30 MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 2008
AROUND CAMPUS
Incoming international students get involved
From left, Natalie Aaron, St. Louis graduate student, Mustafa Yilmaz, Izmir, Turkey, Claudio Jimenez, Concepción, Chile, post doctoral researcher, and Rebecca Welch Weigel, Lawrence graduate student, discuss the metric system during a meeting of an Applied English Center Conversation Group. The groups help students of English practice conversation in a more casual, natural setting.
Cultural clubs help introduce foreign students to college life other students around campus
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
SACHIKO MIYAKAWA smiyakawa@kansan.com
More than 30 groups serve as cultural ambassadors on campus, including international and area studies clubs. International students can share their experiences and find friends from their home countries and domestic students can explore different cultures through the activities of the groups.
Yong Zhang Chengdu, China, sophomore, recently started a student group, All About Chinal, to respond to students' increasing interests in China and promote better understanding about the country.
Zhang said the group would collaborate with Chinese Students and Scholars Friendship Association and organize cultural workshops in the fall. The group sponsored a
T-shirt design contest in the summer to raise money for victims of the Sichuan earthquake in China.
Zhang said although more American students showed interest in China, some of them had misunderstandings about the Chinese.
"Some of them think all Chinese are brainwashed by the Chinese government," Zhang said. "They think we are not so open-minded."
Zhang said he hoped the group would help students to explore Chinese culture and bring more communication between Chinese students and American and other international students on campus.
Dinesh Raveendran, Chennai,
India, graduate student, said that
he participated in Cultural Indian Club,an Indian student association at the University, because he wanted to celebrate traditional Indian events. The club sponsors several events through the year, including an independence day celebration, pot lucks and traditional dancing displays. Raveendran said he liked to attend Indian festivals, such as Diya, a festival of lights.
Allen Lien, Taipei, Taiwan, graduate student, said that while the Taiwanese Student Association served to help Taiwanese students
at the University, it held events to inform people of Taiwanese culture. Lien, former vice president of the association, said the Chinese new year was one of the biggest events. The event featured a dinner party, game night and a show of Taiwanese performances.
He said the dinner party attracted many people, and many Americans
"I think I'm repaying what I got. When I got help they just told me you don't have to pay back to me, pay back to newcomers."
BONKYOUNG KU Seoul senior
gained interest in Taiwan after they ate food or enjoyed Taiwanese dancing and songs.
"I think the easiest way is food," Lien said.
"I think most Americans try food first."
He said anyone was welcome to join the association and attend the
events. He said the association served as a bridge to connect Taiwanese students to different groups of people on campus, including American students who practiced their language skills and other international student groups.
Bonkyoung Ku, Seoul senior;
said the Korean Student Association focused on supporting Korean students on campus. The members of the association holds social events and talk with students when they have problems.
Ku, president of the association said when new students came to the University, he would pick up them from the airport, show them around Lawrence and help them find a place to live. If they did not have a car, the members provided a ride for shopping.
"I think I'm repaying what I got," Ku said. "When I got help, they just told me you don't have to pay back to me, pay back to new comers."
Ku said he picked up new students from the Kansas City airport more than 10 times in the past fall semester. He said he had written a check for their housing several times because the housing office didn't accept any cash and many Koreans didn't have a banking account when they just arrived.
"This is kind of too much, but we usually do like this," Ku said. "I think this is a good tradition for Korean Student Association, and I just try."
— Edited by Matt Hirschfeld
c
---