Newspapers / The Carolina Times (Durham, … / April 24, 1982, edition 1 / Page 8
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.i-TKE CXROUXA TIKES-SATURDAY, APRIL 24. 1882 The Widening Rift On Campus' . ' African Students Feel Neaiectedi 5 Others7Wbnder-Why By kathrya Davis ! Sprawled in the heart of 'southern Durham, North Carolina Central University is a picturesque blend of attractively designed landscapes, stately old structures and gleaming new modern buildings, surrounded by the hustle, and bustle that charaterizes an urban university. An aura of busy peacefulness covers the campus. , , . But this peaceful atmosphere masks an ever-widening rift between the university's foreign students, most of whom are black Africans, and the rest of the school's student t body, mostly black Americans. The rift appears not to be pur poseful or vicious, actually nothing that better communications couldn't ' solve nicely. But the simplicity of solutions doesn't decrease the pro blem's seriousness, according to many of Central's foreign students. J There are J2 foreign students enrolled at NCCU this year, 55 of i whom are Africans. Of that number, thirty African students are Nigerians. j By comparison, Central had only seven foreign students twelve years ago. Most of the complaints come from the Nigerian students. They say that the university's ad- ministration is insensitive to the uni que problems of culture and adap- hi' tability these students face in this "new world". They also; say that many black American students are cold and indifferent to their African classmates. .'" - v ' But both university officials and American students say the situation is. more of a communications problem than anything else. : 7 : y "Foreign students are recruited in the r same manner as American students," said Carl Durham, Cen tral's assistant director of admissions. "And we promise no more than the opportunity for an education.",". ; t ! On the student level, responses range from personal justification to . indifference. Some students say they ; don't understand the Africans' culture and don't want to, appear ! dumb by asking questions. 'Other students say they've never given the problem any thought, because they're i too busy with school and work, . All of this notwithstanding, the problem is there, and a big part of it , revolves around monev. Many ; African students complaurjhat there i just isn't enouglr'financial .aid for ' them. But, according to Dr; Glenn Mar- i tin, NCCU's foreign student advisor, the problem is just a little more com plex than the mere shortage ot finan cial aid for foreign students.' -i "Many students leave their country having falsified their financial status and, upon arrival at NCCU, find themselves without funds," Martin said. Most of our foreign students are (either on student visas or exchange visas, which makes them ineligible fofcf most types of federal financial aid because they are obligated to return , to their native countries upon gradua- International Student Association at Central, money is not the only pro blem foreign students face. Ifejuka says -other problems can be summed up this way: :;"NCCU encourages , foreign student enroumem ana men i ; i ignores them after ithey arrive." ? . r 0"he International Student Associa ' tibn lSA)as formed in 1973 to Create bettef understandings among people of all nations, and to provide a conduit through which problems fac- ' kl: ing Central's foreign fctudent popula-, . ,tion could be solved! The organiza v 'tion's' overall effectiveness could not B; be clearly determined and though ISA .is a chartered campus group, receiv ing about $200 annually from student ' wfees, it's relationship to other campus organizations does" not seem to be. .clearlv defined. : V Spetffically, Iffijuka says that NCCU Offers no constructive pro- grams tor toreign siuaems, anu mail housins is often difficult to arrange, forcing many foreign students to live in local motels for weeks after arriv ing in Durham. He also says' ho one j helps foreign students to. orientate ! themselves to the Purham area. U ; "We arrive in a rrange country," 'TfolxVa cU gn1 Vl3V trt rtp ft tflXi with a' stranger to a destination that we know nothina f about, and even after we get' there? we are just on our . i . n. i muuw wmm mm, w -i yfTy 3 1' 5 t !' ownXiid even worse than that there .. are nd camjJus activities geared to the , " foreign students' cultures, such as . , dance or cooking clubs..", ; ( " ) According "UoIfejuka, foreign: students are also not told about other' campus activities , J. f :. ! -Dur1iam:t''T':esponds;, .A ."NCCU ' recruits . only" : the high scholarly- foreign student and these students are, made aware .before they leave their country , that they need individual nually,' and ,- processing financial , documents so students receive the . money that comes to many of them , from their country. Martin also helps' , students with personal problems, as ' well as ' helps them understand the ; various immigration and naturaliza-' tionlaws.V-''V.;j;--.5;' f;And- while the problems foreign , , students have . with NCCU's ad-; ministration appear to dc mostly a ! -misunderstanding of various ad- sponsors, i personal sponsors,.?:oti ; minisirauve proceaures, me siuqeni scholarships i :: i vfnJiV 'V- problems are more intensely pert ' Durhani added' that notices of icam-' V onal. !. pus activities are posted in a number ; "W? came to NCCU because it is a of conspicuous places, around cam-" pus andi that; anyone who stays , around the campus after classes can : easily learn about campus activities, rj '. Dr. Martin, who also organized the ' ISA, says finding housing is a pro , blem for almost all of CentraJYoff-' campus students,, and particularly for foreign students, mostly because they are not familiar, with the! area. ! . "But it is part of my job' he said, i "to help them find housing, and to recommend foreign students for ; housing.": j,v .; In addition to working with foreign ' students on housing problems, Mar tin also assists 'in processing travel documents; helping to secure visas, making sure visas are, renewed ;jn- black school, believing we would be, welcomed by American blacks," said I ,. Ifejuka, "but' this is far from beingl true. In classes, black, Amencans sit 'next to us and they don't even bother topeak." ;. ; ' Many other Central students agree , that there is a problem, but few offer any solutions. . r "They (the Africans) are telling the truth," said Ms. Wanda Dixon, a psychology major, "f see students ; ' i laugh at, them because of their accents i ; and others seem to naturally follow suit. It s sad because I like them, and I would really like to get to know them 1 better." ; it Ms Dixon believesjyiat atjeast Jwoj A. t': 7 tion.' It could not be established if falsi-; fying financial information is widespreadproblem among foreign students afCentral or if any of the current students haddone so. Infor mation was als) not readily available , to determine - how many foreign students now on - campus are obligatedrto return to their native i lands following graduation. , Martin went on to say that if a stu-, dent has a permanent Identification Card, then the student is eligible for any available financial aid. All students can apply for " the Chancellor's Scholarship. But, according to AzuBike Chukwun Ifejuka, president of the, it if 7a r h I ft Q DR. MARTIN Some Nieerian Students At NCCU : These five Nigerian students were gathering this week for aregular meeting of the International Student Assqciatiori on the' campus of North Carolina . i Central University. They are (l-r): Samson OkpalaJohn Edomobi, Carlos ' unwuasaonya, Azuoixe iiejiKi ana uoawin uKpaia. , s ; ,., WVSP Has A Dmnrlhainni Coiminiectioini jsnmdl V " .' , ' ' WVSP is a non-commercial radio station dedicated to pro viding a program of comprehensive news, interesting infor mation and quality entertainment. With broadcast studios located in Warrenton, N.C., the station's primary listening area spans ah eight-county region in northeastern North Carolina and it's 100,000 watts of FM power reach many listeners in other parts of the state and southern Virginia But They Have Planned Much j Much More For Durham Well tell. you all about it in two weeks in The Carolina Times, Be sure to read: WVSP: A BETTER VOICE IN CAROLINA, a special 8-page section, coming in the May 8 edition of The Carolina Times. In this, special section, we will introduce you to the highly qualified professional staff ' and policy makers. We will show you that there's more to WVSP than just a radio station, and more importantly, we will show you their Durham Connection. t: '"i ' l,',1 . ;''- '' '"v'.i'j . ' i'.I-" . :i ' :': '' f "''- -' " '!" ' ! h' '-t,'? ".:--' ' : :, . :Jf "? - V '' : ; . "" : : '. v -t .vi " ; : .. ,-. ' y. s So don't miss WVSP: A BETTER VOICE IN CAROLINA, comings May 8 in The Carolina Times. . . r. j-O. B0X 6S " WARRENTON, NORTH CA0UNA- 27589 r PHONE: ?9'297- (909 , ' Vf. ' 16'. l.). it -4 ii Mi 1 t
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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April 24, 1982, edition 1
8
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