For years, Shuohan Zhang had been preparing to go to an American college or university. Her parents, convinced the United States’ higher education system was better than what’s offered in China, sent her to an international high school, where she took the ACT and the TOEFL, a test measuring English language proficiency.

But three months into her freshman year at Syracuse University, Zhang, who has not yet declared her major, has found that no amount of testing and studying could have prepared her for life at SU, particularly speaking and writing in English.

Although international students are required to take English as a second language classes at SU, those classes sometimes aren’t enough. This semester, Zhang ended up dropping one of her classes — human geography — because she was expected to complete four long essay assignments.

“I think the most challenging part is the writing part,” she said. “And because when I was in high school I did not have such amount you need to write. In the first essay (at SU) I needed to write 1,500 words and I had not written so much.”

Zhang is one of an increasing number of international students studying at colleges and universities in the U.S. The Institute of International Education found the number of international students in U.S. is up 7.1 percent compared to last year, surpassing 1 million for the first time.

At SU, international student enrollment has risen drastically over the past decade, increasing 143 percent since 2006. Now, international students make up almost one-fifth of the total student population.

But as the number of international students on campus has increased, resources supporting students like Zhang have not kept pace, some on campus say. SU is taking steps, though, that may change that. The university recently launched an internationalization council that, among other things, will seek to support international students. The council met for the first time just before Thanksgiving break.

The problem was concern enough for the University Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Affairs to recommend the university increase funding for the Slutzker Center for International Services, the primary support structure for international students on campus, in a January 2014 report. The Slutzker Center, the report said, needs more money for staffing and an operating budget to keep up with the growth in international student enrollment.

“We’re talking about a campus that is fundamentally different than it was 10 years ago because of the presence of international students … and it’s time for us to take these things more seriously,” said Mehrzad Boroujerdi, chair of the political science department at SU and the council on internationalization.

Almost a year after the University Senate released the January 2014 report, the Slutzker Center found itself with even less staff than before. The result limited a staff that, according to the report, was already underfunded and understaffed. A Slutzker Center staff member was one of the 254 SU employees who took a buyout package from the university in 2015.

SU’s Voluntary Separation Incentive Program allowed non-faculty members whose combined age and years of service totaled more than 65 to retire immediately in exchange for select benefits and a single payment of half of their base annual salary.

After the buyout was announced, the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion recommended the university rehire another staff member at the Slutzker Center to replace the one who took the buyout. Although the university has said it would follow the Workgroup’s recommendation, the position has not been filled and the Slutzker Center is stretched thin, said Patricia Burak, Slutzker Center director.

“The delay puts an enormous amount of pressure on the rest of the staff,” she said. “… We are stretched to the max for doing the necessary. And the additional support things we would love to do will just have to stay on hold until it becomes a higher priority at the university.”

Yaqing Xu came to the U.S. after completing her undergraduate degree at a Chinese university. Although transitioning to an American college environment was not difficult for Xu, she said, she struggled to make friends with other students and participate in class because of the language and cultural barrier.

Xu especially felt the gap between international students and U.S. students when she was taking in an information policy course. As American students engaged in discussion over current affairs with a professor, international students — mostly from India and China — remained silent, she said.

“All semester, I’ve been watching people discuss,” Xu said.

Toward the end of her second year in graduate school, Xu said her attitudes began to change as she became more willing to socialize with others and felt less afraid of making mistakes as her English improved.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” she said. “There’s nothing to fear. But I think I realized that too late.”

Burak said she and her staff at the Slutzker Center realize that cultural and language barriers present significant challenges for some international students, especially freshmen, both in the classroom and in their social circles. The Slutzker Center hosts a number of programs to help students adjust, but those programs require staff and funding that the Slutzker Center doesn’t always have, Burak said.

For example, the Slutzker Center runs a peer mentorship program for undergraduate students. Mentors are paid undergraduate students who are always on call to answer questions about life at SU. Graduate students found out about the program and want something similar, but there’s not any funding for it, Burak said.

The Writing Center has also seen an increase in international students, though its resources have not met the heightened demand. During the spring 2016 semester, 52 percent of all appointments made at the Writing Center were from international students, said Ben Erwin, director of the Writing Center. The center has to frequently turn students away, Erwin said, and would benefit from additional resources from the university.

“More than anything, the university needs to look closely at the many organizations and entities across campus that complement and supplement the education of international students and ensure those organizations have the resources to adequately serve students,” Erwin added.

SU’s recently-formed internationalization council, which met for the first time on Nov. 16, created a group to research and then make recommendations about international students on campus.

But, Boroujerdi said, it is too early to tell if the Council will recommend increased funding or resources for the Slutzker Center, the Writing Center or other services for international students on campus. And since the Council is an advisory body, there is no guarantee that any recommendations will actually be implemented, like the University Senate report from 2014.

“I’m hopeful about the direction we’re going in,” Burak said. “Nothing has happened yet, but I’m hopeful.”

Published on November 27, 2016 at 11:31 pm

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