Student Union
Separation Between International and National Students Happens Everywhere
Take a look:
Part 1: The Truth – Americans Reveal What They Really Think of International Students
Part 2: Why Aren’t Americans and International Students Becoming Friends?
[caption id="attachment_6458" align="alignright" width="330" caption="American students at Ohio University talk to our blogger Olena about what they and their classmates think about international students"][/caption]We found that Americans generally like having international students on campus, but that there is a separation when it comes to forming friendships between the two groups. But is this unique to the United States?
Our intrepid readers from around the world weighed in to share what relations are like between international and domestic students where THEY are, and it sounds like crossing the culture boundaries is tough no matter where you study. Here's what you had to say about forming friendships around the world (all quotes are posted as written).
Finland
Linza: I’m an American student in Finland, so I’m the other side of the coin. It’s very similar here; international programs are taught in English, and regular programs are taught in Finnish. Many Finnish students understand a lot of English, but don’t speak it very well, whereas many international students don’t know very much Finnish (at least, not enough to have a long conversation, and certainly not in their first year). It’s a major barrier. At least American students seem to have a more positive view.
JordanAbdullah: I’m from Jordan – Middle east, I studied at the university and there was international students, but I wasn’t absolutely interested about knowing them or talking to them.
In my opinion it’s not normal to have friends from other countries or cultures, because as one of the students said ” It’s not easy to know others, especially if they don’t speak your language, or if they are from another culture”. But I think it will become easier and interesting if there is something pushing you toward knowing others and talking to them, for example: now because I learn English and I keen to speak to native speakers, I like to know foreigners and speak to them, why that changed, I think because I have goal in my mind, even it’s not easy sometimes.
TaiwanWyatt: I did my college degree in Taiwan, and despite being the same race with Taiwanese, most international students from other Asian countries like Malaysia and Singapore tend to stick with their own clique, which is a problem because the local students will be intimidated, at least that’s what the locals told me. To me, what International students need to do is to slightly alter their mindset, not exactly changing who you are but to be more open minded and accepting of a culture and society that is different and unique to where you are from. You learn from the good and take the one different from yours as a learning tool, or something like that.
AustraliaKay: At the moment, pretty much reflects most of it in Australia as well, especially putting the effort in bridging the gap. Perhaps some of them are somewhat annoyed the fact most of the international students are coming over for migration/work purposes via the studying route.
United StatesAli: Students in general do not bother to know about other students, because they are very busy with their education and they have their close friends. However, the percentage of national to international students is high and the countries are different, therefore every group is busy with their national friends who share common culture values. But there are students from both sides who can cross the culture borders to other cultures to explore and to create relations. ...
I was studying in different states. I am sure international students like Americans in general and respect them for many reasons. Americans are friendly, and they would like to know others sometimes. They may have wrong information about some international student cultures. Even among them, the Americans relations are not open to everyone. This is human nature, because they are busy with their lives, and daily work. Bu they got along a lot with others so easy. I remember one of my classmates when I was leaving to my country she came to say goodbye and brought with her the family photo and wrote on it this is your family in America. I call her sister because we are all brothers and sisters. At the top of all this Americans are not American government politics, while international students are not their national governments. This is what people try to distinguish when communicate with others.
Dan: As a worker, I can say that what the students say in the video mirrors what happens in a worplace environment. In today’s globilized world, we have guys coming here seeking a job from everywhere. So, I kind of understand you guys.
On our Facebook page, Sophia weighed in with her advice about who needs to change to make friendships more common:"In my view, international students come to a country, so they become a part of this country and this culture. I agree that in a new cultural environment, a person needs to preserve their own culture, not make it lost. However, there's a famous quote "when in Rome, act like Roman*." I mean the international students should learn the way people there living and acting so that they wouldn't feel excluded in some circumstances."
Have you had a different experience where you are? Share your stories in the comments!
*Editor's Note: The quote is typically translated into English as, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do," and is almost always shortened to just, "When in Rome..." The meaning of the proverb is that one should try to blend into local customs or practices.
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Pro-Palestinian protests spread on US university campuses
U.S. university campuses are seeing pro-Palestinian protests daily. Students are demonstrating against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and demanding that humanitarian aid be allowed to flow into the territory. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports.
US police clash with students who demand colleges cut financial ties to Israel
Police tangled with student demonstrators in the U.S. states of Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
At the University of Texas at Austin, hundreds of local and state police — including some on horseback and holding batons — clashed with protesters, pushing them off the campus lawn and at one point sending some tumbling into the street. At least 20 demonstrators were taken into custody at the request of university officials and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, according to the state Department of Public Safety.
A photographer covering the demonstration for Fox 7 Austin was arrested after being caught in a push-and-pull between law enforcement and students, the station confirmed. A longtime Texas journalist was knocked down in the mayhem and could be seen bleeding before police helped him to emergency medical staff who bandaged his head.
At the University of Southern California, police got into a back-and-forth tugging match with protesters over tents, removing several before falling back. At the northern end of California, students were barricaded inside a building for a third day at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. The school shut down campus through the weekend and made classes virtual.
Harvard University in Massachusetts had sought to stay ahead of protests this week by limiting access to Harvard Yard and requiring permission for tents and tables. That didn't stop protesters from setting up a camp with 14 tents Wednesday following a rally against the university's suspension of the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee.
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war are demanding schools cut financial ties to Israel and divest from companies enabling its monthslong conflict. Dozens have been arrested on charges of trespassing or disorderly conduct. Some Jewish students say the protests have veered into antisemitism and made them afraid to set foot on campus.
Columbia University averted another confrontation between students and police earlier in the day. The situation there remained tense, with campus officials saying it would continue talks with protesters for another 48 hours.
On a visit to campus, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, called on Columbia University President Minouche Shafik to resign "if she cannot bring order to this chaos."
"If this is not contained quickly and if these threats and intimidation are not stopped, there is an appropriate time for the National Guard," he said.
Shafik had set a midnight Tuesday deadline to reach an agreement on clearing an encampment, but the school extended negotiations, saying it was making "important progress."
On Wednesday evening, a Columbia spokesperson said rumors that the university had threatened to bring in the National Guard were unfounded. "Our focus is to restore order, and if we can get there through dialogue, we will," said Ben Chang, Columbia's vice president for communications.
Columbia graduate student Omer Lubaton Granot, who put up pictures of Israeli hostages near the encampment, said he wanted to remind people that there were more than 100 hostages still being held by Hamas.
"I see all the people behind me advocating for human rights," he said. "I don't think they have one word to say about the fact that people their age, that were kidnapped from their homes or from a music festival in Israel, are held by a terror organization."
Harvard law student Tala Alfoqaha, who is Palestinian, said she and other protesters want more transparency from the university.
"My hope is that the Harvard administration listens to what its students have been asking for all year, which is divestment, disclosure and dropping any sort of charges against students," she said.
Columbia encampment inspires others
Police first tried to clear the encampment at Columbia last week, when they arrested more than 100 protesters. The move backfired, acting as an inspiration for other students across the country to set up similar encampments and motivating protesters at Columbia to regroup.
On Wednesday about 60 tents remained at the Columbia encampment, which appeared calm. Security remained tight around campus, with identification required and police setting up metal barricades.
Columbia said it had agreed with protest representatives that only students would remain at the encampment and they would make it welcoming, banning discriminatory or harassing language.
On the University of Minnesota campus, a few dozen students rallied a day after nine protesters were arrested when police took down an encampment in front of the library. U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, whose daughter was among the demonstrators arrested at Columbia last week, attended a protest later in the day.
A group of more than 80 professors and assistant professors signed a letter Wednesday calling on the university's president and other administrators to drop any charges and to allow future encampments without what they described as police retaliation.
They wrote that they were "horrified that the administration would permit such a clear violation of our students' rights to freely speak out against genocide and ongoing occupation of Palestine."
Netanyahu encourages police response
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at the pro-Palestinian demonstrations on U.S. college campuses in a video statement released Wednesday, saying the response of several university presidents has been "shameful" and calling on state, local and federal officials to intervene.
Students at some protests were hiding their identities and declined to identify themselves to reporters, saying they feared retribution. At an encampment of about 40 tents at the heart of the University of Michigan's campus in Ann Arbor, almost every student wore a mask, which was handed to them when they entered.
The upwelling of demonstrations has left universities struggling to balance campus safety with free speech rights. Many long tolerated the protests, but are now doling out more heavy-handed discipline, citing safety concerns.
At New York University this week, police said 133 protesters were taken into custody and all had been released with summonses to appear in court on disorderly conduct charges. More than 40 protesters were arrested Monday at an encampment at Yale University.
Columbia University demonstrators in talks with administration officials
Officials at Columbia University were continuing talks Wednesday with student demonstrators from the Gaza Solidarity Encampment as the protest reaches a full week.
At 9:41 p.m. Tuesday, university President Nemat “Minouche” Shafik sent an email to the Columbia community setting a midnight deadline for an agreement to be reached about dismantling the encampment and dispersing the protesters.
“I very much hope these discussions are successful,” she wrote. “If they are not, we will have to consider alternative options for clearing the West Lawn and restoring calm to campus so that students can complete the term and graduate.”
As midnight passed, Columbia University Apartheid Divest posted a statement on X saying, “We refuse to concede to cowardly threats and blatant intimidation by university administration. We will continue to peacefully protest.”
The statement also said the university had threatened to call the National Guard. But after visiting the university earlier in the week, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said Tuesday she had no plans to deploy the National Guard.
As midnight approached on Tuesday, a student organizer announced that the deadline had been extended to 8 a.m. Wednesday.
At 4:09 a.m., the Office of the President sent an email saying the discussion deadline would be extended for 48 hours, given the constructive dialogue, and the university would report back on progress.
The email announced that leaders of the student encampment had agreed to remove a significant number of tents, get non-Columbia affiliates to leave the encampment and comply with New York Fire Department requirements. They also agreed to ensure that the encampment is “welcome to all” and to prohibit “discriminatory or harassing language.”
This development comes nearly a week after more than 100 students were arrested at the school on April 18, after Shafik authorized police to clear away protesters. Some of the students received suspension notices from the school.
Columbia’s action prompted an onslaught of pro-Palestinian demonstrations at other universities and responses from faculty and politicians.
Students at other campuses, such as Yale, Stanford and New York University, have also rallied around the Palestinian cause, calling for their universities to divest from companies with ties to Israel and for a cease-fire in Gaza. Many also have put up tent encampments on their campuses. About 150 students and faculty were arrested at New York University Monday night.
Columbia also announced Tuesday morning that classes on the Morningside main campus, where the protests are taking place, will be offered in a hybrid format for the remainder of the spring semester. The last day of classes is April 29.
- By VOA News
Paper: International students faced extra pandemic challenges
Astrobites, which describes itself as "a daily astrophysical literature journal written by graduate students in astronomy since 2010," focuses on the challenges international students faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It examines a paper published in the Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education entitled The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on International Students in a Public University in the United States: Academic and Non-academic Challenges.
Read the Astrobites article here. (April 2024)