Rice office helps international students adjust to new enviroment

Rice office helps international students adjust to new environment

BY DANA BENSON
Rice News Staff

Students have
a myriad of responsibilities when they arrive at Rice—everything
from registering for classes to establishing bank accounts.
Plus, they must learn how to get around campus and the city.

Imagine facing
all of those responsibilities while not understanding the
language or culture. That’s the situation facing international
students.

Fortunately,
international students at Rice, most of whom are graduate
students, can turn to the Office of International Students
and Scholars (OISS) for advice and guidance.

The office offers
year-round informational and fun activities for international
students and scholars. This month, the office will sponsor
a series of events in celebration of International Education
Week, Nov. 13-17 (see story on page 2 for list of events).
The first-ever nationally designated week to highlight the
importance of international education is a result of a Clinton
Administration initiative.

Arriving here
is both an exhilarating and scary experience for international
students, according to Adria Baker, director of the Office
of International Students and Scholars.

International
students are introduced to the campus, the city and to important
issues during an orientation program at the start of fall
semester. The daylong session includes information on registering
for classes, maintaining visa status, obtaining a Texas
identification card, finding housing and much more.

Throughout the
year, the office sponsors seminars and workshops on such
topics as the immigration process and establishing permanent
residency, finding employment and interviewing for jobs
and understanding U.S. culture and language.

Gang Cheng,
an international graduate student in civil engineering,
commented that he “got a lot of good tips from the
‘Survival in Houston’ session offered by OISS.” He also emphasized the importance of the immigration workshops,
English-language classes and the fun events like picnics.

“It was
the first time for me to be out of my motherland, China,
when I came here to Rice last August,” Cheng said.
“I knew it was going to be a very exciting experience,
but I was also worrying about how I was going to adjust
myself to everything here—the language, the social
customs, the climate and even the food.”

Cheng said he
was comforted by the “smiling faces” in the Office
of International Students and Scholars and knew he could
turn to them for answers and guidance.

Many people
don’t understand the issues international students
face, said Alejandro Chaoul-Reich, an Argentinian graduate
student in the Dept. of Religious Studies, so the OISS takes
on a very important role. In addition to the language and
cultural barriers, international students are used to a
different educational system and often have difficulty adjusting
to U.S. classroom dynamics, he noted.

But perhaps
one of the biggest issues facing international students
is the sense of isolation and loneliness, he said.

“On the
one hand, international students move from an eagerness
at being here to receive an education to, on the other hand,
feeling very isolated. The Office of International Students
and Scholars tries to organize as many programs as they
can to provide a support system,” Chaoul-Reich said.

Some of the
social activities the office organizes include international-student
picnics and barbecues, programs for spouses and informal
get-togethers. Baker said she also encourages international
students to get involved with clubs and groups and even
form new student groups. Other activities that promote interaction
are Rice’s annual culture fair, dinners with host families
and speaking events at Houston area schools through the
OISS partnership with the Institute of International Education.

For more information
about the Office of International Students and Scholars,
call (713) 348-6095 or visit its Web site at <www.ruf.rice.edu/~ois/>.