International Education Week, which begins Nov. 12, is one of many attempts to allow Elon’s American students insight into the variety of countries that Elon's international students call home.

To break down stereotypes, International Education Week will include a special College Coffee, where international students will display posters about their respective countries.

These students will give presentations about various aspects of their cultures on Wednesday and Thursday. The week closes with Taste of the World from 2 to 4 p.m. on Friday in Moseley Fireplace Lounge. Students can sample food from a variety of countries at this event sponsored by the Intercultural Relations Club .

“We are always looking for ways we can help bridge the gap between international students and American students,” said François Masuka, director of international student and faculty scholar services.

Although Elon’s international students hail from a variety of countries, Masuka has discovered that the phases of cultural adjustment are relatively consistent.

“The language is one thing, and you also add to it the culture and the fact that Elon is a small place,” he said. “But a lot of our international students miss their favorite foods from home and their favorite music. Most are challenged more by the little things.”

Elon has a number of systems that focus on helping students make the adjustment to life on an American college campus.

“If you look for them, the resources are there,” said senior Madelaine de la Ossa, who left her home in Panama to study at Elon.

De la Ossa said she has taken advantage of one of these resources in particular: El Centro de Español, located in the Isabella Cannon Center. She explained that this resource was particularly helpful when she first arrived at Elon because she was able to both converse with people in her native language and draw support from people who understood the particular challenges she faced.

“El Centro was a refuge where people would simply understand what I was going through,” she said.

But Keiko Sudani, a senior from Japan, explained that there are fewer resources available for international students who do not speak English or Spanish.

“Elon doesn’t have ESL classes for international students, so I have to take the exact same classes as Americans,” she said.

Masuka explained that the Isabella Cannon Center attempts to ease this transition as much as possible.

“We’ll pick our international students up at the airport, help them settle and have an orientation to encourage them to connect with other international students,” he said. “It helps to have a support group.”

For some, this support group is found in the International Pavilion, which houses 11 Americans and 11 international students. Sudani lived in the pavilion for three years.

“I think living there is a good opportunity for American students to get to know international students,” she said. “It is a good environment to live in. American students could check my essays and help me with my work.”

Masuka also said he encourages international students to get involved with sports teams and organizations to make friends with American students as well. Dean of International Programs Larry Basirico said that Masuka is one of the most valuable resources for international students.

“François is their father, their mother and their adviser,” he said. “We don’t leave this to chance. We really do quite a bit to help international students get adjusted.”

Although Elon provides its international students with a variety of resources, the adjustment can still be a difficult one.

“A lot of people don’t know about the activities that we have for international students, so we should try harder to promote them,” Sudani said. “But overall, Elon has a really good program. I feel so fortunate and I think I made a good choice.”

De la Ossa agreed, “When somebody at Elon finds out you’re from another country, you’re immediately catalogued as an international student because there are so few of us,” she explained. “Sometimes we are perceived more as a group and less as individuals. But you can always change the way that people see you.”

Reporter: Maggie Griffith - 11/07/07