Page Ten
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
5 6 oN'Aopunr
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The Problem of Integra
By ARLENE LISS How can one explain the fact ed that they were eager to really
that the majority of Michigan for- know the people of this country.
AMERICANS have lone pictured eign students do not have many, Is the disparity between the wish
themselvea aa warm, friendly if indeed any American friends- and the fact the fault of the for-
people interested in strangers. Yet and tend to mix socially only with eign students, the Americans or
in attempting to explain the lack their fellow foreigners. the institutions?
of acceptance of foreign students A large group recently encount- All three are to blame, but the
on campus, one of them remarked, ered at International Center ad- last two bear more of the respon-
"but the Americans are cold, is it mitted to knowing few American sibility.
not" students but always earnestly add- International Center as an of-
o.
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ficial organ responsible for the
well being of foreign students has
all the materials for doing a good
job but the coercive power of
bringing American students to
their premises to meet foreign
guests. It is an organization
which has achieved some results,
but cannot hope to solve the prob-
lem
IF ONE prepared an approximate
curve of the degree of integra-
tion of the foreign student, it
would probably show these ten-
dencies-the student who can real-
ly be considered as part of cam-
pus life with American friends is
the one whose English is most
faultless, appearance least outland-
ish and who lives with Americans.,
At the bottom would be the stu-;
dent with a decided accent, dark
complexion or native costume who
generally lives alone or with oth-
er foreign students.
Upon arrival on campus any
student's first problem is hous-
ing and here is where the foreign
student lays the foundation for
his integration or lack of it. The.
students who lodge in the Law-
yers Club have little difficulty in
establishing contact with the oth-
er students, often they are room-
ing with Americans.
But to gain admittance to any
other official University housing
unit is difficult, usually impos-
sible. This could be a result of
the general policy that there is
no room for graduate students in
the over-crowded residence halls.
Surely. however, exceptions could
be made when a student has made
a great deal of effort in order to
attend the University.
W ITH the residence halls barred
to them the student is aided
in his housing problem by the In-
ternational Center, but even this
official body can do little to ob-
tain the colored foreign student
I satisfactory housing. The Ann
Arbor landlady is free to reject
whom she pleases and often does.
One might assume that the for-
eign student could meet Americans
in his daily, class contacts. His
failure to do so is often ascribed
to the fact that as a rule gradu-
ate students do not mix much, or
that the foreign student himself
is at fault.
One observes, however, a super-
ficial interest in the strangeness
of the foreigner, but the average
student cannot be bothered to go
beyond this outward strangeness
to discover a person,
Dating, normally about the best
way for a foreigner to get to know
the country he is visiting, brings
up many difficulties because the
foreigner is often expected to have
diffierent social customs and the
American also does not wish to be
criticized by his own social group.
One of the attractions of at-
tending a large university is the
diverse character of the student
population. By expecting the for-
eign student to blend with his
surroundings in order to integrate
are we not sacrificing this attrac-
tion?
Internaona
Center
By ARLINE LEWIS
ARRIVING in Ann Arbor for the
first time, a foreign student
finds the International Center a
nucleus around which he can build
his relationship to campus life.
In addition to offering counsel-
ing services, the Center staff will
aid him in finding housing, friends,
and a loan from their emergency
fund if an expected check is late
in coming.
A student must contact the Cen-
ter as soon as he reaches Ann Ar-
bor to arrange matters of immi-
gration. Often unfamiliarity with
the campus delays this procedure.
The staff has develped a second
sight for discovering newcomers
who have not yet found the Cen-
ter or its facilities.
Wandering on State Street dur-
ing his first day here, an Ethopian
student was stopped by Dr. James
Davis, Director of the Internation-
al Center, who asked intuitively if
he were a new foreign student.
Within 30 minutes the Ethopian
was seated in an easy chair in Dr.
Davis' office, with his rooming ar-
rangements already made and
many of his anxieties quelled.
THE center, occupying a ground
floor wing of the Union has
achieved within its walls the inte-
gration it hopes to promote on a
campus level. It has won the
loyalty of many visiting students
who realize the necessity of the
function it performs.
A feeling of friendship and tol-
erance exists between Europen,
Asian and South American which
often transcends the political hos-
tilities of their homelands. It can
be explained by the international
student's willingness to become
part of the campus activity.
Unfortunately, in many cases
this desire for integration is
thwarted before it grows to a
circle of American friends.
A RELATIVELY simple scheme
serves to introduce ISA mem-
bers to each other, and to tackle
committee work. All project com-
mittees, of which there are hun-
dreds throughout the year, must
contain someone from every con-
tinent of the world.
Thursday afternoon teas, which
have become a ritual to many cen-
ter members, testifies to this suc-
cess of the system. Starting with
students, sitting with others from
their own country, talking in a
native tongue, they evolve shortly
into mixed groups, speaking in a
common language, English.
The International Students' As-
sociation, working with the Inter-
national Center and the Student
Government Council, handles all
center student activities. ISA
works closely with the 13 national
clubs, each made up of students
from a single country or continent.
The clubs provide a means for
students from the same country to
get to know each other, and strive
to keep a segment of a culture
alive, although it may be thou-
sands of miles from the place of
its practice.
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We are going to have some
fabulous toys for your Christmas
ideas. Why not come in now
and become acquainted with our
shop. We are sure you'lI
like what you see.
JOHN LEIDY
537 East Liberty * NO 8-6779
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