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From the southern hemisphere to the rural south: a Mauritian student's version of "coming to America"

College Student Journal - December 1, 2003

International students entering the subculture of an American university face a variety of difficulties they are often unprepared to overcome. This case study focuses on an international student's experiences as he undertakes his academic journey at a rural southern university. Implications for student affairs personnel are presented, especially as they apply to the post 9/11 higher education setting.

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According to the Open Doors Report published annually by the Institute of International Education, foreign students comprised more than a half a million of the nearly 14 million students enrolled in American colleges and universities during the 1999-2000 academic year. The number of foreign students has increased dramatically over the past few decades, including a substantial increase in the number of students attending community colleges (Davis, 2000).

International students entering the subculture of an American university face a variety of difficulties they are often unprepared to overcome. Students are confronted with an environment where the first language, culture, system of education, laws and lifestyle are very different from those of their homelands (Pearson & Sheehan, 1995). These differences coupled with the stress of leaving home make adaptation to the American culture a formidable task (Zimmerman, 1995).

Difficulty in communication is one area that is particularly troubling for students when English is a second language. Not only does language impact academic success, but it also permeates every other aspect of a student's life. A student may experience social alienation as a result of communication problems and a lower quality of communication, especially in initial encounters (Hubbert, Guerrero, & Gudykunst, 1999). Some of the recurrent complaints by foreign students occur when they attempt to understand housing procedures, organize paperwork, and become familiar with registration and enrollment schedules. There is an imperative need for students to become familiar with the overall structure of the American university system (Pederson, 1991).

Changes in technology and ready access to the World Wide Web have increased the visibility of more universities as options for international students (Desruisseaux, 1997). As theses students apply and are accepted at smaller regional universities, personnel of these universities are evaluating whether the needs of all international students are being adequately addressed. This occurs more or less effectively depending on such factors as the size and location of the college or university, the extent of the training of personnel to assist students in making the transition into the system, and whether or not specific offices and programs have been developed to address the unique needs of foreign students.

The following narrative describes the experience of one such international student.

The Arrival

A nineteen-year-old international student from Mauritius arrives in America to attend a small southern university. The university dates to 1884, and is located in a small southern town with a rich historical heritage. It is his first visit to the United States and he arrives after a 22-hour trip ending in an unfamiliar city and state.

On his first day at the university, Haneesh (pseudonym), in an attempt to be understood by university officials, repeatedly requested to speak to a faculty member from India at each office he visited--Registrar, Admissions, Housing and the Academic Department. Dr. Kay, (pseudonym) well known on campus, is from India and on a day in June she received seven calls with regard to Haneesh. The next day the housing director called Dr. Kay at home as she was leaving her office. "You have to stop by the housing office on your way to work. It is an emergency. There is an international student here who insists he would like to speak to somebody from India, and you are the only Indian I know who is in town." As Dr. Kay met Haneesh for the first time, he greeted her in traditional 'namaste' and asked if she could speak in Hindi. She answered in the affirmative and Haneesh heaved a sigh of relief, seemed to relax, and launched into an unbroken narrative of his experiences since he arrived in the United States a couple of days prior to this meeting.

What she saw before her was the unfolding of an experience that at the most intimate level was about a 19-year old individual's life changing experiences in a strange land. The following narrative could very easily be converted into a movie script for a higher education version of'Coming to America'. With little or no embellishment it has the makings of a comic tale. But the authors are fully aware that beneath the apparent comic elements is an account of the frustrating and bewildering experiences of a young international student who demonstrated considerable "pluck" in coming to this university. What follows is his story.

The Decision to Come to America

Haneesh was in his senior year at a high school in Mauritius, an island off the west coast of South Africa, and many of his friends were in the United States pursuing college degrees. The prospect of such an experience was exciting for him--'I like to travel and I want my work to allow me to travel, so I thought of Aviation Management. I could study to be an air traffic controller in the United States. I don't want to be a pilot--I wouldn't have much of a family life with the hours they keep. I want to work for Air Mauritius. If I do that I'll get free travel, and be able to be close to my family too. That is really what I want to do'.

He had a vision of his future and a degree in Aviation Management to take him there. Surfing the net he identified universities in United States. He narrowed the selection based on cost, requirements for admission and geography. 'The choice was between Auburn and Chinquapin. I chose Chinquapin because it was less expensive and did not have stringent admission requirements. It was also close to Alabama where my friend lived'.

The Journey

With the receipt of the I-20 form, Haneeshe's journey to the new land had begun, The Registrar's Office at Chinquapin considered its task completed with the mailing out of the I-20 form and a brief description of the history of the university. Haneesh received no information on how to get to Chinquapin, or what to bring or expect as an international student. He wrote to the Assistant Registrar for international students but did not receive any information prior to his departure.

Chinquapin does not have a commercial airport. The closest airport is 60 miles away. It is connected to major cities in the state via Greyhound. However, there is no public transportation in town. Haneesh did not know any of this about Chinquapin.

Haneesh made his travel plans based on a World Atlas and flew into the capital (175 miles from Chinquapin). He requested a cab driver to take him to the university who promptly obliged by taking him to the state's flagship university. Haneesh protested at this detour, but the cab driver deposited him at the administrative office of the university. The administrator at this university pointed out to Haneesh that Chinquapin did not exist on the state map. After a lengthy dialog, he convinced the administrator of the existence of the town, the university and his bona fides. The administrator called Chinquapin University and received directions for Haneesh. After an overnight stay in the dorm at this university, and a tearful conversation with his parents, Haneesh was somewhat better prepared for the next leg of his journey via surface, public transportation. When he arrived at the Chinquapin bus station, Haneesh learned that the town did not have public transportation and he had two steamer trunks.

Haneesh arrived at the Housing Office and upon meeting the housing director said, 'I'm here to study at Chinquapin'. 'Oh you're here for the summer' she responded. 'No' said Haneesh, 'I'm here for four years' ...

Immediate Challenges

Chinquapin offers summer classes in a 3-week format. A student enrolls in one course per session and can take up to four courses during the summer. Each course meets 3 hours a day 5 days a week. In a period of 12 weeks he was exposed to 4 instructors, 4 distinct academic disciplines taught in a language that sounded somewhat like English, but it was not the Queen's version. He was exposed to American higher education in a format that was atypical, even for American students.

Housing, dining and other services offered on campus assumed that students were typically in-state residents who owned cars and traveled to their family's home on weekends. Thus the dorms closed between semesters, as did dining facilities.

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