One Year Later: Afghan refugees reflect on anniversary of resettling in Stillwater and OSU community
Thursday, May 4, 2023
Media Contact: Kelli Norton | Communication Specialist | 405-744-5496 | kelli.norton@okstate.edu
When the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, more than 1,800 Afghans were resettled in Oklahoma, but the lack of available affordable housing quickly became the biggest hurdle.
Oklahoma State University partnered with Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma (CCEOK) to help fill this need and provided access to 15 on-campus apartments to house Afghan families.
OSU Associate Provost and Global Dean Randy Kluver, working with departments and offices across the campus, began to lay the groundwork for the effort to welcome these new neighbors to Stillwater.
Our goal from the beginning has been to provide the help for them to become successful in the U.S., and to make sure that they felt welcome, that they had the resources they needed to succeed in Stillwater, and would want to make it a permanent home.
In January 2022, after several months of preparation, the community of Stillwater and OSU welcomed 72 Afghan refugees. Volunteers from throughout the university and the community pulled together to provide donations for household goods and furniture as well as immediate transportation needs and short term food assistance.
Throughout the spring and summer, OSU’s Wes Watkins Center also became a hub of activity, with the staff of the English Language and Intercultural Center (ELIC) providing intensive English language training, assistance with transitioning to the U.S., and even hosting a program by Stillwater Public Schools (SPS) to help Afghan children adjust to the U.S. schooling system.
The challenges of integrating into Stillwater weren’t easy, with many of the Afghans having had little formal education, and most not speaking any English. Added to the trauma of having to leave their own country, they had to quickly learn to adapt to the U.S., find jobs and settle in permanently, without any resources from their home country.
The staff of the ELIC, led by interim director Michael Amory and Dr. Stephanie Link, quickly launched the CARES (Compassionate Afghan Resettlement and English Services) project, with a focus on providing ESL training as well as intercultural training to adapt to U.S. culture.
By mid-summer, after the case management support from CCEOK ended, and no other local case management support materialized, help was still needed to assist in the ongoing transition. Stillwater had never had a formal refugee resettlement program in place, and there was not a local agency with the resources to take on the task. The ELIC had, however, a committed staff with a new director in Dr. Emily Boersma, some infrastructure, and more importantly, the relationships with the Afghans to continue with the task of resettlement.
“If we don't, who will?” Boersma said.
The staff of OSU Global and ELIC worked to develop a structure and staffing to provide ongoing case management support.
Community Partnership
On Sept. 1, 2022, OSU developed the Supporting Afghan Neighbors (SAN) program and was officially recognized as a resettlement agency with funding support from Oklahoma’s Department of Human Services (DHS). This funding allowed OSU to fill the gap and provide comprehensive support services for all of the Afghans who were resettled in Stillwater.
Building relationships with Every Campus a Refuge (ECAR) and the Welcome Campus movement — a national initiative of universities delivering support for refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine — provided additional aid for OSU to support the refugees during their resettlement.
“These organizations (ECAR and the Welcome Campus movement) provided invaluable guidance and support for us to move forward,” Kluver said. “They enabled us to network with other great universities who have stepped up to assist in this historical event, and to get ideas to make sure that the transition was successful.”
These efforts have been successful. Of the 72 initial refugees, 62 remain in Stillwater, although a few have left to be reunited with family members elsewhere or for other job opportunities.
In the spring of 2023, four were enrolled full time at OSU. The university has been a huge advocate for the families locally helping with writing resumes, finding and securing employment opportunities and recruiting volunteers for additional support. In May 2023, many will move out of the campus apartments, but the ELIC will still continue to support their integration into the community.
Of the 62 Afghans that have stayed in Stillwater, 25 have full-time employment and three work part time. Some adults have taken second jobs in the evenings and on weekends to supplement their income. Many are working while also attending English as a Second Language (ESL) courses that are provided with a specialized curriculum through the ELIC.
Boersma emphasized that the university and community have been a huge help.
“This has really been a community partnership,” Boersma said. “OSU has been generous in their support of the Afghan families, but many community agencies, individuals and local churches have also been integral to this resettlement effort.”
The ELIC, a department located in OSU Global, offers three specialized English classes for adults — English fundamentals, English for cultural integration and English for occupational purposes — and provides child care when needed.
The ELIC works closely with Stillwater Public Schools (SPS) to ensure a smooth transition of Afghan students into the schools. With DHS funding, SPS hired four Afghans to work as translators and teachers in the ESL program. SPS also hired two Afghans to work in cafeterias on campus. As of February 2023, there are 22 Afghan students enrolled in SPS, and they are thriving. One recent arrival was named the student of the month at Stillwater Junior High School, less than a year after arriving in Stillwater and beginning to learn English.
Local families known as family assistants have paired with refugee families to support them in their adjustment to living in Stillwater. Family assistants have helped in obtaining driver's licenses and buying cars, as well as just being a friend. They have attended OSU sporting events and celebrated birthdays alongside their new Afghan neighbors.
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church has been one institution that has provided consistent support. Through generous donations from their parish and the community, they have been able to provide extra funding for dental and mental health services along with other medical assistance that many of the Afghan families need but would not be able to afford.
Other churches have also generously donated time, space and financial resources that allow the OSU case managers to provide “luxury” items like bicycles to meet transportation needs and sewing machines to make clothing.
Current focuses for the ELIC and caseworkers include learning to budget along with creating short and long-term goals.
“Our team wants to focus on supporting integration and self-sufficiency as the Afghan families settle into routines and the flow of life in Stillwater,” Boersma said.
Constant Perseverance
One graduate student known as Zhina struggles with uncertainty.
She constantly looks toward the wedding ring on her finger, a reminder of her husband, who was able to leave Afghanistan and is now in Sweden. She hopes to see him soon.
Zhina is in the School of Global Studies (SGS) studying for a master's degree in global studies with a scholarship from OSU. She is one of four Afghan refugees attending OSU on scholarships from a fund created by the OSU Foundation and OSU Global.
Zhina’s ultimate goal is to finish her master’s degree, get a job, visit her family in Afghanistan and help others in a situation like hers.
“I love it here so much,” Zhina said. “The people here have a good understanding and awareness of the international people that live here. I know they help those who immigrated here and solve problems with kindness. I am very happy to live here.”
Despite the circumstances, Stillwater has been an ideal place for Afghan refugee families to begin their new lives. It's small and affordable, and the community is rallying around them.
Dr. Randy Kluver, associate provost of global partnerships and dean of OSU Global, admires how the OSU and Stillwater community came together to help the new residents.
“We did not do this for attention,” Kluver said. “We did it because it was the right thing to do, and there was an immediate need. But we have gotten a lot of attention for it. OSU has probably seen the largest university effort to resettle Afghan refugees happen here in Stillwater.”
The Afghan families will not celebrate the one-year anniversary of their arrival. The loss of a home and separation of families is not an event they want to celebrate, but their strength, compassion, grit and determination are worth respect and admiration.
“The resilience of our new Afghan neighbors and the hard work, love and passion of the Stillwater community is simply remarkable,” Boersma said.
To donate to the scholarship fund, click here.
To volunteer: call the ELIC at 405-744-7520 or email stwvolunteercoordinator@gmail.com
Photos By: Gary Lawson
Story By: Kelli Leech | GLOBAL Magazine