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| HELP!!!...
This is one of the most powerful words in the English language. HELP! This one-syllable word is easy to pronounce but hard to say. HELP! Sometimes we ask and no one can, does, is able or knows how to HELP us. Sometimes we seek HELP and can't find it. Sometimes we get the HELP we ask for. Sometimes HELP is offered and we don't even have to ask. As Coordinator of International Student Retention Services I would like to HELP you stay at KSU in good academic standing. The CARC (Cultural Awareness and Resource Center), the LLC (Lifelong Learning Center) and the Math Lab are already offering HELP with math via a math tutor. Together we can come up with strategies to ensure your academic success at KSU. Please call me (770) 499-3313 or come by my office, Room 258 in the Student Center. I want to HELP you. If at any time you have questions and/or concerns, let me know. The purpose of the Office Of International Student Retention Services is to make your transition as painless as possible. One of the first things you should do when you get on campus is come by this office and introduce yourself to me. In turn you will get a tour of the facilities. This is also an opportunity for me to assist you in meeting other international students. Get to know the Liaison for your country. Join the ISA (International Student Association). Come to the ISA meetings. Get involved. "Be a part from the start!" My sincere desire is that you have many positive experiences. KSU is fairly large, but it is friendly. Don't let the size scare you. It is very important to remember you are in a different culture. You do not want people to stereotype you nor do you want to stereotype others. Remember, people are individuals. Do not base your ideas about America or Americans on what you may have seen or heard on television. Some people think Americans are always in a hurry. They do not know how to relax. Generally, you will find Americans know how to relax; they just want to get the work done first. This allows time for maximum, guilt free, uninterrupted recreation. If someone looks you in the eye, don't be offended. Eye contact is very important. It is one way to tell if someone is listening. It is also a way to tell how a person really feels - an honesty test. So do not be offended when someone is talking to you and looks you directly in the eye. The Office of International Student Retention Services takes the task of retaining international students very seriously. It is easier to keep you when you feel connected to the university. We assist with this connection. All international students are encouraged to take advantage of our services. If you are having academic problems, let me know early in the term. When I receive the printout of grades at the end of each term, I contact students with a 2.0 or lower grade point average. They are strongly encouraged to come to the office so we can develop strategies for their academic success. If the problem is math, remember you have access to a math tutor in the CARC (Cultural Awareness and Resource Center), the LLC (Lifelong Learning Center), and the Math Lab. If the problem is feeling overwhelmed, we work on time management. You have a lot to lose if your grades fall. An out of status student faces deportment, being sent back to their country. Academic excellence is no joke if you are an international student. Once you are sent from the United States back to your country, who can depend on having an opportunity to come back to the United States and try it again? |
In some cases this "fear" of being deported may cause you to be submissive instead of standing up for your rights. In so many students the level of respect for instructors is so high they think the instructor has deportment power. There are times when someone has concerns about your English proficiency and they don't know how to approach this delicate personal subject with you. Retaining a student involves more than classroom academic success. The Office of International Student Retention Services makes sure international students are treated with the honor and respect due every student and that you feel like you belong. This is achieved by giving direct assistance i.e. locating a student when the parent has not heard from them and reminding the student to "phone home," serving as a liaison between students, faculty and staff or talking to a homesick student who is ready to leave Kennesaw State University. We also make referrals, i.e. when students want work permits, when students are out of status, when students are interested in the tuition waiver. We also provide out of the classroom activities working with The International Student Association (ISA). Each year we take mini excursions such as to the Georgia Renaissance Festival, the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, the Apex Museum, Cyclorama and Zoo Atlanta. Our "big" trips have been to Savannah, Georgia; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; the Martin Luther King Museum; Graceland, Elvis' home, in Memphis, Tennessee; and St. Augustine, Florida. People from all over the world visit Atlanta. You are here for an extended period of time so we try to expose you to different attractions. It would be unforgivable if you spent four or more years at Kennesaw State University and only knew Kennesaw State University! When we have activities and students are reluctant to participate, I remind them they came too far not to participate. It works! I can honestly say I have never had a student say they did not have a good time when they went on one of our trips. At one time I was the Coordinator of Minority and International Student Retention Services. The increase in both populations made it necessary to separate the positions. Now I am exclusively the Coordinator of International Student Retention Services and the Student Ombud. I get teased because I have an overwhelming fear of flying. No, not flying; I have a fear of turbulence, seen and unseen. I am working on this but, until I conquer this fear, when students from Africa, Finland, Puerto Rico, Colombia, etc. invite me to visit I tell them as soon as they get that bus trip ready I'll be there!! I see your countries through your eyes. You help me look at my world with different eyes - the wide-angle view. Questions and any other concerns that effect your adjustment at KSU are issues you should bring to the Office of International Student Retention Services. We might already have a service in place that will HELP you. As you can tell by this information, the Office of International Student Retention Services (OISRS) is here to assist you while you are at Kennesaw State University. All discussions you have with me will remain strictly confidential. If you don't remember anything else, just know you have a place to come with your questions, comments, gripes or grievances. H-E-L-P is the most powerful four-letter word I know. Don't be afraid or too ashamed to ask for HELP. Please consider this letter my hand extended to you offering HELP. |
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1.
Office of International Student Retention Services
This is located in room 258 of the Student Center. This is where you will find the Coordinator for International Student
Retention Services and the Advisor for ISA (International Student Association).
If you have any questions, comments, problems or concerns and you don't know
who to go to, this is where you start. If we cannot be of direct help, we
will make a referral. If you are an international student, please come by
and introduce yourself.
(Position
open)
Coordinator
International Student Services
258
Student Center
(770) 499-3313 or Ext. 3313 on-campus
2.
Friends Abroad Program
This program gives students, faculty and staff who take advantage of the Study
Abroad Program an opportunity to meet people from the country they plan to
visit before they depart and when they return. It gives an opportunity for
the potential travelers to talk to someone from the country so they will get
insight into the culture they are about to visit or have already visited.
It is also an opportunity for international students to share their customs
with those who may be unfamiliar or totally uninformed about what to expect.
3. GLOBAL VILLAGE
A place for international students to meet with other international students or study groups, use the computers, and have activities.
The
Global Village
259
Student Center
(770)
420-4392 or Ext. 4392 on-campus
4.
International Student Association (ISA)
This organization encourages intercultural, social and athletic exchanges
among students of all nationalities; helps develop global perspectives; and
helps create for the membership a sense of belonging to the campus community
through a series of activities and programs of an international nature. The
officers are president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. There are
also coordinators.They’re here to represent your concerns so feel free to
talk to them.
ISA
(International Student Association)
370
Student Center
(770)
420-4385 or Ext. 4385 on-campus
5.
International Student Bulletin Board
This board located outside the ISA office room 370 of the Student Center,
is a place for international news and information such as ISA meeting dates.
6.
International Student Handbook
Sometimes you can be so confused about something you don't even know where
to begin to ask questions. This handbook is a guide to understanding a new
culture. It gives you information on who to contact and some of the experiences
you can expect. We can't think of everything so if you still have questions
come by the office of International Student Retention Services room 258 in
the Student Center or give me a call at 770-499-3313. Just for the record...there
is NO such thing as a stupid question. The handbook is on-line: http://www.kennesaw.edu/stu_dev/isrs/handbook.html
7.
International Student Locator
This service connects students, faculty and staff from one country with students,
faculty and staff of the same country. Also, you can use this service if you
have an interest in a country and would like to meet some of the citizens.
The goal of this program is to offer assistance in efforts to meet people
from "home" and to minimize "homesickness," culture shock
and adjustment anxiety.
8.
Liaisons
The International Student Retention Services Office has created another vehicle
for you to explore a new country and still stay connected to "home."
We have divided the world into regions. Liaisons serve as a contact to introduce
citizens of the same country, are an information and/or referral source for
students, keep people in their regions informed of organization activities,
host regional receptions, are automatically members of the Friends Abroad
Program and keep officers and the advisor informed of student concerns and
issues.
9.
Odyssey
Peer Mentoring Program
One-on-one mentor/mentee relationship with emphasis on individual academic,
cultural, intellectual, social and spiritual transformation.
The Office of International Student Retention Services is a unit of the Student Development Center in the Student Success and Enrollment Services Division at Kennesaw State University.
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