Hemphill

This past week, while most of us were gearing up for midterms and dreaming about Spring Break, much of the world’s attention was fixed on Japan and the aftermath of one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded.

The 8.9 magnitude earthquake was accompanied by a tsunami that caused considerable damage to the country’s coast and caused what could become a nuclear meltdown at a nuclear reactor in Fukushima.

With all of this happening in such a short amount of time, it may be hard for students to keep up to date on the events that are taking place. Nonetheless, this is no excuse for ESU students to not realize how big of a tragedy this is. Over 4,000 people have died during this disaster, over 8,000 are still missing and there is no telling how much monetary damage this event will end up causing.

There are 44 Japanese students at ESU. That is an awfully large number of students who are being directly affected by this disaster. Several organizations on campus have put together a programs to try to help including a fundraising concert by the Sakura choir, the “Let Hope Blossom” program sponsored by Getting Involved in Volunteering in Emporia (GIVE) which involves the folding of origami cranes and donations to the Red Cross and a food drive involving the donation of 20,000 meals sponsored by Numana, Inc., a non-profit hunger relief organization.

But, I don’t think that there is enough being done for the students at ESU who are being affected by this disaster. Even if you don’t have time to attend one of these fundraising activities, take the time to talk to Japanese students attending ESU. If nothing else, ask them how they are doing or if their families are alright. Anything to let them know that students at ESU care about what their country is going through and their fellow countrymen are going through.

We are a society built on compassion. From my experience, Midwesterners embody this feeling perfectly. These students are part of our community and therefore deserve any and all of the support we can give them.

What has happened in Japan is terrible, there is no doubt about it. It is a difficult situation that we should all be aware of and continue to learn about as Japan attempts to move forward in the coming weeks. But, what can be done now on a daily basis is for us to show our support for Japanese students at ESU. Be it a fundraiser, a donation or a simple smile, these students deserve our support and it is our duty as fellow students, as compassionate individuals and as compatriots on this rock we call Earth to give them this support.

Because they would do it for us.

Eric Hemphill/The Bulletin

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When international students study in America, they are expected to be able to pass English exams to show that they are knowledgeable enough of the language to attend classes taught in English.

But students who don’t meet the requirements must take classes through the ESU Intensive English Program – classes that students don’t currently receive academic credit for, despite paying $6,600 for all four classes at once, according to the Office of International Education’s website.

Students must take those classes before moving on to academic classes, but there are several ways to be exempt from taking part in the program which includes passing one of two English proficiency exams available, being from a country that speaks English as its native language or having a degree from an English speaking country.

“It is not fair because I want to graduate as soon as possible, but I took IEP classes last semester and I couldn’t receive any credit, so I can’t graduate as soon as (what would have been) possible,” said Ayumi Kawaski, freshman communications major from Japan.

If students are in four IEP classes, they are considered full time students and are not allowed to take other academic classes. If they are in three IEP classes, one additional academic class is allowed, and so forth. If they are in full time IEP classes, then they have class 20 hours per week, as every class meets every day, said Roy Briggeman, assistant director of the Intensive English Program.

“(The program) is really good,” said Yang Hui, junior elementary education major from China. “Our instructors are very professional and they try their best to help us to improve our English. And they know our advantages and disadvantages about English.”

But Hui said that since international students in IEP classes spend so much time and energy on completing their assignments, they should receive credit for the courses.

Briggeman said that academic credit for IEP courses should be available within the next two years, as the program is currently in the process of accreditation.
“As a program, we think that credit for classes is something that the university needs to look at, and I think they are. We are working on becoming accredited and we think that maybe when the IEP becomes accredited, perhaps then we can peruse the idea of having some credit for classes,” Briggeman said.

Although some international students feel that the program is unfair, due to the strict attendance requirements, constant writing assignments and the fact that American students are allowed to take a foreign language and receive credit for it, they also feel that it helps them progress quite a bit as English speakers.
“Like, in writing class, we have assignments every day, such as how to write a newsletter…although it is difficult, it is very helpful,” Hui said.

Some ESU students thought the extra classes in English would be helpful to international students.

“International students don’t know English quite as well (as native speakers) and in order to progress, they need to take more English classes… the opposite goes for Americans learning foreign languages because they can choose whether or not to continue their studies in that foreign language, whereas the international students, who are already here, clearly have chosen to take classes in America in English, and so they need to further that skill,” said Laura Tholen, freshman biochemistry and molecular biology major.

By Samantha Jones

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While meandering through our campus the other day, a thought struck me: there are a lot of Asians on campus.

This is nothing new to me, I have been attending school here for years and I am proud of our student exchange program and all the work that they do. I also love meeting the Asian students and I am friends with several. I am also taking my second semester of Chinese here at Emporia State, so I particularly enjoy talking to Chinese people.

Talking to Chinese exchange students and my Chinese teacher, I have heard stories of the Chinese government that have shocked, confused and intrigued me. Of course, China is not the country it was under Mao Zedong. It has changed into a more capitalist country in many ways, at the very least economically.

But, despite economic reform, China still clutches on to the remnants of social totalitarianism that occurs in modern communism and, for the sake of China’s future, they need to drop it.

Deng Xiaoping developed the Social Market economic system that China now uses, which relies on the private sector to survive. This makes the nature of their economy very capitalistic, and it has served China well. They have the fourth highest Gross Domestic Product, according to the CIA World Handbook.

And, according to BBC News, China overtook Germany as the world’s largest exporter last month. It is undeniable that China’s economy is growing strong. So for such a modern country, it is odd to see all of the things that the Chinese government has been doing to control its people.

Since China was ruled by emperors, the government was always seen as an overbearing and stern, although wise, father figure. This is one explanation of why the Chinese go along with the government, but I don’t think it’s an excuse for what the government does.

Of course, there is the Google incident. Google refused to censor information and they were hacked, supposedly by the Chinese government, Google refused to release two android phones in China and the fight goes on, like a quarrel between two bratty children.

I am against all forms of government-mandated censorship and I feel that China has gone too far.  I believe it is the government’s responsibility to, in fact, make information as available as possible.

And it is not just through information censorship that China is showing its despotic side. Just last Friday, according to a Global Post article by Dinah Gardner, China’s first gay beauty pageant was broken up by police. The police told the organizer that there problem wasn’t with the homosexuality, but that a show with singing and dancing required certain procedures which they had not followed.

The organizers did not believe them, but they were no match for eight armed police officers. While homosexuality is becoming more accepted, high-profile events such as this are still antagonized by the government.

China is well on its way to becoming the next world super power, but it is restrained by its government. While they have made steps in the right direction, the government still uses its authority to control the masses.

Hopefully, with the patience and wisdom that the Chinese are known for, such closed-mindedness will recede and the government will realize that the Chinese people and culture are not to be policed, but nourished, encouraged and proudly displayed.

Deng Xiaoping once said, “When our thousands of Chinese students abroad return home, you will see how China will transform itself,” and I certainly hope that he was correct.

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With the holidays approaching, Emporia State’s international students shed some light on their Thanksgiving and Winter break plans.

“I am from Pakistan, but we share a lot in common,” said Waseem Afzal, library and information management doctoral student. “I have a great respect for your holiday traditions.”

For many international students, the arrival of the holidays brings a new exposure to American traditions.

“I haven’t experienced any of the American holiday traditions yet,” said Jihye Park, junior chemistry major. “This is my first semester here in America and I plan on going to New York over break then going back to Korea.”

Other international students plan on staying at school for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“I’ll probably be staying at school for Thanksgiving,” said Yang Pu, freshman business administration major. “I am going to New York City for winter break though.”

International students without plans still take notice of the traditions that surround them.

“I don’t really have any holiday specific plans,” Pu said. “I do still find the traditions here interesting though.”

Even though New York seems to be a popular destination for many international students, some enjoy the quiet nature of local Emporia.

“I think I will have dinner with a local friend on Christmas Eve and then dinner with another friend on Christmas day,” Afzal said. “It’s a tradition we’ve had over the past couple of years I’ve been here.”

Some holiday traditions cross cultures including Christmas. It is common for international Muslim students to share some sort of Christmas celebration with their American friends, Afzal said.

“In Pakistan we have a sizable Christian minority, so I’ve known about Christmas traditions since I was very young,” Afzal said. “As a Muslim, I share the belief that Jesus is important and that his birth is something to commemorate.”

Other traditions present in America are of great interest to Afzal, including Thanksgiving, the Fourth of July, and Veteran’s Day.

“Thanksgiving is basically a showing of gratitude,” Afzal said. “The core intent of Thanksgiving – I like this idea lot. A holiday of showing gratitude is great.”

Afzal also enjoys regional traditions like the Rodeo, and notes the differences between the Midwest and the East Coast in particular.

“I love to become a part of the culture that I am in,” Afzal said. “All of these celebrations are very good for building tradition and I have great respect for them.”

All of the international students noted that though there exists differences in tradition and specific celebrations, the reasons and attitudes associated with them are not that different from their own homelands.

“I don’t notice a lot of differences between our traditions and yours,” Pu said. “I think it would be much better if people would look at what is similar instead of what is different.”

Josh Johnson/The Bulletin

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Emporia State is home to a record high, 516 international students. Last year there were only 477 international students.

“We’re not up to the percentage (of international students) that Wichita State or Pittsburg State has,” said James Harter, assistant vice president for international education. “But I think we’re getting close to the percentage of Kansas State University and the University of Kansas.”

The university’s strategic plan was to increase the number of international students and the diversity amongst students. It has expanded to having 40 partnerships for direct exchange with approximately 20 countries.

Gloria Swift, administrative specialist in the office of international education, said that having more foreign students compensates for a decrease in American applicants.

“With the decline in American students, the increase in international students has kept programs going at Emporia State,” Swift said.

However, international students benefit the university in ways other than steady enrollment.

“Keeping classes full is part of it, but the diversity that they bring to the campus and community is also a great benefit,” Swift said. “Allowing others to learn about their cultures as they learn about ours, that’s something that you can’t even put a price tag on.”

In addition, these students boast superior backgrounds that can positively affect the educational experience of American students, Harter said.

“When you look into the total picture, it’s not just filling the classrooms, but it’s the quality of students,” Harter said. “You have students on exchange programs that are the top students of their home universities, and they are selected to come to Emporia State University, so it’s good for the other students in the classroom.”

These students also have a substantial effect of the local and state economies.

“A lot of people think that all of these foreign students are just draining our economy,” Harter said. “They fail to figure out that when an international student comes here, sure they may have brought two suitcases of clothes, but they didn’t bring a microwave and they didn’t bring furnishings for their apartments.

“They give money to the community for all of those items. The international student, I think the figures show, contributes three times as much to the local economy as the American student.”

The Institute of International Education stated in the Open Doors 2008 report that across the state for the 2007-2008 school year, tuition and fees and living expenses of international students exceeded $200 million. The report with figures for the 2008 and 2009 school year will be released in mid November.

Chris Milstead, junior German major, originally met international students through Sakae, a program for exchange students that he worked for. Milstead traveled overseas to visit exchange students that he had met and accompanied them on their trip to the U.S.

“After the first summer I did Sakae, I was invited to somebody’s home, and this past summer I traveled to Japan for 18 days and then was able to come back with the new students,” Milstead said. “That’s an opportunity that I never would have had had it not been for students who came here first.”

For Laura Falka, senior elementary education major, interacting with international students socially and as an international swarm leader has broadened her depth of understanding.

“I think it gives us a better world view,” Falka said. “If you look back at what you’re taught, you’re taught history from an Anglo point of view. We don’t hear about what the Native Americans thought or felt, or what the Asians dealt with or what the Irish immigrants dealt with. They’re changing that now, but a lot of people in our generation haven’t’ dealt with other world views.”

In fact, she lives with an exchange student who has challenged her to consider international viewpoints of familiar topics.

“The other day I was talking to my Chinese roommate, and she was explaining how World War II affected China,” Falka said. “That was something I had never thought of because I just knew how it affected the U.S. I never thought about how it would affect the neighboring country to Japan.”

She finds her experiences to be interesting and a valuable part of her education.

“I like learning about their languages and social customs,” Falka said. “I have learned so much about Korea that I never even knew until I started living with Koreans.”

Sarah Shaw/The Bulletin

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Students from six different countries attended the International Spring Dance hosted by the Office of International Education Friday night in the Hornet’s Nest.

“All of the students were invited,” said Marcello Saldana, graduate student in instructional design technology. “Most of the students we receive are international students but we have a large number of American students as well.”

Attendees originally came from a variety of countries including Bolivia, Korea, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, China and the United States.

“The purpose of the international dances is to help us enjoy our school life,” said Yonghai Li, graduate student in political science. “I live off campus so I need more activities to have more communication with people.

A deejay played music from the last 40 years and many students danced to songs like the “Macarena,” “Pokerface” by Lady Gaga and the “Cha-Cha Slide.”

“We were invited and it just sounded like a fun thing to do since we were invited,” said April Brewer, freshman elementary education major.

Students who wanted to listen to music from their home countries were invited to bring CDs to play.

“They bring their own CDs and we’ll have music playing from their countries as well,” Saldana said. “It happens quite often that students bring their own music to play from their own countries.”

Harry Imbeau, director of international education, brought Chinese music that was the equivalent of American pop for the deejay to play.

The dance is held every year to thank students for participating in Multi-Cultural days, which were held Tuesday and Wednesday of last week.

“It’s held after multicultural days,” Saldana said. “It’s also the days before finals and it’s a chance to have fun.”

In previous years, the dance has brought nearly 100 students.

“I missed the Mr. and Mrs. International dance so I wanted to come to one,” said May Li, freshman business major. “And I wanted to have fun on a Friday night.”

For some students, these extracurricular activities offer a chance to socialize with others.

“They have these parties and I love it so I come,” Li said. “They had one at the beginning of this semester. It was great so I came again.”

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International students met with Emporia State President Michael Lane and his wife, Peggy Lane, associate professor of accounting and information systems, last Tuesday night in the Flint Hills room to discuss topics of their choice.

“I really appreciate learning the things that we can get better at,” Lane said, as he thanked the students for sharing their opinions.

There were students from China, South Korea, Finland, Japan and Kenya present, all of which are from ESU’s exchange universities and are in their first semester at ESU.

“I like Emporia,” said Kari Huolila, business major from Finland. “The people are very friendly. We didn’t have any problems here except for getting our visas.”

The discussion lasted for nearly two hours and each one of the 16 students asked at least one question about topics that ranged from roommate assignments and food in the residence halls to learning to socialize with American students and getting involved on campus.

“Here the professors respect and listen to our opinions very carefully and give us useful advice,” said Younghai Li, political science major from China.

Students also talked about the troubles that they have had in America, including getting student visas and understanding their American classmates.

“In (some of my classes) we have group meetings and (in my group) I’m the only Asian girl,” said Soo Jin Lee, business administration student from South Korea. “All of the Americans go so fast. It’s hard to participate and I can’t make my opinions heard.”

The students also discussed the differences that they have encountered between ESU and their home universities.

“It’s totally different from China, the education system, but I prefer here,” Li said. “In China, I just took my head to the classroom and listened to the teacher. Here we have to take our brain. I have to do homework every day and I love it.”

Students from Finland also agreed that American education programs are a huge adjustment for exchange students.

“In Finland, we have academic freedom so you don’t have to go to class if you don’t want to,” Huolila said. “It’s different for us but it’s good. Professors have been very friendly.”

One major difference for all of the students is the size of the classes at ESU.

“We have a lot of students and it’s always very crowded,” said Wang Lu, mathematics major from China. “It’s seldom that we have discussions in class. But here the teachers will ask what your opinion is and we discuss. It’s hard for me to speak (my opinion).”

Most of the students agreed that SWARM was a useful tool that helped them become acclimated not only to ESU but also to the U.S. as a whole. However, the students were surprised to find out that there was a bus system in Emporia.

“I really learned a lot of useful things that can help me to study here during SWARM,” Li said.

Lane used to invite students to have pizza with him while discussing topics that were important to them. These “Pizza with the President” meetings were not as successful as the administration would have liked, said Marjorie Werly, director of public relations and executive assistant to the president, so they decided to go in a different direction.

“The president has been meeting with these student groups just to have conversation and get to know each other better,” Werly said.

Werly said that students are more comfortable speaking in a group setting when the other students at the meeting are familiar to them. During “Pizza with the President,” students were randomly invited and it was hard to get more than 10 to come.

There haven’t been less than 20 students in attendance at the new style of meetings, Werly said.

Several other groups of students have been invited to meet with the president, including Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Alpha Kappa Lambda Fraternity and Trio.

“Last semester, I visited with a bunch of different student groups and I asked them if they would be interested in visiting with the president,” Werly said. “They all said yes, so I asked them what days and times are best.”

International students will have another opportunity to meet with President Lane in April.

Lane said that his main goal was to learn about the areas in which ESU could improve for the international students.

“Our purpose is to learn what the international students are interested in, what’s going well and what can we improve,” Lane said. “I think we learned lots of things tonight and we can work on what we need to improve.”

Ashley Peaches/The Bulletin

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