Three international students met with representatives of the university today at 2 p.m. to discuss President Donald Trump’s Presidential Executive Orders on Immigration. 
Roy Jafari, a PhD industrial and systems engineering student, Erfan Alkamil, senior aerospace engineering student, and Iman Jamila, senior psychology major, approached President Mark Keenum with concerns for international students on Mississippi State University’s campus. Ra’Sheda Boddie-Forbes, director of the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, and Sid Salter, chief communications officer and director of public affairs, were also present. 
 The three students representing international students on campus said they want to bring clarity to students immediately affected by the executive order who are currently confused and distressed.
 Jafari, originally from Iran and president of the International Student Advisory Board, said even though he is not personally affected by the order, he knows students who are.
 “What I have seen is a lot distress on students, especially the ones directly affected by this executive order,” Jafari said. “It has brought distraction, we are students and we are supposed to be focused on our work and our studies I’m going to be here for one year and I want to be focused, but it is going to be very hard with this executive order.” 
Alkamil, originally from Yemen, said he has friends who can no longer visit their families in their native countries.
Jamila, who has family in Syria, said she also knows multiple people affected by the order. She has friends from each of the seven countries named in the order.
 “Now they are worried for their careers and what they can do. That is just hard on everyone,” Jamila said.
Keenum said international students have a family at MSU. He said he personally recruits international students to come to MSU and desires the university to be globally aware, a change agent for the world.
 “We have student services, we have programs, we can make inquiries, we can do things to be an advocate on your behalf and that is what I want us to do because you are a bulldog,” Keenum said. “I don’t see a Yemen student or an Iran student, I see a bulldog student, it is just that simple.”
 Jafari said he wanted MSU to help international students in three categories. He said the ISAB categorized these things as what can be done, dispelling confusions while bringing hope to international students, and creating a voice for international students.
 Jafari, representing the ISAB, requested for the university to produce a fact sheet dispelling confusion amongst students. 
Keenum and Salter responded positively to this request, but reminded Jafari that compiling the factual information will take time in order to make sure it is correct.
“The facts are evolving on a daily, if not hourly basis, so before Mississippi State just steps out and says ‘These are the facts’ we must vet those facts with competent authority,” Salter said.
 Salter said the university is watching the issue evolve on several levels nationally, legal avenues, political avenues, and the administrative avenues. He said they have to consider what the university actually can do with hesitation to have students rely on the university for things it does not have the ability to do. Salter said the university will make sure the facts are absolutely right before publishing a fact sheet.
 Jones said she does not want international students to suffer in silence so providing students with contact information of places they can go to receive the help they need. 
 Keenum recommended that students not travel while the executive order is in effect.
 Counseling services are available to all students, including those immediately affected by the presidential order. Keenum said he desires to appoint specific advisors to speak to international students about their specific situations and how they are personally affected. These advisors would be able to give students advice on the actions they will be able to take regarding the presidential order.
 “We may not be able to get the solution the student specifically wants, but at least we can try,” Keenum said.