| “There
is a lot of work that could be done to show Americans that the
world is a complex thing and that different does not mean bad
— or worse — evil.” |
| —
Student Jean-
Bertrand Ribat |
|
UM
foreign students share
culture with community
Explaining
perceptions of foreign citizens to Americans can take a lot of effort,
says a UM international student from France.
“There is a lot of work that could be done to show Americans
that the world is a complex thing and that different does not mean
bad — or worse — evil,” said Jean-Bertrand Ribat.
A few of UM’s foreign students are connecting the international
community with Missoula and the University. They are involved in the
Foreign Student and Scholar Services Speakers Bureau, which is designed
to help students share their culture with classes and civic groups
in the community.
UM has 419 foreign students from 73 countries on campus this year.
During spring and summer of 2004, 23 students participated in the
Speakers Bureau, said Yukari Zednick, an administrative associate
in Foreign Student and Scholar Services.
During UM orientation, foreign students learn about public speaking
around campus and Missoula. A questionnaire asks students if they
brought any traditional clothing or artifacts with them to UM and
if they are willing to share these with others. Between 80 and 90
percent of students indicated interest, Zednick said.
The amount of student involvement and what material is presented is
based on community requests.
“I think it’s really important that people in the United
States meet people from overseas,” Zednick said. “When
you live in a little community like Missoula, you don’t have
that opportunity to hear other perspectives.”
Requests from people in the community were broad. Some students talked
in classrooms about their culture, while others translated documents
into or from their native language. One group of students presented
African dances to a Girl Scout troop and another student talked about
Islam to a Lutheran church group.
Martin Twer, a German student, spoke to a UM political science class
with 150 students about Germany and its context in the European Union.
He covered issues like current development in Germany’s domestic
politics, population and economic developments, social and tax systems,
and current government.
Twer found his experience rewarding, and he hopes that through the
Speakers Bureau more people can better understand the international
community.
“I think having so many international students and scholars
on campus is a great opportunity for any class to broaden the horizon
of education and provide different perspectives,” he said. “It
is good for us foreign students to have the experience to talk to
larger groups in a more or less formal setting, and beneficial for
American students to get more exposure to international perspectives.”
Community members interested in submitting a request for a foreign
student volunteer can call (406) 243-2226.
— By Brianne Burrowes
|
