BY JACK JOHANNESSEN, Staff Reporter
It is nearly inevitable that foreign exchange students will feel homesick, culture shock or alienation, but the International Center exists to be supportive and welcoming.
Central advertises to potential foreign exchange students from many different countries.
Cathy Murillo, director of the Central’s English as a Second Language program, has recruited International students for San Jose State, San Diego State and University of Colorado Boulder. She sees Central’s International program as very supportive and community oriented.
One way the International Center assists exchange students is by exposure to American classes. Exposure is beneficial to students whose primary language is not English.
According to Murillo, the International Center negotiates with professors to allow exchange students to sit in on Central’s classes to acquire first hand experience on what an American university course is like. Exchange students are able to participate in these sit-ins while still attending English proficiency classes.
The International Center can also provide exchange students with a peer mentor. This mentor can be either an experienced exchange student or an American who helps makes new students feel at home.
Despite the International Center’s support to exchange students, some students are still unhappy. These feelings are not unusual for a young person attending a university to feel while thousands of miles from their country and family.
“Being cared about is pretty important,” Murillo said.
The International Center has a variety of strategies to deal with many situations, including unhappy students.
Roslyn Moes, an international student adviser, was once an exchange student in college and now works closely with other students to maximize the best possible experience for them.
Moes is very familiar with the strategies used in tending to issues an exchange student may have.
The most important include speaking to a student in their primary language, talking to the student about their issues and hosting potlucks composed of international students, where students prepare and bring their native cuisines to share.
Additionally, not all situations can be treated the same. An exchange student’s issues can range from personal, to academic, to social, and so on.
In a worst-case scenario, international student advisers will work with the student, until they have to be referred to the Counseling Center or other emergency services if the student is very troubled. Fortunately, most exchange students do not have issues to this severity.
For an exchange student who feels homesick, overwhelmed academically or has other issues, it is often beneficial they talk with an international student adviser like Moes.
In fact, many students seek help from Moes. “I think the students come to me [because it] shows they can trust [the International Center],” Moes said.
Current exchange student and senior biology major Susmita Unni, from Mumbai, India, was assisted by the International Center upon her arrival at Central.
“They helped me with getting to know American culture, to [answering] questions I had [about] the campus, to registering for classes [and] making friends,” Unni said.
Despite the assistance she received from the International Center, Unni felt homesick for the first few months.
“I definitely had a lot of homesickness when I got to Central; [but] every year [the International Center] does a ‘welcome’ pizza party for current students and incoming students. That was the best way for me to meet all the other international students on campus. This made a huge difference,” Unni said.
Other exchange students have also had positive experiences with the International Center.
Clint Lemkus from Simon’s Town, near Cape Town, South Africa, felt accommodated and welcome. Lemkus played rugby professionally in Italy after leaving college in South Africa. He left Italy for Ellensburg after rugby season ended.
“The staff at Central, namely Roz, Bruce Simpson and Ray Wells were awesome and accommodating in every facet,” Lemkus said.
