University officials are introducing a new program to help integrate students from foreign countries into the campus community, and they are looking for student volunteers to welcome incoming students.
The Stars Connect program is a project designed to welcome international students to OCU and to promote cross-cultural engagement among students by pairing international students with domestic students.
The program is still in the early stages of development, but a trial run is scheduled to begin next semester.
“This is a program that has existed in the past but has been dormant,” said Evan Frejo, graduate student/intern in the study abroad office developing the program. “We are just building on the excellence of the previous model.”
Domestic students may volunteer as peer advisers for this program.
“We are really looking for natural leaders or students who have had the opportunity to study abroad themselves and are more open to cultural competency,” Frejo said.
Volunteers in Stars Connect will establish contact with international students and introduce them to American culture, two or three months prior to their arrival.
Once the students arrive, peer advisers will pick them up from the airport, and help them gather basic essentials like a cell phone and groceries.
As the semester continues, group activities will be planned involving the international students and peer advisers on a weekly basis in large and small groups.
Peer advisers also will check in with international students regularly to ensure they are settling in well.
One international student said he thinks the program is a good way to ease the transition for international students.
“This is a very good idea,”said Sriharsha Annabattula, first semester international student from India. “It is very nice to be included with the local students. We just got here you know, we are still learning.”
Nathan Moelling, history junior, studied abroad in Japan. He said he supports the new program.
“The Stars Connect program should be used as a buddy system,” he said. “It’s good to have a specific person assigned to them rather than an office number that handles everyone.”
An email will be sent to students with information on how to volunteer at the end of this month.
For more information email Mary Benner, director of global engagement, at mbenner@okcu.edu.
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