Language is trying problem
Foreign students adjust to America
By MINA RELPH
Kansan Staff Writer
The University of Kansas is home for more than 600 foreign students from all over the world. These students move from familiar surroundings to a strange country, a strange University and a strange way of life.
They must make the same adjustment to college life and college work as any American student.
There are additional problems with adjustment to residence hall living, classes and professors, with other students and campus life.
These problems are compounded by a lack of comprehension and language barriers, which most student agreed was the most trying problem.
"I have been in this country since June," Raul Azceui, Bolivia freshman said, "and I am getting
used to life here and to the customs and language.
"But when I first came here, I was embarrassed to talk to the students, because I was afraid of making a mistake."
"We have a problem with expressing ourselves," Sondra Luna, Honduras freshman added. "This semester, for example, I am taking a course in U.S. history. I can do the readings for the class and understand them, but when we have class discussion, I often miss thing. I get lost trying to translate what the students are saying."
Expression is problem
"We have taken courses at the intensive English center," Azcui said, "but I found that these courses are mainly a help with reading and written exercises. What we really need is practice with conversational English."
"But the best way to learn to speak English is to talk with the
American students," Miss Luna added.
Nubia Victoria Morales, Colombia graduate student, agreed that lack of English comprehension was a major problem in classes at KU. "Right now I'm studying only the intensive English courses, but I need them to help me in other classes. When I begin study in my major, social studies, English comprehension will be the most important thing."
Amparo Gutierrez, Nicaragua senior, admitted that English comprehension is all-important with University courses. But she added, "I've noticed a very open attitude toward the foreign students here. The professors are willing to go more slowly and explain things more carefully if we don't understand. Everyone here seems very considerate and helpful."
"The real trouble is in making yourself understood," said Katsutoshi Ueda, Japeanese special student. "We are not used to the way people speak, especially when they use colloquial English."
WASHINGTON (UPI) — The General Accounting Office's study recommending a major overhaul of the War on Poverty was published yesterday over protests by the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) that the report failed to note the good as well as the bad.
The highlight of the 15-month survey by the GAO, the agency created by Congress to oversee government spending and programs, was a call for creation of a special White House agency under direct presidential control to coordinate all antipoverty efforts.
Study calls for overhaul
Ruben Berra, Mexico graduate student, said he also felt the lack of communication between students. He admitted having the same problems in classes as did any foreign student, but added that most barriers were the result of "coldness" on the part of American students.
The GAO, closely following President Nixon's proposals for changing administration of the War on Poverty, recommended shifting some programs from the OEO to other departments and retaining OEO primarily as an independent idea-making agency.
Ueda said most students were considerate, but they forgot to speak more slowly with the foreign student.
"American students are completely different from young people in my country," he said. "They have different living conditions, different patterns of behavior."
be a greater exchange of these ideas."
Berra said Americans often have the wrong idea about foreign students, especially the Latin Americans.
"The communication barrier between the foreign students and American students is the result of a reluctance on the part of the foreign student to talk with American students, especially strangers," Uea said.
"When we are happy we sing, we shout, but these things are too often misunderstood. The other day we were riding on the bus and we were singing. The bus driver became annoyed because he could not understand our behavior."
Most agreed that it was hard to get accustomed to the American way of life, customs, traditions and food.
GAO suggested abolishing the Neighborhood Youth Corps' out-of-school programs as ineffective in getting dropouts to return to high school. It said there was a question whether the Community Action or Job Corps programs had accomplished as much as their heavy financing promised.
Nearly all the students reported difficulties with classes, especially at first, because of language barriers. But they mentioned other problems with life at the University.
OEO would keep the controversial Community Action Program, under the investigators' plan, but such others as the Job Corps and Head Start would be moved to old-line Cabinet departments.
The GAO added: "For substantially all programs, payroll procedures, particularly in the manpower programs, need to be strengthened to afford adequate control against irregularities."
"This is a big mistake," he continued, "because I think we learn a great deal from American students, but they can also learn from us. There are many intellectual foreign students with ideas on world problems and individual ones. There needs to
Prefer residence halls
Although some of the foreign students live in apartments, many prefer to live in University residence halls.
meet people in a residence hall.
Ignacio Cavero, Venezuela graduate student, preferred residence halls to the apartment in which he lived last semester. "The apartment was very nice," he said, "but I got tired of cooking for myself. I also have found a greater opportunity to
Barrier exists
"The only problem with living in the residence hall is during breaks. We have to leave the residence halls and stay in a hotel which is expensive."
"In an apartment, it is hard to find someone to talk with," added Narendara Khilnani, India senior. "And everyone gets homesick once in awhile."
Most students agreed that they missed native customs and environments. One student pointed out that this was the main reason for living in an apartment. He said the student often preferred to live with people who speak the same language, eat the same food, have the same types of recreation.
International organizations
He said the system improves stability and stopping distances by automatically pumping a car's rear brakes several times a second when they are about to lock and cause a skid. It uses wheel sensors and a small computer to do it.
12 KANSAN Mar. 19 1969
"But on the other hand, we are here to learn the English language and American customs. We need to mix with American students more than with students from our own countries."
DETROIT (UPI) — Faster, straighter stops are said to be possible with a new passenger car skid control system. It reduces stopping distances on almost any road surface by some 3 to 15 per cent and helps keep the vehicle "in line" during a stop, according to James F. Berem, Borg-Warner Corporation president.
To help eliminate this problem, the University has created several international organizations.
Sparkling Nickel
More than 600 million automotive spark plugs are manufactured in the U.S. each year. For dependable service, 97 per cent nickel resistance wire is used in each plug.
Many students agreed that these clubs helped them adjust to American life by making them feel more at home.
Automatic pump scuttles skids
"But this is not always the best thing," Sonda Luna, Honduras, said. "There are so many students from the same countries here. They can meet with each other and speak in their native languages.
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