The Office of International Education made a new video contributing to the #YouAreWelcomeHere campaign. Photo via Office of International Education.

When the Office of International Education made a new video contributing to the #YouAreWelcomeHere campaign, a message was sent to students from all over the globe.

Following President Donald Trump’s first executive order that would temporarily ban citizens of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia from entering the U.S., OIE released a statement expressing its support for all students.

The office wrote, “As the central hub for international students and internationalization at Marquette, the Office of International Education supports all international students and stands in solidarity with those impacted.” Shortly after releasing this statement, the OIE shared the video, putting Marquette’s hand in the campaign originally started by Temple University.

According to the campaign’s website, #YouAreWelcomeHere is an invitation from higher education institutions to international students all across the world. It is made to show that participating institutions are diverse and safe environments. So far, colleges and universities have shared their commitment to the campaign with a variety of photos, videos and events that feature students, faculty and staff.

Lauren Burke, executive producer for the Office of Marketing and Communication, produced and edited the video. According to Burke, the video was shot over the course of two days on campus. OIE’s International Day, hosted in the Alumni Memorial Union, took place during the video’s filming, allowing Burke to capture a variety of students. After filming, Burke edited the video and added some existing shots of campus, leaving everyone with the finished product.

Karen Hess, OIE’s international communications and marketing coordinator, said in an email, “Marquette University is proud to welcome nearly 700 international students from countries around the world, including students from countries impacted by two recent executive orders. We want to stand in solidarity with our international students and want to be clear that Marquette is a welcoming environment for all students.”

The reactions to the video were positive, Hess said. So far, the video has over 13,000 views on Facebook and 120 likes on Twitter. Hess said OIE is happy with the attention the video is receiving. “We are excited to share Marquette’s inclusive environment with students considering Marquette for their studies,” she said.

Students are responding to the video as well. Rebecca Gasper, sophomore in the College of Health Sciences who is currently studying abroad in Thailand, said she was impacted by the video’s message. “It was really nice to know Marquette is going to accept everyone, because Thailand has accepted me, so it’s nice to know the school that sent me here is doing the same thing.”