Portland State Magazine Fall 2017

I N AN increasingly globalized world, a university has a responsibility to prepare its students to work with people from other nations. Studying overseas is one way for Amer- ican students to develop that ability. But a long stay abroad can be hard or impossible for many Portland State students, accord- ing to Shawn Smallman, chair of International and Global Studies. “A lot of our students are a little bit older, and they may have jobs or families already,” he says. “As a university, we’ve tried to focus on short-term study-abroads, but the reality is that most students aren’t going to do a study-abroad.” The presence of international students on campus can awaken some of the same cultural awareness as a study-abroad experience. “They help to internationalize the curriculum in a different way,” says Smallman. American-born students who are studying with international classmates have discussions and strike up friendships with people who have very different backgrounds and perspectives. Stories in the news take on new context, and religious and political viewpoints can be explained by those with a firsthand understanding. At Portland State, Ramesh found herself on project teams with Americans, as well as with students from all over the world. In the past two years, international students in the Engineering andTechnology Management program represented 24 countries and made up 57 percent of the enrollment. “It was about respecting mutual ideas, and brainstorming,” says Ramesh. Those sorts of interactions and collaborations help students overcome some of their prejudices and judgments, and that influence goes far beyond classroom encounters. “These students are also in the residence halls, they’re in the rec center, they’re on sports teams,” says Smallman. “That’s a different way of getting to know people and forming relationships.” AS PART of a research project on how international students affect their domestic peers, Alex Accetta EdD ’17, assistant vice president of Campus Recreation and Student Union Services, asked students in PSU’s intramural soccer program to confront their own preconceptions about others. For six weeks, before each game, players from the United States and other countries talked openly about times when they felt they had been stereo- typed. Accetta recalled one student from Ukraine who com- plained how everybody thought he was from Russia. This alone surprised some of his fellow players, who asked, “Oh, there’s a difference?” The student then added, “And because they think I’m Russian, they think I’m anti-gay.” Carlos Shay, a social science major in his senior year who played in the soccer league, says the pre-game conversations opened students’ eyes to the humanity of the other players. “They realized, ‘This is more than soccer, these are actual people I’m playing against.’” In the past, some American International students on campus can awaken some of the same cultural awareness as a study-abroad experience. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SHARING THE WORLD 16 PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE FALL 2017