Spring Break
International students join to discuss their special issues
Abigail Raymond
Issue date: 4/14/06 Section: News
The first International Student Town Hall Meeting, co-hosted by the Undergraduate Student Government Association and International Students Scholar Services, was held April 11.
Topics discussed by students at the meeting included ways to increase international student involvement, on-campus jobs and international student-targeted activities, and enhance student experiences with ISSS services and the University's relations with international students.
According to ISSS, international students make up about 11 to 12 percent of the University's student body.
Individuals who participated in the panel included Chris Duffy, USGA Student Life Assembly chair; Vincent Lau Chan, USGA international student representative; Gail Gibbs, assistant director of ISSS; Esther Williams, director of ISSS; and Kathleen Trayte, executive director of ISSS.
Duffy and Lau Chan wanted to provide international students the opportunity to voice their problems and concerns as well as imparting a better understanding of University policies. International students share all the worries of domestic students, such as financial aid and housing, but in addition may have many other issues, such as language barriers and finding a part-time job.
"Basically, it's more like to hear feedback from them for both Student Life as well as the International Students Office," Lau Chan said. He is an international student from Barranquilla, Colombia.
"We're always dealing with the administration, and the typical student really isn't, so we're trying to bridge the gap and explain to them in more, I guess, casual terms the reasons for some of the rules that are in place," Duffy said.
Only four students attended the meeting, but the small size allowed each student to equally express their concerns and opinions to the panel. Another result of the poor attendance was a discussion on how to increase student involvement.
"How [is the ISSS] supposed to know what the issues are if nobody mentions them?" said Mario Aguilera, a senior majoring in computer science.
Topics discussed by students at the meeting included ways to increase international student involvement, on-campus jobs and international student-targeted activities, and enhance student experiences with ISSS services and the University's relations with international students.
According to ISSS, international students make up about 11 to 12 percent of the University's student body.
Individuals who participated in the panel included Chris Duffy, USGA Student Life Assembly chair; Vincent Lau Chan, USGA international student representative; Gail Gibbs, assistant director of ISSS; Esther Williams, director of ISSS; and Kathleen Trayte, executive director of ISSS.
Duffy and Lau Chan wanted to provide international students the opportunity to voice their problems and concerns as well as imparting a better understanding of University policies. International students share all the worries of domestic students, such as financial aid and housing, but in addition may have many other issues, such as language barriers and finding a part-time job.
"Basically, it's more like to hear feedback from them for both Student Life as well as the International Students Office," Lau Chan said. He is an international student from Barranquilla, Colombia.
"We're always dealing with the administration, and the typical student really isn't, so we're trying to bridge the gap and explain to them in more, I guess, casual terms the reasons for some of the rules that are in place," Duffy said.
Only four students attended the meeting, but the small size allowed each student to equally express their concerns and opinions to the panel. Another result of the poor attendance was a discussion on how to increase student involvement.
"How [is the ISSS] supposed to know what the issues are if nobody mentions them?" said Mario Aguilera, a senior majoring in computer science.
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