As a unique semester begins to take shape, many questions remain unanswered for the unprecedented contingent of students taking classes from outside of the United States.

On Sept. 9, students enrolled in popular introductory computer science course CSE 131 received an email saying that Washington University was “experiencing problems delivering content to China and some other countries.”

The next day, TA’s for multiple other computer science courses received an email flagging potential problems with paying students located outside of the country.

Of the roughly 100 students who were planning to work as TA’s for CSE 131, several are currently located outside the U.S., computer science professor Ron Cytron told Student Life’s Reopening podcast.

“My original plan—which I vetted through the University back in April and May—was to hire students in China…because they’re in the Chinese time zone and they could serve as TA’s for students who are in those time zones,” he said. “Those plans may all now be coming to a big halt. It’s up in the air.”

Mia Goldberg | Student Life

Vice Chancellor for International Affairs Kurt Dirks said that the University had done extensive research into various payment possibilities for overseas TA’s before presenting each school with the available options.

“We gave them the possibilities of what’s at least within the realm of feasibility,” Dirks said. “And then at that point the department…would have to decide, ‘Is this something that we are able to do, is this a regulation that we can work with, is this something that’s affordable and feasible for us to manage?’ And so that’s where the ultimate decision would end up being made.”

The primary solution involves the use of a professional employer organization (PEO), which adds an additional expense of 30 to 40%, Arts & Sciences Dean Jennifer Smith said.

Smith said that overseas students who had previously planned to work as TA’s in the College of Arts & Sciences would be able to maintain their jobs.

“I have told the individuals who asked me that if it was just a concern about the money, I would find the money,” Smith said. “…We can make that happen, because we want qualified people in these roles.”

Junior Olivia Schotz, who is working as a TA for two computer science classes, said that the School of Engineering hadn’t sent out information regarding overseas access beyond initial vague warnings from individual professors.

In an email to Student Life, Computer Science & Engineering Department Chair Roch Guérin wrote that international TA payment was “an issue that is handled at the University level, and so this is really a question you should direct to the University administration.”

Computer Science & Engineering Dean Aaron Bobick did not respond to a request for comment.

Junior Helen Webley-Brown expressed disappointment with the University’s treatment of international student employees in general, such as the lack of compensation for on-campus jobs after the campus shut down in the spring semester.

“If you had work-study, the University paid back the wages that you would have earned, but international students didn’t qualify for that,” Webley-Brown said. “I lost a ton of money that I would have earned over the spring semester because I couldn’t work because I wasn’t there.”

Webley-Brown said that the University responded to her inquiries about lost wages by directing her to the crisis response fund, but that she was unable to get any reimbursement.

“I think there’s this stereotype that all international students are wealthy, which just isn’t the case,” she said. “A lot of people need the money from their on-campus jobs.”

Students taking classes from outside the U.S. face a myriad of challenges beyond payment logistics, such as significant time zone differences.

“One class is at 4 a.m.—I’m still trying to communicate with the professor to allow me to take it asynchronously so I can get some sleep,” senior Yiran Cheng said.

Accessing both physical and online course materials will likely prove difficult as well.

“It’s gonna be hard to actually try to get textbooks, whether physically or digitally, since international shipping is kind of in the air right now and digital sites sometimes check your IP to know whether you’re in their service country, which tends to be in the U.S.,” Cheng said.

Instructure, Canvas’s parent company, is reportedly not in full compliance with Chinese internet security laws.

These difficulties are not only experienced by those studying from China—Webley-Brown recalled difficulties during the spring semester with accessing certain online content due to the EU’s strict General Data Protection Regulation.

“A lot of times I would try and access websites and the [GDPR] logo would pop up and say I didn’t have access to it,” Webley-Brown said.

Smith explained that advanced planning for technical issues had proven difficult due to the shifting nature of the many platforms and policies involved.

“You keep coming up with a workaround, and then you have to find another one,” she said.

Cytron echoed that sentiment, pointing out that China’s firewall is unstable and constantly changing.

“Any student from China who tries to access Canvas or Box or Youtube or Google Docs may run into some problems,” he said. “The University is trying to help us work through those problems, but that may actually present some real problems for those students.”

While some international students mentioned using a virtual private network (VPN) to get around regional restrictions, the University’s Overseas Access webpage cautions against using such technologies due to the potential violation of local law.

Even when course materials are technically accessible, Smith raised concerns about students engaging with politically sensitive material in certain countries.

“Faculty who are teaching in History or Political Science or International and Area Studies are being very deliberate and very careful about making sure that students will have options for participation that will not require them to say things that could be controversial in their home country and potentially get them in trouble,” she said.

Cheng said that while he appreciated the work being done to help international students, it seemed like the University’s efforts were primarily focused on those currently in the U.S.

“There hasn’t been a lot of focus on students who are overseas,” he said. “I’m not sure how many students face similar circumstances to myself, but I suspect it’s not a miniscule number.”

Dirks emphasized the University’s commitment to international students, promising that their challenges were being taken seriously.

“Our international students are an important part of the Wash. U. community, and we will continue to do our best to work to address the situations they face during this unprecedented year,” Dirks said.