Page 1« • Thursday, February 27, 8003 F63tUr6S
Foreign students make a smooth transition
with help of Elon’s International Relations Club
Photos by Kathleen Frey / rhotographer
Freshman Raquel Corona talks to her friend, Rachel Baines.
Corona, a native of Mexico, said the International Relations Club
has made her college transition more comfortable.
Keren Rivas
Reporter
College life is full of exciting
experiences.
It is not only a lime spent in
classes and long nights of study
ing in the library but also a time
where long-lasting friendships are
made.
For students coming from
another country, however, college
life can mean something more.
It means being hundreds of
miles away from home, away
from family and friends, while
trying to adapt to a new culture
and life-style without losing self-
identity.
At Elon, several resources help
international students adjust
smoothly to this new cultural set
ting. The Intercultural Relations
Club, or IRC, is an example.
“IRC is a social-friendly gath
ering place for international stu
dents," said senior Krishna
Manek, the club’s vice president.
“Here students not only share the
same problems but also try to fmd
solutions.”
Since Elon is the fn^t experi
ence in a foreign academic insti-
tution for most international stu
dents, they may be unaware of
basic things about campus life.
Elon invites international stu
dents to move in a week earlier
than the rest of students so they
can get a better feel of the place
and of the faculty.
Fifty-five students from
diverse ethnic backgrounds are
enrolled at Elon. These students
represent 41 countries from
around the world, including
Ukraine, India, Botswana,
Dominican Republic, Brazil and
Mexico.
“One of IRC’s main goals is to
be a fall-in cushion for interna
tional students to slow down the
cultural shock,” said Alex Molina,
treasurer of the club.
That is exactly what IRC has
been for freshman Raquel
Corona. She arrived on campus
in the fall from Mexico.
“I felt like I was the dilTerent
one,” she said.
IRC changed that feeling.
“I can be more myself,” said
Corona.
She added that even though
students are from different places,
they have one thing in common:
everyone is trying to adjust to a
difterent culture.
Former IRC president Doris
Molina agreed.
“IRC is a good support groups
for those students who are away
from home,” she said. “Here you
find people willing to hear you
talk about how it is to be away
from home.”
The club not only provides a
home away from home for inter
national students, but also gives
them the tools to integrate in the
mainstream culture.
“We want them to feel com
fortable and allow them to inte
grate their cultures as part of their
identity,” Alex said. “But we also
want them to know there is more
out there.”
IRC not only helps internation
al students adjust to American
culture. It also gives Arrierican
students an opportunity to experi
ence the international diversity on
campus.
“Students tend to think IRC is
only for international students,
but it is not,” Doris said.
She added that some students
who have interest in going abroad
have decided where to go based
on their experiences with mem
bers from the club.
Though the number of
American students who belong to
IRC has increased in the last cou-
plc of years, the executive officers
welcome new members.
Knowing people from different
cultures is not only fun but,
Manek explained, it may also be
an excellent tool for future careers
and an important skill to have
since the world is getting more
global each day.
International and American
students can learn from each
other, because even though “stu
dents are ambassadors of their
countries, they also need to learn
about other countries and cul
tures,” Alex said. “It is a give-
and-take situation.”
To promote this interaction
among international and
American students, IRC—togeth
er with the Isabella Canon Centre,
the International Pavilion and the
Spanish Center—organizes sever
al activities on campus, such as
International Week, which started
this Tuesday.
“We have a local global com
munity at Elon and we want stu
dents to know that,” Alex said.
For moi'e information about
IRC contact Krishna Manek at
kmanek@elon.edu or Alex Molina
at amolina@elon.eJu.
Contact Keren Rivas at pemlu-
lum@elon.edu or 278-7247.
Check out
upcoming
International
Week events;
www.elon.edu/
academics/cannon
Jonathan Tellez, a native of Coasta Rica, and sisters Carolina and Alexandra Molina from the
Dominican Republic share music and laughter during Tuesday's College Coffee.