Students who are startled when they overhear conversations in Swahili in the Union can breathe a sigh of relief: It’s only some of the U’s many international students speaking in their native tongue.
In the 2001-2002 academic year, Utah ranked second out of six mountain states in the number of international students it welcomed. Utah also sent out more than 2,168 students abroad in 2002. There are currently 3,000 international students enrolled at the U, approximately half of whom are undergraduates.
Mike Allcott, associate director of international student services at the U, says it’s very important to recognize international students because “international students are our diversity.”
Most international students who come to the United States are here on student visa permits. These permits don’t allow students to work off campus as the students are here strictly to obtain an education.
Allcott says that because of this fact, most international students live, work, and study on campus, and identify better with their schools than many native U.S. students.
Yet within all these arenas, it still seems no one is reaching out to these students, Allcott says.
“I think we have a lot of work [to do], and the Associated Students of the University of Utah needs to realize [the international community is] big,” Allcott said.
Jeff Mathis, ASUU chief of staff, said his staff does realize the increased numbers of international students on campus, and says the administration is taking measures to involve them in campus activities.
“International students have become a more active part of campus over the last couple of years,” Mathis said, pointing out the necessity of taking measures now.
Mathis said the creation of the International Students Committee-a new committee under the Non-traditional Student Service Board-is one of the steps ASUU is taking this year to accommodate international students.
One might assume that communicating with members of the U’s international community is not easy due to language barriers, but Allcott disagrees.
All international students must pass an English competency test in order to be accepted into a graduate or undergraduate program at the U, he said.
The biggest issue regarding the acceptance of international students into the United States is security.
With the passing of several recent laws, it’s harder for international students to get visas.
The irony, according to Allcott, is that interest in coming to study in the United States has increased since the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
Allcott argues that instead of cutting back on international students, the government should welcome them as opportunities to improve the nation’s security.
“Part of [national] security is bringing international students here,” he said.
Allcott also says first-hand experience allows students to create their own perceptions of Americans and could dispel propagandized myths purported by other governments.
Anisa Bulatova, a graduate student in the school of social work, came from Russia to study at the U nine months ago. She agrees it has been much harder to obtain a student visa since Sept. 11.
She explains that most of the paperwork required to get to the U has to go through the English Language Institute here on campus.
Unlike Allcott, Bulatova feels the language barrier is a huge communication dilemma.
“I can’t understand other people or express myself,” Bulatova says, but she argues it’s only a temporary problem.
Despite the language barrier, she feels very welcomed by other students at the U. Bulatova says it’s a very different culture than that of her native Russia. There, people are not afraid to insult others while walking around campus, but in America, college is not at all a hostile environment, she said.
Bulatova says many students come to study in the United States to better understand a different culture, learn some valuable lessons and use their new knowledge to better their own countries.
“I wanted to know the kind of education America had to offer,” Bulatova said. Much of her reason for studying abroad, she admitted, was sheer curiosity for a new world.
Ola Elenitoba-Johnson, a U sophomore majoring in biology, is also part of the U’s international community. He came from Nigeria one year ago and says that his reason for studying abroad is to find “better opportunities.”
“[America] is where everything is happening. Nigeria is a static society,” Elenitoba-Johnson said.
Acceptance may seem like a very important factor for being happy as an international student, but Elenitoba-Johnson doesn’t see it that way.
“I didn’t care about acceptance, but I feel comfortable. The teachers are accessible, and the place is quiet. It’s pretty domestic,” he said.
Elenitoba-Johnson says “the U is doing the best it can” to reach out to the international community. He thinks in order to really involve the international students, ASUU and other student organizations need to recruit motivated international students to work inside them. This way, the international community will have a representative force to work for them and communicate to them effectively.
Like Bulatova and Allcott, Elenitoba-Johnson says there is nothing like first-hand experience.
“There are certain things you hear about, but can only understand firsthand…India and Pakistan are at war, but there are Indians and Pakistanis who are friends here at the U,” Elenitoba-Johnson said.
Firsthand experience is also a concern of the Association of International Educators, the world’s largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education.
From May 25 to May 30, the association held its 55th annual international education conference at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City.
Allcott says a big part of foreign exchange is building interpersonal connections with universities and colleges throughout the world.
Relation building is the purpose of the association’s annual conferences. This year’s conference attracted more than 50,000 people interested in promoting international student services, including representatives from Spanish, French and Chinese universities.
Six Utah colleges and universities, including the U, participated in organizing the event by providing student volunteer services and administrators willing to build international relationships.
Next year’s international student conference will be held in Baltimore, working yet again to promote study abroad programs.