. A February 2003 Spectator article about Student Assembly VP Lisa Magnarelli’s space planning proposal noted that “the Asian Cultural Society and the International Students’ Association will both be relocated to the Afro-Latin Cultural Center.” The plan was part of a broader effort to “claim” the ELS building as student space. (The Spectator, February 14, 2003)

Recent Era (2000s–2020s)

• In February 2017, Hamilton students joined a Refugee Solidarity Rally in Utica in response to President Trump’s immigration ban. Hamilton’s Spiritual Inquiry Group and Student Assembly both funded transportation for students to attend the rally at Oneida Square, held to support Utica’s refugee population and those affected by the immigration ban. Members of Hamilton’s student group “On the Move,” which works with refugees in Utica, also attended. Rainbow co-chair Polly Bruce ‘17 participated. The rally was described as “a sense of community and hope.” (The Spectator, February 16, 2017)

• In December 2016, Hamilton’s Student Assembly passed a resolution supporting the investigation of making Hamilton a “sanctuary campus” for undocumented students. The petition, which had gathered 1,150 signatures, requested that the Board of Trustees support President Wippman’s investigation of “the feasibility of the College becoming a sanctuary campus.” The Spectator editorial board explicitly endorsed “efforts to make Hamilton a sanctuary for undocumented students.” Hamilton had already admitted undocumented students prior to this petition, but the effort sought to expand institutional support for legal fees and citizenship processes. The resolution noted that making Hamilton a sanctuary campus would help “students with undocumented immigrant status… receive help from the college to become a citizen or to receive aid from the school regarding legal fees.” (The Spectator, December 1, 2016)

• The 2013 “From Where I Sit” column lamented the invisibility of international students in campus institutional life. The column asked: “What happens to those international students? Who ever hears from them apart from the random information piece on the MyHamilton news feed? These are the moments when outlets like ‘From Where I Sit’ become important so that the campus community can embrace that diversity that is so highly praised by the institution, and learn from it. Our diversity is our strength, not our weakness.” (The Spectator, May 9, 2013)

• By 2017 the Class of 2021 included 5% international students from 39 countries. Admissions data published in the April 6, 2017 Spectator showed that international students constituted 5% of the admitted Class of 2021, which came from 45 states and 39 countries. This compares with the first coeducational class of 1978, which represented 12 countries — confirming long-term growth in geographic reach. (The Spectator, April 6, 2017)

Open Questions

• When was the ISA formally founded? The 1985 Spectator documents it as an established organization with a vice-president and approximately 50 members, but no founding document or year appears in the indexed corpus. Earlier issues may contain the founding.
• What was the ISA’s relationship to the “International Student Assembly” lecture series mentioned in the March 6, 1987 Spectator? Was this a separate organization or an ISA subprogram?
• Were there formal ISA-sponsored International Weekends in the 1990s and 2000s? The 1985 and 1990 sources document the event, but subsequent years are not yet confirmed in the corpus.
• How did the post-9/11 SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) requirements affect international students at Hamilton? The April 2002 article covers national policy changes but no Hamilton-specific follow-up has been found in the indexed sources.
• What relationship, if any, did the ISA have with the Office of International Programs that oversees study abroad? The two roles — inbound international students and outbound study abroad students — are documented in separate topic areas but their organizational intersection is not yet resolved.
• Is there documentation of the ISA in the course catalogs or annual reports beyond what is captured in the Spectator?

Sources

Related Topics

• Admissions and Student Demographics
• Race, Diversity, and Inclusion at Hamilton College
• Campus Life and Culture
• Study Abroad and Global Programs
• Student Government and Campus Organizations