Students Get a Helping Hand to Understand

Another article that I found good to enrich our understanding to study and live in OZ. I found this article from:

Illawara Mercury, 4 March 2008, written by KATELIN McINERNEY


Helping international students to feel welcome in the Illawarra makes them feel more comfortable and it can also benefit the region, writes KATELIN McINERNEY.
Komal Chen knows what it is like to start out at a strange university half a world away from family and friends.
"I was very lucky though, I met a lot of people who were happy to help me with things like train tickets and when I was confused, people would often stop to help me," she said.
But the Illawarra Committee for International Students (ICIS) co-ordinator said not all students had it as easy.
Researchers from Melbourne and Monash universities recently interviewed 200 international students from nine different Australian universities and found two-thirds felt lonely and isolated and had problems making friends across cultures.
Apart from the personal impact on students, the findings are important because education (worth $12.5 billion last year) has replaced tourism ($11.5 billion) as Australia's top services export.
The report suggested improving "relations with locals might be the key to moving forward", and Ms Chen agreed that building positive relationships between international students and the community were crucial to a student's success and emotional wellbeing.
"I know students who have been studying at Wollongong for three or fours years who have never set foot inside an Australian home," she said.
"They come here expecting to mix in with the Australian community, but it is much harder than they thought it would be."
Ms Chen said it was often very difficult for international students to take the first step.
"A lot of students are very shy and worried about their English," she said.
"But it is hard for Australian students too because they don't want to just go up to somebody who doesn't want to be approached."
ICIS organises low-cost daytrips to destinations like Canberra and the Blue Mountains for students who want to see the sights and expand their network of friends but do not have a car.
"Many of these students do nothing on the weekends, they just sit at home and can get very depressed," Ms Chen said.
"We also do sightseeing around the region and visit places like the Nan Tien Temple."
Ms Chen said becoming part of the friendship program and helping an international student was a useful way for domestic students who had an international focus to their studies to gain an insight into the way things work in different countries.
"I sometimes get local students studying things like international business asking me can I find them a student from China to speak to," she said.
"By helping them, you get to know all about the country and the culture and they get to practice their English."
Ms Chen said the problem was that most students from the Wollongong area already had a solid social network.
"Many of the ICIS volunteers are people who know what it is like to move from outside the area to Wollongong," she said.
"Not too many students are local."
But ICIS could only do so much for students and Chen said she often had students in her office in tears and no idea where to turn.
"There are services on campus to help them, but they just not aware of them, and that is the problem," she said.
An innovative approach
A group of Wollongong academics and students have undertaken significant research into the experiences of international students.
The Welcome to Wollongong working group conducted a series of interviews with international students and found, along with issues about personal safety, accommodation, employment and their academic success, they were very concerned about not fitting in.
"We found that when students felt they had a connection to the community, they felt much happier, they felt like they belonged," project co-ordinator Associate Professor Peter Kell said.
In response to findings, the W2W project was created with the aim of making international students feel welcome in the region. To help achieve that aim, a civic reception and Welcome to Wollongong Festival was held in the Crown St Mall last week to officially welcome the students to the region.
"Many international students come from countries where a welcome by the city's establishment and elders is important," Prof Kell said.
"They are very vulnerable, very anxious and in a new and strange environment, so a symbolic welcome by the city and the community, is very, very important to them."
The project also included the launch of a website designed by international students with the information and forums on accommodation, transport, where to buy food, and safety issues.
"The website is going to be a really useful tool, because we need to ensure that students are getting the correct information," Prof Kell said.
The website also has a listing of the specialist international services UOW offers.
"Things like English language assistance, professional counselling, first-rate teacher advice and people who can help with the strict visa regime here in Australia," he said.
Student Equity and Diversity Liaison Officer (SEDLO) Virginie Schmelitschek welcomed the project and said the Illawarra community were largely unaware of the cultural and economic contribution international students make.
"What I don't think people realise is that the university would not survive without that 23 per cent of overseas students - they are full-fee paying students,and pay upwards of $10,000 a semester in university fees alone."
Ms Schmelitschek said it was vital for the region's economy and tourism that students had a positive experience in Wollongong.
"They are ambassadors of our city, " she said.
"If they go home and tell just three people about the city the word of mouth will spread and if they have negative experiences here, we potentially stand to lose a lot of money."
Ms Schmelitschek believes more locals needed to become involved with the international student community.
"We need more local people to become part of our friendship program and take a international student out for the day," she said.
"Taking students home for Christmas or taking them sightseeing is one way they can help - even showing them where the shops are is great.
"I think people are afraid international students will want to move in with them or something! That's just not the case at all - although if you've got spare space at home, having an international student for a homestay is a great way to make a bit of money and get to know more about their culture."
A more pressing problem for many overseas students was coping with the financial pressures they encountered.
"Many are not prepared for the cost of living in Australia," she said
"The perception that all international students are rich is just not true, and the reality is a lot of students are out here on a scholarship from AUSAID, or through their own government."
Ms Schmelitschek said the cost of living was particularly hard on many mature-age students who have to bring their family with them.
"Their scholarships only cover so much, and there are 'hidden' costs like public education for their children, that they often do not know about," she said.
The fact international students do not receive travel concessions also added to the financial burden of studying abroad and made everyday life more difficult.
"This is a big problem for many who do not have their own means of transport," Ms Schmelitschek said.
"A lot of students think Wollongong is a beautiful place when they arrive but it is a village compared to where some of these students come from.
"Add to that issues with transport, large gaps in bus services and train services and it can compound student's feelings of isolation."
Ms Schmelitschek acknowledged some international students had trouble striking up a friendship was a two-way street.
"Some local students are ready to help international students and the truth is many international students don't like to take those first steps and speak English to local students because they are afraid people will laugh at them,"
"Understandably, they tend to live with people of their own language groups, but we tell them in order to get the most out of their time here, they need to speak English as often as possible - in class, at the shops, around other people,"
"We tell them "go and talk to people, because you speak English a whole lot better than they speak Chinese!"
Ms Schmelitschek said international students were encouraged to join clubs and societies to help them interact.
However, some social events were hard for international students to access.
"Many international students felt that personal safety was a problem and when I asked why they didn't take advantage of things like the Unimovies more, many students replied they would not feel safe walking at night from their accommodation to the campus," she said.
Ms Schmelitschek also deals with reports of students being taken advantage of by unscrupulous real estate agents, landlords and employers.
"These students are very vulnerable and some people take advantage of them," she said.
One first year couple Ms Schmelitschek had spoken to rented what they had been told was a fully furnished house, but upon moving in found there was no dining room table, no doors on the kitchen cupboards and their washing machine didn't work.
"Their landlord had told them they didn't have to pay rent until he had fixed the place up - but of course he expected it all back when he had finished the work," she said.
"They said they weren't sure if they could say anything about it because in many countries people don't complain because they feel lucky to have a flat at all."