ISOLATED THURSDAY MARCH 2, 2017
INTERNATIONAL ISSUE
VOLUME 66 NO. 36
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS NOT INTEGRATED TORI ROSEMAN MANAGING EDITOR
Siheng Wang has spent four years as a UB international student but has never celebrated Thanksgiving or the Fourth of July. Mingi Jin used to sit in his South Korean high school classroom and daydream about American college life and all the American friends he would have when he went to UB. But after four years here, the junior chemical engineering major has never had a meal with an American student or been to a UB football or basketball game. “I don’t really have any American friends, they’re just classmates,” Jin said. He came to UB hoping to become “more American,” lose some of his shyness and perhaps find a job in the U.S. after graduation. But it hasn’t worked out that way. Although he can talk to students in class, he doesn’t know what to say to them in the halls, how to connect socially or get invited out. “Students like me need more help interacting with Americans,” he said. International students are flocking to UB to get an education, polish their English and learn about American society, yet many are leaving without ever having a first-hand experience of American habits, holidays or culture. Some never even make an American friend. UB President Satish Tripathi credits international students, who make up 17 percent of UB’s undergraduates, for bringing diversity to campus. Yet, a look around campus shows a visible divide between domestic and international students in the libraries, at lunch and in the dorms. “The split is obvious,” said Ian Carson, a senior economics major. “You can tell when you walk into the union, the library, wherever. International students or people from the same country tend to stick together, while all the other students from here make new, American friends.” UB has seen a 500 percent increase in international students since 1996 and has made a lot of money having them here. That’s because international students pay more than three times what domestic students pay to attend UB. And yet, UB has invested little to help these 4,321 students adjust to American university life. “The school needs to play a much larger role in integrating the students,” said O’Brien Welsh, a British political science major who graduated in 2016 and who now attends law school in Amsterdam. “I am sure a lot of students at UB want to make friends from around the world. The school just hasn’t – or refuses to build that bridge between them.” UB officials insist they have been trying to build bridges, but integration is not happening as naturally as they expected. Their philosophy has been to offer programs to all students and to assume that international students – like domestic students – would figure it out on their own. Students say it’s not working. But now, UB may have incentive to try harder.
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I don’t really have any American friends, they’re just classmates.
”
KAINAN GUO, THE SPECTRUM
(top) Mingi Jin, a junior chemical engineering major, sits outside of the Student Union. Jin has been in the U.S. for four years and says he has made no American friends and has never been to a football or basketball game at UB. (Left to right: Fateh Singh, Megan Lin and Siheng Wang) Singh is a domestic student and feels international and domestic student orientations should be held together. Lin and Wang are both international students and said they’ve experienced difficulties making American friends.
President Donald Trump’s tough rhetoric about immigrants and Muslims is making some international students fearful to come to the U.S. Universities across the country are scrambling to accommodate and reassure international students that they are welcome and safe and that their U.S. experience will be positive. The Spectrum has spent two years following international students to understand what services UB offers once they arrive on campus. The Spectrum has found a
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group of 14 passionate educators who work in the International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) office and operate five irregularly-run and lightly-budgeted programs geared toward international students. The programs are: In Focus, BRIDGES, ISSS trips, ISSS workshops (on topics like taxes, filling out immigration documents and driving) and weekly International Tea Time. None of the group members, nor administration, could give The Spectrum a budget of
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how much UB spends on integrating international students once they arrive on campus. “There is no activities budget dedicated solely to international students anywhere at UB,” said Ellen Doussard, assistant vice provost and director of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS). That may soon change. Last October, a task force of professors and administrators wrote a 160-page report that outlines the problems UB is having integrating international students both in the classroom and on campus and makes roughly 50 suggestions to enhance the international student experience. So far, the report remains theoretical; the university has committed no additional money to helping international students integrate. “A process is underway this semester (to conclude by June) to determine how the recommendations in the task force report will be implemented,” said John Wood, senior associate vice provost for International Education, in an email. Stephen Dunnett, vice provost for International Education, whose office commissioned the report, admits that UB needs to work harder to help international students integrate. “I think for any school that is going to receive students from abroad and to charge them a pretty steep tuition, and international students pay quite a bit more than domestic students, then there is some obligation to provide them with something extra and to help them make this successful adaptation or adjustment to living and studying or working in the United States,” Dunnett said.
Student dissatisfaction Welsh has a blunter assessment. “The school seriously has to do more to enhance the experience for internationals,” he said. Devashish Agarwal, a junior computer science major from India, thinks language and cultural barriers contribute to the separation between international students and domestic students. “A lot of times international students are very shy in trying to engage American students or even students from countries other than their own because that would mean talking in English and not their native language, which can be very uncomfortable for a lot of people,” Agarwal said. “They stop trying and start staying with their own small friend groups.” The majority of UB’s international students come from China, India and Korea. The current class of international students – 1,648 undergraduate students and 2,673 graduate students – comes from 14 countries. UB recruits these students heavily and pays the $149,176 salary of full-time recruitment officer, Joseph Hindrawan, the assistant vice provost of International Education. Hindrawan’s salary does not count his travel budget for recruitment or the money UB spends on events to recruit students abroad. The Spectrum tried to get those figures, but the university would not release them. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
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2 UB Jewish community distressed by Thursday, March 2, 2017
INTERNATIONAL ISSUE THE SPECTRUM
nationwide bomb threats
ASHLEY INKUMSAH SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
Jewish community centers have recently become targets of bomb threats. The slew of bomb threats has caused fear and uncertainty in Jewish communities. Several people were evacuated from Buffalo Jewish community centers on Delaware Avenue and North Forest Road last month. More than 100 Jewish community centers were targeted nationwide in 81 different locations, through 33 states and two Canadian provinces, according to JCC Association of North America. Jewish cemeteries have also been vandalized, with several headstones being toppled over. Jewish UB students and faculty feel disheartened and disturbed by the threats. While some feel unsafe, others refuse to allow the threats to disrupt their lives. The threats began in January when several Jewish centers and schools received bomb threats and continued through February. Marla Segol, associate professor in Jewish Studies and director of Undergraduate Studies, feels unsafe in light of the string of bomb threats. “I have a friend who works at the [Jewish Community Center] and she was telling me about how awful [the evacuation] was because they have swim lessons during the day, they have babies there and she had to evacuate all of the [elderly] people in the middle of their swim classes, they were out in the cold in their swimsuits and they had to take them to their safe space, give them blankets, give them snacks and stay with them for a few hours and for an elderly person, this is really an ordeal,” she said. Segol said she’s not particularly concerned about the threat of a bomb itself; she’s concerned about “the threat to intimidate, the in-
KAINAN GUO, THE SPECTRUM
Several people were evacuated from the Buffalo Jewish Community Center on North Forest Road last month. Over 100 Jewish community centers were targeted nationwide in 81 different locations, through 33 states and two Canadian provinces, according to JCC Association of North America.
tent to disrupt and the intent to subjugate” Jewish people. “That’s what hurts the most,” she said. Segol said President Donald Trump’s suggestions about the bomb threats feed into the danger. “[Trump] suggested that [the bomb threats] were simply attempts to make someone look bad and people are saying by that ‘somebody,’ he was implying himself and he is making that classic anti-Semitic rhetorical move where there’s a threat or there’s harm done and then the perpetrator suggests the people did it to themselves to evoke public sympathy,” she said. Segol feels Trump was playing into the “rhetorical trope,” which she found frightening because his rhetoric is encouraging
the threats and being used against minority groups, she said. A rabbi who works with Aish Buffalo on campus and wishes to remain anonymous said although he finds the threats disheartening, he still feels safe. “Hopefully it’s just something that will pass and won’t happen again but it’s definitely something you have to be thinking about when there are people that aren’t so happy about [Jewish people] being around, but overall you’ve got to continue life and be strong and don’t let anything get you down,” he said. Andrew Meyer, president of Jewish Student Union (JSU), said it’s shocking and scary to see the “up rise in Anti-Semitism.” “It’s 2017 already and having this hap-
pened a hundred years ago in Nazi Germany – it’s just not a safe feeling to have to be a Jewish person right now,” Meyer said. Meyer said he’s seen Anti-Semitism before but nothing to this extent. “It didn’t really hit home until places I knew were being threatened or attacked,” Meyer said. A Jewish law student who also wishes to remain anonymous feels misconceptions about Judaism and other minorities are rooted in the rise of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel groups and Trump’s supporters. While he doesn’t believe Trump is anti-Semitic, he thinks some of his supporters may be. “The whole point of terrorism is that you can’t let them dictate how you live your life and where you go and the second that Jewish people stop going to their community centers and their synagogues that’s when the terrorists win,” he said. “The whole point of them doing this is to scare the people of my faith and my religion from doing things that we always do and if we stop doing that they’ll win and I don’t like giving a bully satisfaction that they want.” The student said there’s always a possibility of any person coming into campus and harming students, not just Jewish people. He said he feels safe on campus knowing that UB has a “very good University Police department.” “The Jewish people need to stand together as a community against any uptick of Anti-Semitism,” Meyer said. “We have to condemn any form of hatred, bigotry or racism against any groups. We have to be united as one during this terrible period...” Hannah Stein contributed reporting to this story. email: ashley.inkumsah@ubspectrum.com
INTERNATIONAL ISSUE THE SPECTRUM
Editorial Board
My eating disorder recovery story How I learned to let go of self-destruction
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Gabriela Julia
MANAGING EDITOR
Tori Roseman COPY EDITORS
Saqib Hossain Emma Medina Margaret Wilhelm Grace Trimper NEWS EDITORS
Hannah Stein, Senior Ashley Inkumsah, Senior Maddy Fowler, Asst. FEATURES EDITORS
Sarah Crowley, Senior Lindsay Gilder, Asst. ARTS EDITORS
Max Kaltnitz, Senior David Tunis-Garcia Benjamin Blanchet, Asst. SPORTS EDITORS
Michael Akelson, Senior Daniel Petruccelli, Asst. Thomas Zafonte, Asst. PHOTO EDITORS
Kainan Guo, Senior Angela Barca Troy Wachala, Asst. CREATIVE DIRECTORS
Pierce Strudler Martina LaVallo, Asst.
Professional Staff OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
Helene Polley
ADVERTISING MANAGERS
Priyanshi Soni ADVERTISING DESIGNERS
Alexa Capozzi Casey Ridings
MADDY FOWLER ASST. NEWS EDITOR
I can remember hating my body as far back as eight years old. I remember reading my mom’s diet books late at night in middle school. By age thirteen, I had tried South Beach, Atkins and Weight Watchers. By age fourteen, dieting gave way to seriously disordered eating. In an effort to achieve the slim figure that I was sure was the key to happiness I had wreaked all manners of destruction on my body. I restricted calories. I skipped meals. I purged. I overdosed on laxatives. I exercised to the point of utter exhaustion. This deprivation left me starving, leading me to binge. During binges, I would tear apart the kitchen, eating anything and everything in sight. I remember feeling completely out of control and
helpless against the urge to binge. I was diagnosed with Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) four years ago. Individuals with EDNOS present with many of the symptoms of other eating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa or Binge Eating Disorder but will not meet the full criteria for diagnosis of these disorders, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). While EDNOS is one the most common eating disorders, most people have never heard of it. People with EDNOS often do not “look” sick. I was never underweight. I never looked like the skeletal figures you see in after-school specials about anorexia. But I was struggling with a disease that was every bit as dangerous and deadly. My symptoms ran the gamut from anorexia to bulimia to binge eating disorder. I was completely obsessed with food, calories, my weight and exercise, and above all, I loathed my body. By the time I was seventeen, I was clinically obese due to a combination of bingeing and medication I was taking for depression. I hated my body more than ever and my eating disorder grew worse and worse. It fueled my depression
Living in a multicultural home Growing up with parents of different backgrounds
THE SPECTRUM Thursday, March 2, 2017 Volume 66 Number 36 Circulation 4,000 The views expressed – both written and graphic – in the Feedback, Opinion and Perspectives sections of The Spectrum do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board. Submit contributions for these pages to The Spectrum office at Suite 132 Student Union or news@ubspectrum.com. The Spectrum reserves the right to edit these pieces for style and length. If a letter is not meant for publication, please mark it as such. All submissions must include the author’s name, daytime phone number, and email address. For information on adverstising with The Spectrum, visit www.ubspectrum.com/advertising or call us directly at 716-645-2152 The Spectrum offices are located in 132 Student Union, UB North Campus, Buffalo, NY 142602100
CATHERINE CAMPBELL STAFF WRITER
As the product of a multicultural home, I am proud of my heritage. Whenever I told my peers that my mom is Dominican and that my dad is Nigerian, I received a mix of responses. Some people were excited to hear about it and curious about my unique background. Other people asked if I spoke my parents’ native language, or whether I had been to their native country. The most common of these re-
sponses, however, is confusion. Whenever I told people that my father is from Nigeria, they understood that right away. When it came time to describe my mom’s origins, things became tricky. When I say my mom is from Dominica, many assume this means she’s from the Dominican Republic. My mom is actually from a much smaller island called the Commonwealth of Dominica, or Dominica for short. After much explanation, my peers understand what I am referring to. Because non-American parents raised me, some of my mannerisms and values differ from those of my peers. My parents instilled a strong respect for elders into me, one that is unlike that of my peers. With my family or my parents’ close friends, I was to address them by saying, “Yes” or “No, Auntie,” “Yes” or “No, Uncle.” The same concept applied to my parents – if my mom asks me to finish my homework, I respond by saying, “Yes, Mom.”
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Statement of the Co-Chairs of University at Buffalo’s Working Group for Transgender Inclusion in response to the Feb. 22, 2017 Withdrawal of the OCR Dear Colleague Letter As Co-Chairs of the University at Buffalo’s Working Group for Transgender Inclusion, we want to reaffirm UB’s commitment to promoting the full inclusion of our transgender community, and to clarify the rights and protections that exist for everyone. A few points are important: • The Feb. 22, 2017 decision from the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education withdrew guidance that would require schools nationwide to adopt certain protections based on gender identity and gender expression. These protections included, but were not limited to, the use of preferred names and pronouns, allowing the use of
physical facilities such as restrooms and locker rooms consistent with gender identity, prohibiting harassment, and providing for participation on athletic teams for transitioning students. The Feb. 22, 2017 decision clarifies that federal protections still require schools to maintain harassment-free environments for our students, including LBGT students. It leaves other policies up to individual states. • New York State law and UB’s Discrimination and Harassment policy specifically prohibit discrimination based upon gender identity and gender expression. They also require UB to provide accommodations when necessary for the full inclusion and participation of our
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and anxiety and interfered with my ability to attend classes. I ended up dropping out of high school and getting my G.E.D. Over the next year, I took a few classes at community college while going in and out of the hospital for severe depression. My eating disorder remained unnoticed throughout these hospitalizations. The mental health professionals I worked with were baffled as to why my depression was not getting better because they had no idea I was undergoing a constant battle with my own body. During the summer of 2012, my eating disorder hit its worst point, and I lost about seventy-five pounds over the course of that summer. Rather than expressing concern, people congratulated me and wanted to know what my “secret” was. I would always give a vague answer like “diet and exercise.” The constant compliments and attention only fueled the disorder and I continued to lose weight. In early 2013, I happened to pick up a book called Wasted by Marya Hornbacher, a memoir detailing the author’s struggles with anorexia and bulimia. I read the book in one sitting and burst into tears the moment I finished. It frightened me how much I related to the author’s story. This was the first time I realized that I was very, very sick. I ended up seeking help from a partial hospitalization program for eating disorder patients. I was in treatment for about six months.
I am going to be very honest: eating disorder recovery is not easy. It is not quick and it is not linear. It is an ongoing process. It is a choice that I have to make again and again every single day. You feel a sense of safety when you are in the midst of the disorder. The obsession with food and numbers takes over your whole mind. It is a way to numb yourself from the pain and reality of life. And in a way you are “safe,” but you are not really living. There is always a temptation to go back to living like that. But for all its trials and tribulations, stresses, failures, anxiety and heartbreak, I would take real life and recovery over my eating disorder any day. Because recovery lets you see Taylor Swift live with your best friends instead of listening to her CDs in your hospital room. Recovery lets you eat brownies without tears. Recovery is dancing the night away without getting dizzy. It is traveling to far-away places. It is red lipstick and new friends and lots of milkshakes. Recovery is the hardest thing I have ever done. It is something I never believed I could accomplish and it is something I still have to fight for every single day. But I won’t stop fighting. Because Taylor Swift sounds so much better live than she does on CDs in a hospital room.
Respect for elders is the very same on both sides of my family along with many other things, but the one main difference is the language. My mom speaks a form of broken French called Patois and my dad speaks a dialect called Yoruba. Even though I have not fully picked up on either language, I can still speak a few words here and there. The main language is not the problem, however; it is the slang terms in the language. I have experienced the use of both Dominican and Nigerian slang terms and I can get some of them mixed up. For example, in Yoruba, the word for small child can either be Ikoko or Rondo. But in Patois, the word for small child is Timoun. For half of my life I have been called Timoun and for the other half I have been called Ikoko. Sometimes, when I think or even speak I do so in Dominican slang, but other times I do it in Nigerian slang. Oftentimes, this can get confusing. I will forget which language belongs to which country. I will speak Patois slang in the midst of my Nigerian cousins or Yoruba slang in the midst of my Dominican cousins, which is confusing for them, too.
In spite of some language confusion, the best thing about being a child from a multicultural home is the mix of the various customs. In Nigeria, the celebrations are loud and colorful. There is usually a DJ or a live band. Women and men wear vivid traditional clothes with colors that depend on the person’s relationship with the host/hostess of the party. For example, if you are from the host’s family you might wear red. If you are one of the host’s friends you might wear something yellow. Dominican parties are not as loud as Nigerian parties. Dominican parties are generally smaller and usually have a potluck type setting. However, there are some instances, such as during Carnival time, when different villages get together and have big celebrations. Being a part of a multicultural environment has really opened my eyes to the world around me. I am grateful to be able to say that I am half Nigerian and half Dominican. You might not think much of where you come from, but that is what makes you uniquely who you are. Be proud of it.
email: maddy.fowler@ubspectrum.com
email: arts@ubspectrum.com
transgender community. • Accommodations for our transgender community include respecting individuals’ preferred names and pronouns. Our community members also have the right to use restroom and changing facilities that are consistent with their gender identity. A person may choose to use a gender-neutral/single-occupancy facility, or a shared restroom that is consistent with the individual’s gender identity. We have a growing number of single-occupancy restroom facilities, and will arrange for accommodations when shared shower and/ or changing room facilities are not a welcoming option. • The UB Division of Athletics Inclusion Policy of Transgender Student Athletes mirrors NCAA policy. This policy clarifies the participation of student-athletes who are undergoing hormonal treatment for gender transition, and the process student-athletes
should follow. The policy also sets expectations of the UB Athletics community in fostering inclusion for transgender athletes. • UB’s Working Group for Transgender Inclusion was formed to develop policies, practices and strategies to facilitate a comfortable, safe and inclusive environment for our transgender community. Regardless of changes at the federal level, we will continue our work to ensure that UB welcomes everyone. More information about the rights and protections of our transgender community and the working group can be found on the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion website. Teresa Miller Vice Provost for Equity and Inclusion Sharon Nolan-Weiss Director, Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
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INTERNATIONAL ISSUE
Thursday, March 2, 2017
THE SPECTRUM
International cuisine Easy international recipes anyone can make MOLLY DIETZ STAFF WRITER
If local ethnic food options seem too corporate or expensive, consider making your own. You can expand your culinary horizons without putting a dent in your bank account. UB’s diverse student population help celebrate The Spectrum’s International Issue by sharing some of their favorite easy recipes.
Brigadeiro Country of Origin: Brazil Ian Costa Paixao, a junior biotechnology major Any chocolate lover will fall head over heels for this sweet mix between traditional cupcakes and bonbons. All you need to make this Brazilian dessert is condensed milk, cocoa power or powdered chocolate and butter. First, melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Pour one can of condensed milk into the pan and mix. Add the cocoa powder or powdered chocolate. Stir until everything mixes together. Lower the temperature and keep stirring until the mix no longer sticks to the pan. Put this in a container and let it cool for a few minutes. After the mix has cooled, cut it up into bite-sized balls. Top it with sprinkles or shredded coconut and serve as a party candy or dessert. Poha Country of Origin: India Sada Haider, a junior computer engineering major
COURTESY OF FLICKR USER ROVINGI
Poha, a traditional breakfast rice dish, is common in Indian households.
For this Indian breakfast dish, you will need flat rice, cooking oil, onions, tomatoes, turmeric, salt, pepper, red chili and coriander leaves. First, soak the flat rice in water until it is soft but not mushy. Next, add a dash of turmeric and set this mixture aside. Heat cooking oil in a pan over medium heat. Add chopped onions and tomatoes until both are cooked. Add the flat rice mixture to the pan with the onions and tomatoes. You can add salt, red chili or coriander leaves as optional flavorings, depending on taste preferences. Poha is typically a breakfast dish, but it can be enjoyed at any time during the day.
Egg Drop Soup Country of Origin: China
Tenzin Lhadon Teykhang, a second year MBA student Egg drop soup is a common dish at most Chinese restaurants, but it is cheaper and just as easy to make it yourself. The following ingredients are used: green onions, tomatoes (canned or fresh will work), ginger garlic paste, vegetable or chicken stock, one or two eggs, salt and pepper. First, chop the green onions and fry them alongside the tomatoes. If using fresh tomatoes, they should be a little pulpy before frying them, which can be done in a pan on the stove. Add ginger garlic paste and then transfer to a pot and add the vegetable or chicken stock. Let this mixture boil and then lower to a simmer. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs together. Add these to the soup and stir constantly. Finally, add salt and pepper
based on preference.
Cevapi Country of Origin: Bosnia Kenan Begovic, a junior biological sciences major To make this Bosnian street vendor dish you will need butter, yellow onion and garlic clove – both finely chopped – lean ground lamb and ground beef, one egg white, sweet paprika, onions and pita bread. Start by melting the butter in a pan over medium heat. Sauté the yellow onions until translucent. Add garlic and stir continuously. Remove from heat and let cool. Mix the ground lamb and ground beef together and add to the pan. Next, add the onion and garlic mix, egg white and sweet paprika until mixed together. Shape the seasoned meat into small sausage shapes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. Fry the meat in olive oil until browned and serve inside pita bread with chopped onion. Spicy Potatoes Country of Origin: India Yogesh Jhorar, a second year MBA student These “spicy potatoes” are a perfect snack. Ingredients include potatoes, cooking oil, cumin seeds, onions, ginger garlic paste and salt, red pepper or turmeric as optional seasoning. Peel and boil the potatoes. After boiling the potatoes, cut them into cubes. Set these aside. Heat the cooking oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. Chop onions and add these to the oil along with the garlic paste in the pan. Add salt, red pepper or turmeric as seasoning. Finally, add the potatoes into your pan and cook everything together for three to five minutes. This spicy potato snack can be eaten with flat bread, naan or by itself. email: arts@ubspectrum.com
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“It used to be somewhat worth it before because [tuition] isn’t as high as other schools but these days tuition is getting increased unreasonably,” said Jin, the South Korean student who dreamed of having American friends. “So now I think they should offer us a better system for learning English and having international social meetings.” Megan Lin, a senior marketing major from Taiwan, was born in Albany, New York and then moved back to Taiwan with her parents when she was a year old. Since she is younger than 25 years old and her parents currently live in Taiwan, she has to pay the international student fee, although she is a U.S. citizen. “On top of that I have to pay the domestic student insurance since I was born here,” Lin said. “It’s so much money and I don’t think being here is worth that much.” International students each pay $48,964 tuition – about twice as much as in-state students pay. Add airfare, housing and living expenses and international students pay about three to four times as much as New York students. Their tuition payments total close to $71 million, or 10 percent of UB’s $716 million operating revenues. UB international students also boost Buffalo’s economy. In 2013, that boost totaled $194.3 million, according to a report by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Other universities – like Boston University and Florida Institute of Technology – have, like UB, taken in large numbers of international students and seen similar
economic benefits to their universities and their communities. But, these other universities have invested in stronger integration programs, more counselors and better postgraduation assistance than UB has done. To Welsh, who spent four years at UB, the answer is obvious. “The school needs to play a much larger
role in integrating the students,” Welsh said. “I can tell you that when I went to Amsterdam on exchange, the Exchange Student Network (ESN), got us from the airport and made sure we were involved in so many different activities aimed at integration and fun.” ESN pushed him to join clubs and regularly checked in on his progress and sense
of integration. The university, he said, made him feel like he belonged. “If not the school, then who? In most cases, [international students] do not have family, they do not have friends, it’s sometimes too difficult or expensive to communicate with people back home. They’re in an environment where everyone already has their clique and breaking into these cliques or circles can be quite difficult,” Welsh said.
Missed connections Jin Chen, who graduated last May with a degree in accounting, came from China to attend UB in 2012 and wanted to get to know American students. She joined an ISSS trip to Canada that was open to international and domestic students. CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
from
45 91
FAR& WIDE
students * 56 shared these
four countries
56
# of undergraduate students # of graduate students 1648 international undergraduate students 2673 international graduate students
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Canada Brazil Turkey India Vietnam China Singapore Saudi Arabia Taiwan Bangladesh South Korea Malaysia Iran Japan
* 101 * 58 68 39
* 19 195 1275
51 17 * 56 56 101 43 309 116 724 901 GRAPHIC BY PIERCE STRUDLER
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Dover String Quartet to perform at UB The Dover String Quartet will perform at 7:30 p.m. on March 8 in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall. The quartet’s performance is a part of the Slee/Beethoven String Quartet Cycle. The concert will feature Beethoven’s Quartet in D Major, Op. 18, No.3; “Grosse Fuge”, Op. 133; and Quartet in F Major, Op. 59, No. 1.
President Trump delivers first speech to Congress Trump addressed a joint session of Congress for the first time on Tuesday. He said he wants to reach across party lines and put aside “trivial fights” in order to help ordinary American citizens. He asked Congress to work with him to repeal the Affordable Care Act and develop a new health care system. He also addressed terrorism and immigration policy.
Julie Mares, Ph.D MSPH to present annual Saxon Graham Lecture Julie Mares, a leading expert on the role of diet and nutrition and the onset of common age-related eye diseases, will present a lecture called “What Might Simple Measures of Eye Carotenoids Tell Us About the Health of Our Eyes and Bodies?” for the annual Saxon Graham Lecture in 144 Farber Hall, South Campus at 12 p.m. on Friday. Mares will discuss her research as well as how to identify people who may benefit from prevention strategies in early adulthood in order to reduce the risk of developing age-related eye diseases. This lecture is sponsored by the UB School of Public Health.
Bomb threats made to Jewish centers in 11 states Bomb threats forced evacuations at Jewish schools and community centers in 11 states on Monday. Officials believe many of the bomb threats are being phoned in from overseas, according to CNN. No threats have been carried out. The threats follow the vandalism of approximately 100 Jewish headstones in Philadelphia over the weekend.
Delaware Avenue nursing home fined $10,000 following beating death of patient Emerald South Nursing and Rehab Center on Delaware Avenue has been fined $10,000 by the New York State Health Department after an 82-year-old resident suffered fatal injuries last year, according to The Buffalo News. The victim, Ruth Murray, mistakenly wandered into another resident’s room in the dementia unit on Aug. 26, 2016. The resident attacked her because he thought she was breaking into his house. Murray died three days later at Erie County Medical Center. Emerald South was fined for failing to ensure that residents are under adequate supervision.
Two injured as gun goes off during French president’s speech Two people were injured Tuesday during French President François Hollande’s speech in Villognon, France when a local police officer, who was working as part of the President’s security team, accidentally fired his gun, according to CNN. The officer was a sniper and he was standing on top of a nearby building when shots were fired. Hollande was not injured but two speech attendees suffered minor injuries.
Buffalo man fatally shot on Pershing Avenue James Smith, 39, was fatally shot early Wednesday morning in front of his Pershing Avenue home, according to The Buffalo News. Police said the shooting took place just before 4 a.m. and Smith was declared dead at the scene. Smith’s death is the 13th homicide to occur in Buffalo this year.
House of Lords party votes to preserve rights of EU citizens residing in UK Members of the House of Lords voted in favor of an amendment guaranteeing EU citizens rights in the UK after Brexit, according to The Guardian. The vote passed 358 to 256, and is the first Parliamentary defeat for the government’s Brexit bill. Then House of Lords did not call for immediate, unilateral action. However, they said Members of Parliament (MPs) should have to create proposals explaining how they would protect citizens and families within the next three months.
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ISOLATED CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
Chen had hoped to get to know American students on the trip, but she didn’t know how to start a conversation. She felt shy and unsure how to integrate with the American students and she said no one facilitated that integration or helped her begin to talk. The American students also seemed less interested in seeing Canada than she was. She overcame her shyness and made an effort to talk to them, but the connection fizzled. “It was fun to go to Canada, but all of the American students just wanted to drink and we don’t really do that,” Chen said. “It was nice to speak to them but we are just so different.” UB administrators feel integration is largely personal and up to the students. “I would say that we offer a lot – some things are just out there and available so if students take advantage of them we can only encourage them to do that. Some do, some don’t. If they do, they have a very strong American experience,” Dunnett said. Chen did try. But she didn’t succeed. Now, her friends are Asian, mostly Chinese, she said. ISSS offers about 10 trips similar to the Canada trip Chen went on each semester and attracts 10-30 students – most of them international – per trip, said Chris Bragdon, the International Student Advisor and Coordinator for Student Engagement. ISSS spends about $1,000-$2,000 on these trips per semester for busing, according to Bragdon. The Spectrum tried to get figures for how much UB spends on the other programs, but administrators did not supply the num-
TORI ROSEMAN, THE SPECTRUM
(left) Deepesh Jhamtani, junior business major, (right) Devashish Agarwal, junior computer science major. “Once you’re an upperclassman in the school of management, you have a lot of group projects and presentations,” Jhamtani said. “Every class without fail, I have noticed that international students don’t perform as well because they can’t express themselves correctly.”
bers. The Spectrum estimates that the cost for International Tea Time is about $100 per event, or $1,500 per semester. Bragdon heads BRIDGES, developed in spring 2015 to bring domestic and international students together. But he’s struggling to attract domestic students to the program because domestic students prefer to go on trips with other UB clubs – like Schussmeister Ski Club and Outdoor Pursuits – rather than clubs geared to international students. Dunnett said his office hosts a variety of events to try to appeal to students. “Sometimes a lot of people come and
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sometimes no one comes. It’s hard to know what motivates students,” he said.
A divided campus Jennifer Kumar graduated from UB in 1998 and even then noticed the division between international and domestic students. She decided to work to remedy the problem. Today, she is the managing director of Authentic Journeys, which helps Indian students transition to America. She said newly arriving international students looking for friends are often drawn to clubs from their own countries or cultures, like UB’s Malay-
THE SPECTRUM
sian Student Association, the Indian Student Union or the Organization of Arab Students. Indeed, at UB, cultural clubs have high percentages of students from the countries they represent. “These groups can help international students find support among themselves, but can isolate them from Americans depending on how big the groups are,” she said. Divisions also exist within clubs and sometimes, the international students and the domestic students only mix during events – the friendships don’t go deeper. Rifts between domestic and international students are visible beyond lunchtime pairings and club memberships; students feel it in the dorms and in the classroom, too. Governors residence hall is dedicated to Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and honors students, many of whom are domestic students. Students only have access to Greiner through lottery and apply in February, which leaves out most international students, who often don’t know how to navigate the housing deadlines. South Campus’ Clement Hall, where the dorms are less coveted, teems with international students. Dunnett said that housing is random and that international students are not purposely grouped together or with domestic students. Alyssa Izzo, a senior nursing major at D’Youville College who lived in Clement her freshman year, said the language barrier kept her from talking to international students when she was at UB. “It’s intimidating to approach an international student because it’s usually a group of them,” Izzo said. “I feel like I was segregated from them – sometimes I felt like an outcast, even though it was unintentional on their part.” Living in the dorms is particularly American and something American freshmen look forward to, but many international students arrive at UB unprepared for shared showers, communal meals and loss of privacy. CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
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INTERNATIONAL ISSUE THE SPECTRUM
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Mansi Tolia, a senior business major, came from Singapore in fall 2016 and said UB recruitment officers advised her and the 40 other students she came with to live with other international students in the Villas on Rensch. “A lot of us live in Rensch but the dorms seem like a good way to meet a lot of people,” Tolia said. “I feel like I missed out on something by not living in the dorms.” UB’s October report on international students highlights their tendency to self-separate and notes that “Asian students are less integrated” than other students. The report says most don’t feel they belong and don’t feel accepted by American peers. “Most of my friends are from my country,” said Daryl Chong, a senior engineering major from China. “Many of them are from other countries in Asia. I tried to make more friends from the U.S., but it doesn’t work very well. I have many people I know, but I nearly don’t have American friends.” Chenfeng Jiang also doesn’t have American friends. She came to UB from China expecting to experience college alongside Americans. She thought Americans would find her background interesting and she imagined she would live like the carefree youths she watched on American TV shows. She didn’t expect to find herself surrounded by Chinese students, speaking Chinese and even eating American Chinese food. “I don’t really have American friends because they’re hard to find,” Jiang said. “If you join a club or something you can try to make friends but if not, it’s really hard. I don’t really think American students are interested in being friends with us.” Jiang, a recently graduated psychology major said forming friendships becomes more difficult as the semester progresses. “The school isn’t very helpful either. The first few weeks they help a lot but after a while you’re kind of on your own to make friends in classes or something” Jiang said. “It’s easy to make fast friends that you can have a conversation with, but not on that
ANGELA BARCA, THE SPECTRUM
Students come to the Student Union to eat and socialize, but often separate themselves from students of different cultures. Instead of coming together and meeting new students, many stick to their group of friends.
deeper level. We come from different places and have totally different cultures.” Tolia, a senior business major who has lived in both Singapore and India, remembers making the decision to go to UB. She attended the UB campus in Singapore for two years. There, administrators encouraged her to go to the American campus for at least one year in order to have the “American college experience.” Tolia and 40 other students from Singapore took the 24-hour plane ride to Buffalo in August. At the four-day orientation, for which she paid $95, Tolia happily chatted with other international students, but she wondered where the domestic students were. Those students didn’t arrive until the first day of classes and none seemed interested in her. The orientation taught her how to set up a bankcard and use public transportation. But, it didn’t help her understand how to approach American students or professors or how to equip herself physically or emotionally for her new American life. When the orientation ended, she and her roommates, all international students, spent 10 hours in Walmart trying to figure out what they would need for life in Buffalo. UB offered no tips or assistance, she said.
Fateh Singh, a sophomore industrial engineering major, is an Indian American with many international friends from India. He said he often has to bridge the gap between his American and international friends. “First, I think there should just be one student orientation. And I wish there were more groups that were focused on majors because so many clubs and fraternities are cultural,” Singh said.
Moving forward Other universities work harder at integration than UB does. Boston University, with an international population of 19 percent, has nine advisers who mainly work on helping international students integrate and adjust. They help students with housing and offer tips on daily living and American life. In addition, Boston University has two international student academic advisers, who focus on making sure students can handle the coursework. This compares to UB’s four advisers, three of whom hold other titles and have responsibilities beyond international students. Bragdon is one of them. In addition to coordinating BRIDGES, he acts as assistant director of student programming. BU is a private school
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Thursday, March 2, 2017
and international students pay $65,110. Florida Institute of Technology has 33 percent international students and educators there have learned that integration takes work. Tori Leslie, the program coordinator for International Student and Scholar Services, said the school has developed programs to bring students together. But, she admits, it is often tough. “Domestic students are apprehensive to get to know the international students. That’s why we’ve created programs like Global Buddies and the International Friendship Program. It’s not always a lot of people participating, but the options are there for students,” Leslie said. The International Friendship Program pairs American hosts with international students and has the American student act as a cultural ambassador for the international student. The American students include the international students in parties, events and holidays and also help them navigate cultural pitfalls like what to wear to a football game and where to grab the perfect hamburger. They also give advice on classes and how to talk to professors or find study partners. Florida Institute of Technology charges students $58,256 per year. Jin, the South Korean student who has never been to a UB sports game, remembers when his guardian told him about UB and encouraged him to apply. He thought going to America would make him more outgoing and that he would get a pack of American pals, stellar grades and find a sense of belonging within a community. He didn’t realize he would feel isolated and different and that he would become even shyer than at home. “I always wanted to make American friends but it’s hard, I know we also need to find courage to talk,” Jin said. He wishes the university would help him. Gabriela Julia contributed reporting to this story. email: tori.roseman@ubspectrum.com
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INTERNATIONAL ISSUE THE SPECTRUM
INTERNATIONAL UB ATHLETES DISCUSS THEIR EXPERIENCES
IN THE U.S. MICHAEL AKELSON AND THOMAS ZAFONTE SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR AND ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
There are 45 international athletes at UB. The Spectrum sat down with 9 players to hear their stories. Cameron Hogg (junior, Auckland, New Zealand) Fox Slotemaker (junior, Nelson, New Zealand) Scott Doney (junior, Tauranga, New Zealand) Nick Forrester (junior, Auckland, New Zealand) Cameron Hogg and Fox Slotemaker, high school teammates in New Zealand, had no idea they were committed to the same university to play soccer. They found out the summer after their high school graduation. The two New Zealanders dreamed of playing college soccer in the U.S. Slotemaker moved across the country during high school to dorm at Mount Albert Grammar, one of the largest secondary schools in the country, with the hope of having a chance at a college soccer career in America. Hogg commuted to the school. When the two arrived, they found out Scott Doney, a third high school teammate, was looking to transfer from Marshall University and helped recruit him to the program. Meanwhile, Nick Forrester, who grew up down the block from Hogg and went to rival high school Saint Kentigern College, also came to UB. The four always made it their goal to come to the U.S. to play because unlike in New Zealand, they can continue on in sports and higher education simultaneously. “In New Zealand there is no such thing as a student athlete,” Hogg said. “There is no infrastructure for an athlete to continue playing while getting an education. As far as we know America is one of the only places that offers a high level of education and accommodates for it.” Katherine Ups and Liisa Ups (juniors, Wollongong, Australia)
For Katherine and Liisa Ups, the move to UB has been a life-changing experience. The twins have been playing together for years and came to UB in 2014 with a group of Australian players. Their team has experienced historic peaks within the program winning its first MidAmerican Conference Championship last year. The twins have also learned how to be independent over the past three years. “It makes you so much more mature. Being a 12-hour plane ride away from your family forces you to take care of yourself,” Katherine said. “There are so many life skills we would have never developed if we stayed at home.” The “positive Buffalo spirit” helped the twins get used to being away from family. “The first year is kind of tough being away from your family. But everyone was quite nice in the beginning. Now here in junior year, it’s not too bad…All we have to do now is tell mom and dad to stop FaceTiming me every day,” Liisa said. Aside from beaches and warm weather, the Ups sisters don’t see much of a difference between Buffalo and Wollongong. They consider themselves lucky for having a smooth transition since they were expecting a radical change. “Half the time you forget that you are halfway around the world. And especially us
KATHERINE UPS being here together made it seem like another day in the life,” Katherine said.
Laura Holterbosch (senior, Krefeld, Germany) and Mercedes Losada Rubio (sophomore, Granada, Spain) When Laura Holterbosch first came to UB from Germany, she had already given herself an advantage. Holterbosch learned English in eighth grade. But the transition was still difficult for Holterbosch once she got to the U.S. “It was tough. That was my first time being abroad, away from my family with a sixhour time difference,” Holterbosch said. “It was different food, different people, just everything was different for me.” Mercedes Losada Rubio’s transition to the U.S. was hard as well. Rubio’s struggles were primarily in the classroom, where she was unable to understand her professors. “I couldn’t understand what people were telling me or say anything back to them. I am a person who talks a lot, so for me it was a really tough experience,” Rubio said. International students are a prominent part of the women’s tennis team -- with only two players from the U.S. To help make this transition easier on the incoming international students, the women’s tennis team is pairing. “[You’re supposed to] explain little things and help them throughout,” Holterbosch said. “So as a junior I started helping Rubio a little bit when she got homesick, and we just talked and got lunch and stuff like that.” The program helped Rubio become more situated with the U.S., as she notes her second semester as being much easier than her first. That accommodation helps out the students who come to play at a high level and get an education. “At home, we don’t have the opportunity to play tennis and study at the same time. And here, you get support from [UB] Athletics to do both at a high level continuously for four years,” Holterbosch said.
TANJA STOJANOVSKA
Tanja Stojanovska (junior from Ohrid, Macedonia) Tanja Stojanovska was most surprised by the diversity that surrounded her when she first came to UB. “A lot of Asian people like Indian and Chinese, Japanese, basically back home, they’re mostly Macedonians, we don’t have a mixture of people,” Stojannovska said. “I knew that here in the States, it’s not going to only be one nationality. Just seeing it was weird in the beginning.” She knew early in high school that she wanted to come to the U.S., but says she would not have been able to if she didn’t play tennis. “It would have been really hard to find the money to pay because it’s very expensive to attend college here,” Stojanovska said. “If it wasn’t for tennis than I don’t think I would have been able to come here.” Stojanovska hopes to remain in the U.S. after college to pursue a master’s degree. email: sports@ubspectrum.com
MERCEDES LOSADA RUBIO
CAMERON HOGG
LAURA HOLTERBOTSCH
FOX SLOTEMAKER
LIISA UPS