THE UNIVERSITY NEWS — Monica Eppinger, Ph.D, J.D, a professor at the Saint Louis University School of Law, told the University News that she will call on SLU to assist Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion. “We should be so lucky as to get refugees from Ukraine,” Eppinger said. “This is not a burden. This would be a benefit.” Eppinger, who served in the U.S. Embassy to Ukraine from 1995 to 1997, is an expert on both Ukraine and Russia, and teaches courses on international law and national security. Eppinger said she has been following the news closely since the war began on Feb. 24. She regularly returns to visit the country, where, by her estimate, one-third of her friends continue to live. “The talent pool coming out of Ukraine is an extremely well-educated population, and it’s a population that universities can connect with,” Eppinger said. Eppinger said her proposal will entail working with Catholic universities in Hungary, Poland and western Ukraine—the region she says will likely hold out the longest against the Russian invasion—to direct refugees to SLU. “There are things we can do that would be creative and that would be in alignment with Pope Francis’ vision,” Eppinger said.