"… Apart from moving classes online, some colleges and universities in the U.S. have suspended study abroad programs and asked students to remain at home or elsewhere following spring break.
‘There are concerns about being locked in and not being able to return home, or vice versa, being locked in at home and not being able to return to school. For others there are concerns regarding research funding being cut off or racial tension among students,’ Lin says.
Mirka Martel, head of research, evaluation and learning at the Institute of International Education, which is studying the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on U.S. institutions, says many schools have released institution‐wide communication and specific webpages to address the outbreak and response on campus. For Chinese students, Martel says some schools have set up counseling services and a hotline for them to report any instances of discrimination. The virus’s origins in China has sparked some incidents of xenophobic backlash against Chinese citizens.