Stranded International Students Are Sustaining U.S. College Towns

When Regina Vaughn reopened her Freshii franchise in West Lafayette, Ind., in mid-April, after it had been closed for almost a month, orders started flowing back in from some of her old regulars. Among them was Nour Hendy, a computer engineering student at Purdue University, who hails from Alexandria, Egypt. “It’s been part of my routine to go to Freshii, to get lunch there, for a very long time,” says Hendy, 22, who, amid the pandemic, had to switch to mostly using an app to order his favorites, which include brown rice and vegetables with chicken or tofu.

College towns are struggling across the U.S. For many local businesses, revenue flows are dictated by the academic calendar: the arrival of students in late summer, prospective applicants and their parents touring campuses in fall and spring, families attending graduations in May, and then an influx of high schoolers enrolled in summer programs. Most of these customers have been absent since March, when universities sent students packing to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. It’s still unclear if many will return in the fall, and those who do may be directed not to leave campus to prevent infections.