Four percent of the student body last fall hails from countries outside the US, according to the Office of International Education’s 2008-2009 “Facts and Figures.”
A total of 1,229 international students from 83 different countries came to make this population. The two major countries where these students come from are India and China.
While this percentage may seem small, some say international students have a lot to offer the CU campus.
“Not all Americans will have a chance to study abroad,” said Tina Tan, director of International Student and Scholar Services. “International students give them a way of interacting they wouldn’t normally have.”
Tan added that in a world of increased globalization, cross-cultural knowledge is imperative and those with majors such as business may benefit from the international exposure.
With international students, or anyone who’s not familiar with American lifestyles, there is a potential for culture-adjustment issues.
“I grew up in Toronto. When I first came here, I felt alone, it was hard to meet people,” said Justin Ashar, 22, a junior geology major. “I think in classes, the lack of diversity is a problem.”
When living in a new country, many have said that finding a group to relate to can be helpful in assimilating. Some say they have found this through religion.
“From a Christian point of view, the number of people who believe in God in Boulder is not that large,” said Raeef Hesham Barsoum, a junior mechanical engineering major. “Although there are not too many, they have an active role in the community and I’ve gotten invitations from many different groups.”
To cope with potential issues of alienation, the International Student and Scholar Services tries to provide international students with materials to aid this process.
“We give all new students a handbook that covers cross-cultural references and we have an international student welcome where we talk about culture shock and how to deal with it,” Tan said.
Students also have the option of talking to the University’s Counseling and Psychological Services, which seek to provide a safe and confidential place with a professional counselor to talk to.
“I do believe that students experience culture shock, and they always have the option of either coming and talking to us or going to CAPS,” Tan said.
In addition to the Office of International Education and CAPS trying to make international students feel welcome at the university, CU is also planning some changes.
CU’s Flagship 2030 is a model that will serve for CU to become the new flagship university by the year 2030.
One of the core initiatives in this model is to implement new strategies to improve the diversity of the students and faculty. They plan to “reach that goal through commitment and action.”
To read the Flagship 2030 plan, visit the Web site (http://www.colorado.edu/flagship2030/).
For those interested in becoming a part of the international student community, or just meet some new people, there is an International Coffee Hour in the UMC across from the Baby Doe’s Grill, Fridays from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jesse Flint at jesse.flint@colorado.edu.