Intl. Center to teach culture class norms

The Leo R. Dowling International Center has been assisting IU international students adjust to American campus life and classroom culture at its Jordan Avenue location since 1958.

This year, Center Director Sandy Britton said more programs and activities have been added to the schedule.

“Besides our ongoing programs such as cultural coffee hours, noon concerts and conversation clubs we will also have more educational programs,” Britton said.
On Sept. 8, the center will co-sponsor an educational seminar series with Counseling and Psychological Services.

The workshop, called “Making Sense of Academics,” features a lecture by psychologist Cathy Kocarek of CAPS, that will cover topics such as cultural norms, professor-student interactions in American classrooms and how to deal with challenges and stress in a new country.

“It’s targeted for international students who are anxious and concerned about the classroom culture,” Britton said.

Another education program Britton is coordinating is a workshop about how to ride a bicycle safely on campus.

“We are a little bit concerned that some international students are riding bicycles, and the traffic rules here might be different than those at home,” Brttion said.
Fearing that traffic accidents involving bike riders in previous years could happen again, Britton said the center is coordinating a workshop with the IU Police Department and is having them go over the safety issues of riding a bike.

Britton said the center has also been the place where different IU departments have their social activities and workshops targeting international students.

“The center is getting busy, and people are sending their requests,” Britton said. “It’s continuing, and we hope we can be busy doing different things throughout
the semester.”

Britton said the center does not track the number of visitors on a daily basis, but according to its monthly report, sometimes it has as many as 2,000 guests a month.
Though the center impressed a lot of international students in last week’s CultureFest, Britton said it will still need to help them adjust to their new lives at IU.

“There is so much to the college experience,” Britton said. “Welcome Week gave a taste of what we have in Bloomington, but to really learn about the new culture and be comfortable with the new setting, you have to go through day-to-day experience.”

Her suggestions were simple — reaching out to people and getting involved in campus and community activities.

“Don’t wait for people to reach out to you,” she said, “but you should also reach out to them.”