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Tuesdav. September 18. 1990/ University Daily Kansan
Second-language classes aid foreign GTAs' skills
By Tatsuya Shimizu
Kansan staff writer
Prospective foreign graduate teaching assistants spent the summer trying to improve their English communication skills.
Five prospective foreign GTAs from the math department and six from the chemistry, biochemistry and physics departments participated in a one-month intensive English training course at KU for foreign GTAs. said Connie Ruggis, assistant director of the Applied English Center.
The course was offered by the center and supported by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the International Studies and Programs.
In the class, GTAs gave mini-lectures, practiced impromptu answering and questioning, and learned classroom management.
Roguski said the GTAs also learned the workings of the U.S. educational system since systems in
other nations sometimes operated differently.
The center offers a semester-long course called Classroom Communication for International Teaching Assistants. However, this class does not focus on a specific field, Roguski said.
The summer course offered one sections for math GTAs and one for science GTAs so they could learn to teach their courses more effectively.
Last year, the office of academic affairs received some complaints from students about communication problems with foreign GTAs.
Charles Himmelberg, chairperson of the math department, said the department did not receive many complaints from students about communication problems with foreign GTAs.
Twenty-three of the 54 GTAs in the math department are from other countries.
"For students in the class who are
He said the math department had its own program for all GTAs to improve their teaching skills.
not doing well, it's an easy excuse to make," he said.
Robuki said that to satisfy English proficiency qualification for foreign GTAs, they needed to score 240 out of 300 questions. That is administered by the center
Himmelberg said KU's English proficiency requirements for foreign GTAs was higher than other Board of Regents schools. The Regents require a score of 202 on a spoken English test similar to KU's test.
Zixing Xiong, Chinese graduate teaching assistant, is teaching precalculus mathematics this semester and has worked in the intensive summer course.
He said some foreign GTAs had problems communicating with their students because of language barriers.
Easy Pickin's
Brian T. Schoeni/KANSAN
NEA cuts could affect KU
Mark Burton, Wichita freshman, left, plays an original song for Jeff Feaster, Winfield freshman. The two enjoyed the cooler weather yesterday afternoon on the lawn near Fraser Hall.
Rv Monica Mendoza
Kansan staff writer
For nearly a year, the National Endowment for the Arts has been under scrutiny for supporting artists who deal with controversial works.
If restrictions were placed on the decision-making body of the NEA grants distribution, the University Concert Series could be affected, Jacqueline Davis, director of the series, said.
"It would be detrimental," she said. "Through the NE we were able to begin projects that were not in the budget."
She said creating a cultural context that explained potential controversial issues and artists would be the best way to prove the importance of continued NEA grants.
Michelle Helfner, a dance major who works in the concert series office, said the NEA was under fire from conservative groups.
She said one way to prove that artists and issues were important to Lawrence was to show dollar figures.
"I see an apathy on campus," Heffner said. "People don't see the opportunity they have to see artists of color."
Heffner said that in the past art was mostly entertainment but that today it was more about making a cultural or political statement.
"We have to be able to say these artists are too important not to fund." Heffner said. "And you do by showing dollar figures."
Davis said the NEA provided 10 percent of the total concert series budget through both direct and indirect grants.
The NEA has been responsive to the developing needs of the program, she said.
"The NEA provided the start-up money for important projects." Davis said.
Davis said she had been discussing the future of the series and artists with students and administrators.
She said she would like to start forums focusing on the issues.
"I will create packages of potential controversial works that explain what the issues and the artist are about," Davis said. "Then people can make an informed decision."
Davis said the University had been supportive of the elements of freedom of expression.
Hefner said that as long as the NEA was under fire, freedom of expression was at risk. She said if the KU community did not respond positively to culturally diverse artists, it would reflect that people were hostile to issues those artists addressed.
"We could have a hard time for future grants," Heffner said.
International Friends grows
Program hosting foreign students to expand from McCollum
By Tracey Chalpin Kansan staff writer
A foreign student hosting program that begin last spring will branch out from McCollum Hall to all residence this semester, a housing official said.
The program. International Friends, pairs U.S. students with foreign students for informal cultural exchanges.
Milton Scott, an associate director of housing, said forms would be distributed next week to students in the program. The other who is interested in the program.
"It will give the international students someone to study with and do something with on weekends," he said.
Ger Limer, graduate assistant at the Foreign Student Service Office said the program last spring involved about 46 students.
Lamer said she was going to residence hall staff meetings to inform
resident assistants about the new program.
"I would love to see the program branch beyond even the residence halls," she said.
"Sometimes, students have a particular place in the world that they are interested in, or sometimes students will come in, saying they spent a year somewhere and would like to meet someone from there." Lamar said.
Lamer said the students who expressed interest in the program were not only concerned with meet-the-norm police a language they were studying.
Larner said the idea of a student hosting program came to her when she was studying Chinese two years ago.
She said she was contacted by an employee she knew at the Applied English Center in Lippincott Hall.
Larner said she and a couple from Taiwan began meeting twice a week to share their languages and cultures
"This was two years ago, and we're still friends," she said.
Lamer said a lot of foreign students are deeply interested in U.S. culture.
"They want someone to go to football games with to tell them what's going on," she said.
Curtis Estes, Atchison senior, said he thought the program would be a big success.
Estes, an RA in McColmill, said students on his floor had shown interest and probably would promote them to other residents at McColmill.
“What I have found from living at McCollum is that you get a tremendous international experience,” he said. “You don't only learn about other students and their cultures, but you also learn a lot about yourself.”
Lamer said a social event would be planned for early next month to acquaint the paired students.
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