Putting the ‘International’ into Alliant International University

With 27% of the student body comprised of minority students and the 2010 entering class representing students from 36 states and 46 countries, Alliant International University prides itself on the diversity of students, faculty, and staff who make up its multiple programs. But moving beyond statistics, we spoke with several students from the San Francisco campus to learn firsthand about their experiences.

By Fukiko Shibahara, Winter 2010

During the last two years, 10 international students were admitted to Alliant’s San Francisco campus. Countries of origin include: Singapore, Hong Kong, Norway, India, Mauritius, Bulgaria, Canada, Japan, Chile, and Australia.

“Alliant is…built for the multicultural and global society in which we live,” said Alliant President, Geoffrey Cox. “We draw on these distinguishing features to ensure that our students develop the experience and the skills—the multicultural competence—they need to live and work in the years to come.”

Thrillingly, the international community has a substantial presence on campus. Nonetheless, I feel the presence and experiences of the international community on campus has been minimally acknowledged and has not always impacted the way professors engage students in the classroom.

All students live with the stress of completing coursework, maintaining grades, and having time to invest in a social life. In addition to these shared struggles, some students of international background face yet another layer of daily burdens.

According to Lee, Blando, Mizelle, and Orozco (2007), immigrant and international students experience, “Unfamiliarity with American society and institutions, problems relating to students, teaching assistants, and professors, and … feeling that they belong.” Other difficulties may include adapting to a different language and educational style, leaving their family and establishing new relationships, visa and financial security, isolation, encountering discrimination, and a lack of cultural sensitivity.

“I didn’t know how to relate to other people in school”, said Asya Grigorieva, a G1 PhD student. When she was a teenager, she moved to the Bay Area with her family for work-related reasons. “In Russia, everyone takes classes together throughout elementary school years,” Grigorieva said. “We never separated. But in America, it’s very individualistic, taking classes with different people all the time.” Grigorieva is also constantly concerned with speaking and writing in English—her second language.

Often times, Jessie (Mei Xiu) Chua, a G1 PsyD student from Singapore, feels that in-class discussions and interactions are tailored around knowledge of U.S. history and culture, which often marginalizes international students. According to Chua, there is a high emphasis on American racial groups and American history, which she can’t relate to.

Chua’s experience suggests the need to promote awareness and sensitivity around the presence of not only cultural diversity, but also national diversity.

“Faculty, when interacting with international students, should have basic geographical knowledge of their national backgrounds,” Chua suggests.

For example, Asya Grigorieva worries that her strong Russian accent will affect her future career, while Chua, whose first language is English, but is spoken with the British accent common in Singapore, receives feedback from her professors that her language needs improvement. It would be helpful to be aware of the varying degrees and contextual differences in the usage of the English language as well student’s academic styles, which are immensely shaped by one’s ethnic or national background.

In short, we, as a member of a multicultural and global society on our campus, need to acknowledge the presence and day-to-day challenges of our unspoken community members from other countries. I think it’s up to all of us, the Alliant community, not just the international community, to make this a reality.