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FSEC briefed on challenges faced by international students
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“International students do face stressors that are unique to them. They face all the same stressors that domestic students face, but they face additional ones that are unknown to domestic students.”
Living in a new culture, away from loved ones back home, some international students experience culture shock and social isolation. Those from tropical countries struggle with Buffalo winters. Many face extreme pressure to excel academically, knowing a family member has invested his or her life savings to send them to college.
On top of personal struggles, international students must learn to navigate through strict homeland security regulations. They can suffer severe consequences for such seemingly minor immigration violations as taking too few courses. One was arrested and detained for carrying nine credit hours instead of 12. Many do not return home—even for the funeral of a parent—for fear they will not be able to return to the United States.
Such details caught the attention of Faculty Senate Executive Committee members, who received a briefing yesterday on the climate for international students at UB. Stephen Dunnett, vice provost for international education, and Ellen Dussourd, director of international student and scholar services, delivered the presentation during the committee’s regular meeting.
According to a handout the pair distributed, about 13.6 percent of students at UB’s three campuses hail from other countries. Even with many universities across the nation reporting declining international enrollment, UB’s grew by more than 10 percent between fall 2008 and fall 2009.
“International students do face stressors that are unique to them,” Dussourd says. “They face all the same stressors that domestic students face, but they face additional ones that are unknown to domestic students.”
Problems often arise from differences between students’ home cultures and that of the United States. Difficulties with classroom participation are one example. Here at UB, professors generally welcome questions. A curious student is an interested student—one who is fully engaged in coursework. In some cultures, however, interrupting a lecture is considered disrespectful, a selfish act that forces a teacher to take time from a planned talk to address one student’s concerns. Questions might imply that a professor has explained a subject poorly.
A challenge that is, perhaps, more serious is the great academic pressures some international students face. In populous countries such as China and India where competition for jobs is intense, Dussourd said, performance in college determines a person’s economic future and, in some cases, his or her self-worth.
“We tend to admire people like Bill Gates who dropped out of Harvard and, despite that, became a multi-billionaire, but that is less the case, to my understanding, in the countries where our students come from, where people who achieve great success academically are highly respected, more respected in their culture,” Dussourd said. “Because of this emphasis on academic success, many students’ families make tremendous financial sacrifices in order to pay for their U.S. education.”
To help students and employees from abroad adjust to life at UB and in America, the Office of International Student and Scholar Services provides workshops covering topics ranging from winter driving and traveling in the United States to immigration and customs enforcement regulations. Dussourd’s office also hosts workshops, such as one titled “Supporting International Students: Tips from Counseling Services,” for UB staff and faculty members interested in learning how they can help meet the needs of this growing population.
Dunnett emphasized that creating an inviting environment for international students ultimately benefits the entire university community, promoting an exchange of ideas between individuals of different cultures, which can often be a “life-changing experience.” American undergraduates often report that their interest in studying abroad stems from learning about life abroad from a foreign roommate or friend. As graduates enter the workforce, Dunnett said, those with a global perspective will be best prepared for challenges, such as working for multinational corporations.
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