Su n ay, THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Ni
THE FOREIGN STUDEN
He Comes From All Over The World To a Country That He Wants to Understand
There are 1300 foreign sudents on campus. They are well-educated, alert individuals, who have come to
learn about the country and to take advantage of American facilities. And when they come, somewhat shy
and uncertain, they find themselves to a large extent ignored by their fellow American students. Like
everybody else around here, the foreign student is eagerly trying to fit -- trying to be an integral part of
University life. His integration cannot be accomplished alone.
THURSDAY IFTERN'OON AT THlE INTERNATIONAL (CENTER .. COFFEE AND CONVERSATION
They Come For Modern
University Training
And They Come
To Meet Americans
By MARY ANN THOMAS mail, the University acceptance BUT these are not the only reas- By PHIL BREEN
reaches the student before those ons for coming to the United
HE existence of foreign students from other colleges. States. Students desiring special T HE FOREIGN STUDENT at
on campus cannot be denied. Buddha V. Govindaraj, who is training in technological fields Michigan, besides being hard-
Yet, although 1300 strong, the av- working on his doctorate in poli- come to learn modern methods and working and serious-minded, is
erage Unihersity 'todent knows tical science, said acceptances from to study modern machinery, mainly a wather. 5ilently in-
Ate aoutg td. a n other colleges to which he applied Khaldoon Othman, '58E, is stu- tently, he watches everything-
A foreign studret can oftcn bey did not arrive at his home in In- dying mechanical engineering on the whole vast panocama of life
singlsd out in the street by his dia until after he had left for Mi- a scholarship from Iraq. He com- here at the University.
. . chigan, mented that only engineering and
speech, but the questions remain. Gsvidaraj will setmn to India gricultural students are granted He is anxiously seeking some-
Representing mote than '70 coun- to participate in politics. He has scholarships for study in the Unit- thig, looking hard tryig to nd
tries around the world, foreign stu- already had several years of poli- ed States because Iraq has good 1,:he hascomefromas far s
dents at the University are the tical experience, but was too young schools in other subjects. r
hnd-picked cream of the inter- to gain much sippt 'it ttiat time. Fom the other side of the America. And he doesn't want to
national student crop. A few are English French nd German world Wei - feng "Christopher" go back home without finding
studying for bach-lor cderees, but s tude t -re often k d why they ? Huang, '56E came to study naval what he came looking for,
the nmority a e ssoring towsrd (schitecture. Why to the United He looks for America mostly in
instcor ds1t stdegrees in their Staites -I transferred here for the 19,000 American students here.
fds of tet i senior year because Formosa He wants to get to know them,
tck nece str quipment," talk with them, become friends
Y athey come to. the Unith1 . ttoun" Chinese explained. with them, exchange ideas with
kiates antl to Michigan? p, them, understand them.
a s rit of ieasns Some like 17lILA Isill thse people do af- He feels that it is through these
the ibir i uicrir fondi h hee t they finisl their educ-people, these young people, that
soitsewnt the prestip of an Am- tion tSonte will stay in the Unit- he will really be able to appreci-
erican sin il sic .rie, others d SIts but the tajoiity will ate America, get the feel of it, the
want to join friends some merely return to their homelands to ex- sense of what it really is.
want to spend a few years abroad rercise their knowledge for the The American students at the
Jolt Eluneze, a graduate in improveinent of their country. University are representatives of
political science, from Nigeria, has M When asked about his future a ne world-a new world into
an interesting story to tell. He plans. Huang replied that he ex- which he has been suddenly im-
caime to the United States to o- perted to work for the Chinese mersed and about which he wants
tain the "dynamic liberal" educa- navy since he had already spent to d out so much.
tion that American-trained lead- several years in its service. "It is He is trying hard, but bein
ers in his country demonstrated. nice to live in America," he said, hrs ty and somea un-
e "bt I on' wan to ivehereju. hags a bit shy and somewhat un-
"English education is expensive but I don't want to live here 'ust sure of his English, he is having a
and conservative, training only for to escape war."
leadership," he explained. A Brit- r'Other students also have this pretty rough time of it.
ish degree or examination is nec- 'feeling of responsibility toward
e'ary for practicing law or medi- 'their countries. Those supported YOU ASK a newly arrived young
cine in the Commonwealth, he HARBHAJAN SINGH THIND by government scholarships es- man from China what his im-
continued, but British-trained men the average student pecially believe themselves obli- pressions of American students
did not have or exercise the dy- k nows little about them gated to return and help improve are and immediately the corners
namic leadership that American- their native land. of his mouth wrinkle into a small,
educated men did in his country. come to the United States to study Munir Bunni, a graduate stu- self-conscious smile. He answers
Active University Alumni Clubs when they have such good schools dent in zoology is on his second hesitantly.
around the world also influence at home. "Why do American stu- visit to the United States with as "Well, I don't know. I really
many students to study at Michi- dents study in Europe?" they re- many scholarships don't know . . uh . . . I really
gan. The alumni group at Bom- tort, explaining that, as in the Who they are, what they do, don't feel capable of answering;
bay, India, is responsible for many United States, a degree from a where they come from-each for- that question . . . You see
Indian students coming to the Uni- foreign university carries great eign student on campus has a dif- uh . . . I have been here such a
versity. prestige. ferent answer. Each is an indiv- short time and I have not really
Furthermore, to people living idual with a future. Each carries a gotten to know many Americans
F OR those who have not decided in other parts of the world, the bit of the customs, religions, cul- . . . you understand . . . uh .. .
on one school to attend so United States seems surrounded tures and ideas from every part the language barrier--it is great."
have sent applications to several, with an aura of "glamor." They of the world and transplants it at His eyes grow thoughtful. Then
the University has another draw- hear about life in America from the University, and in exchange he smiles again. "But I am sure
ing card. By answering student their friends and contacts, and they tae a bit of America back that soon-in a little while-I"
applications via cablegram and air they wish to see for themselves. with them. shall make many friends here.
Americans are such warm a
friendly people."
You try asking him a few mc
questions, but the answers cor
back even more hesitantly.
smiles but he doesn't really &
anything.
You move on and bump into
Egyptian named Salah El-Dare
Salah is a graduate student
zoology. He has been here
years and is married to an Anei
can girl from Kentucky.
He thinks he knows America
fairly well. A well-built, robe
young man, Salah is eager to to
to you and quick to answer yo
questions.
"MARVEL," lie stay'. "st t
American student's ability
get things done. He studies hai
works hard, and plays hard. He
intensely aware of the Americt
secret of success: hard ,rork. I
really produces.
"And yet while li studies
hard, he still finds time to do
many other things, involve hin
self in so many extra activitie
He is a master at organization -
and tremendously e f f i c i e n
though he would be the first as
the loudest to deny it."
You repeat what Salah has o
you to other, newer foreign st
dents. They almost all nod the
heads. "Yes, that is so. That
right." The Egyptian has put in
words a f(eling which they a
had
Salah goes on to explain wt
the American student is such
"master at organization" and s
"tremendously efficient."
"You see," he says, "the Ames
iran is brought up on organize
tion and efficiency. These thing
are bred into him from the tim
he is a child. The whole America
civilization is based on the
things-organization and efficier
cy. And you see, it goes all the wa
back in your history.
"From the very beginning thc
Americans had to organize t
See WONDERFUL, Page 13