Week helps international students get going atSRU
SLIPPERY ROCK — For more than 36 new freshman, exchange and transfer students arriving on campus this fall, Slippery Rock University is quite literally “a world away.”
Adventurous undergraduates hailing from Japan, India, Belgium, Turkey and Hungary have not let 20-hour, transoceanic flights, stacks of paperwork or the fear of the unknown deter them.
Despite the student enthusiasm, Noora Alie, assistant director for international student services, recognizes the many challenges they will encounter during their transition to the United States.
That's why she's launching a new international student orientation as part of the Office for Global Engagement's goal to “continuously improve support for international students for their successful navigation of the university and community.”
The four-day orientation, Aug. 22-25, will allow incoming international students to meet the campus community, all while learning many of the ins and outs of an American collegiate experience.
The program will include campus tours, scheduling classes, participating in immigration seminars, listening to department presentations and setting up personal bank accounts.
The orientation serves as a chance for Alie and her staff to extend SRU hospitality.
“Once the students are here, we'll greet them with small welcome baskets, with things like linens, snacks, toiletries; essentials they're going to need and might not have thought of prior to their journey,” said Alie. “Our first priority is just getting them to campus and making sure they have somewhere safe to stay.”
Throughout the week, Alie and her volunteers will provide around-the-clock attention, offering the international students everything from transportation and shopping excursions to evening pizza dinners in the Office of Global Engagement's lounge.
“While we hope to offer the essentials, a lot of these students won't come with things like bedding or pillows,” said Alie.
“We're looking to get them situated, but also just to have a fun time out on the town, making connections with each other and with us. We're the first people they will get to interact with at the University and that often gives us a tight bond from the start.”
The orientation's primary agenda is to create lasting relationships and memorable experiences that will carry the students through their SRU experience. With that in mind, each international student will be matched with a special mentor called a global ambassador.
“Global ambassadors are returning American students who want to get to know international students personally and help them throughout the coming semester,” Alie explained. “They'll meet bi-weekly for exciting events during the fall and even take group trips together.”
One such trip will take place Aug. 24. Following a morning filled with English placement tests, library tours and academic scheduling, the group will visit Pittsburgh's Strip District, ride the Duquesne Incline and finish with dinner at The Waterfront, a shopping destination with more than 70 stores, restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues along the Monongahela River.
