MARSHALL – This month’s presidential election may be over, but it left some lingering questions for international students at Southwest Minnesota State University. At a post-election forum held Monday, SMSU students said they’re speaking with worried family and friends, and wondering if they will be able to stay at the university.

A group of SMSU administrators and faculty reassured students that they are safe, and that faculty and staff are there to support them.

SMSU is a diverse community, said university president Connie Gores, at the start of the forum. Gores said it’s important to be able to affirm that the university is committed to all its students.

Monday’s forum was meant to address questions or concerns students might have about their status and experiences at SMSU. Only two students attended the forum, but Moses Ogundipe and Damiola Ogundiran said they weren’t the only ones with concerns about what the outcome of this month’s presidential elections could mean.

Both Ogundipe and Ogundiran are international students from Nigeria, and they said they were concerned about some aspects of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

“The campaign was really scary for us,” especially with some of Trump’s statements about deporting illegal immigrants, Ogundipe said.

International students at SMSU are in the U.S. legally, and are paying for their education, Ogundiran said. “I tell people, we are an asset to the U.S.,” she said. But with all the media coverage of Trump’s election, family members and loved ones in their home countries are still worried. Ogundiran said she’s seen some misinformation on social media that hasn’t helped, either.

“We just want to be reassured that we are safe,” Ogundiran told SMSU faculty and administrators.

Don Robertson, director of international student services at SMSU, said he’s heard concerns from other students, as well. International students are a lot more aware of international news, and media coverage of the presidential election has been very different outside the U.S., he said.

SMSU faculty said they understood students’ concerns – especially since some were immigrants to the U.S. themselves, or had family who were. Dr. Raphael Onyeaghala, dean of the College of Business, Education and Professional Studies at SMSU, said in the past week or so, he’s had some of the same conversations international students are having.

Robertson emphasized that international students are at SMSU legally, and have the same rights as U.S. citizens. Gores and other speakers at the forum said the U.S. is a democracy, and while people may have differing political views, SMSU students would be able to complete their studies in safety.

“We want to make sure you are safe in a community-based way,” said Dwight Watson, SMSU provost and vice president for academic and student affairs. He encouraged students to bring their concerns to university faculty and staff, and to report any harassment.

Robertson said in addition to Monday’s forum, university staff are communicating with students via e-mail about their concerns.

As a practical reassurance, Robertson also encouraged international students to make sure everything was in order with their student visas. Carrying identification would also be helpful, added Jefferson Lee, director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at SMSU.

At the same time, “We shouldn’t live in fear,” Onyeaghala said. “Let’s not live in fear, because if you live in fear, your voice is silenced.”

SMSU administrators and faculty said they would be there to support students.