In the last few years, UCLA has experienced a great influx of international students, with a 6 percent increase this past fall alone.
In an effort to better address the needs of this growing population, the International Student Advisory Council was founded at the end of last quarter. Initially, its purpose was to allow students to give input on the choice of a new director for the Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars, which provides programs and support for undergraduate international students.
Now, as an official student group, the council aims to become the designated representative for all undergraduate international students, said Andreas Liu, president of the International Student Advisory Council and third-year physics student.
Currently, the council sends a representative to each Undergraduate Students Association Council meeting.
However, it would be more productive for USAC to incorporate the council into its existing infrastructure.
This would allow for better representation of international students, whose numbers have grown to an unprecedented level, while streamlining communication, advocacy and funding.
Regardless of our country of origin, we are all UCLA students, but international students have unique needs, such as renewing visas and coping with higher tuition levels at our institution.
Undergraduate student government plays an integral role on campus – USAC represents the entire undergraduate student body and acts as its voice on varying issues.
If they are to represent all undergraduate students, both the International Student Advisory Council and USAC should ensure the needs of international students are adequately addressed by student leaders.
Liu said he thinks opportunities for international students to come together and discuss common issues like adapting to new cultural standards are currently inadequate. A large part of the International Student Advisory Council’s purpose is to provide additional platforms for these students to have those discussions.
But now that international students make up more than 10 percent of the student body, the need for collaboration between the International Student Advisory Council and USAC has become a necessity. Liu said USAC has been supportive as the council finds its bearings, providing guidance and resources.
The council should work to bring itself closer to USAC and use USAC’s extensive resources to provide international students with the support and resources they need. The International Student Advisory Council could better serve its community as a part of USAC’s existing infrastructure.
Stone Frankle, a first-year undeclared student from England, agreed it would be more effective to incorporate the council’s experience with USAC’s resources.
“It would be better to have our needs (addressed by) USAC because (otherwise) it would separate the international and domestic student bodies,” Frankle said.
The International Student Advisory Council could be incorporated into USAC by amending bylaws to include the council within a current office, said Andrea Hester, USAC internal vice president and fourth-year global studies student.
Hester’s office has held some events specifically for international students, and said she is open to the idea of incorporating the new council into USAC.
International students tend to feel alienated as they try to adapt to the American school system and lifestyle. This causes them to form friend groups and networks within themselves, creating more stereotypes, Liu said.
The incorporation of the council into USAC would allow international students to adopt a more vocal role in the UCLA undergraduate student body.
Email Freedman at zfreedman@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to opinion@media.ucla.edu or tweet us @DBOpinion.
As always with these “opinion” articles, everyone has a right to voice their point of view. However, while reading this article, I realized that some important FACTS could have been expressed in a clearer way.
First of all, the 6% increase is very misleading! According to UCLA’s Admission statistics, 598 international Undergraduate students enrolled in fall 2011, and 1012 international Undergraduate students enrolled this past fall (2012). That’s an increase of 69%! I think what the author was trying to say is that the total number of undergraduate international students with respect to the total undergraduate students rose by 6% – a subtle but important difference!
Also, international students rarely have to renew visas – the F1/J1 visa is most of the times valid until the end of the student’s studies.
Most importantly, graduate students historically made up the majority of international students by far! Incorporating ISAC, which is for both undergraduates and graduates into USAC (UNDERGRADUATE Student Association Council) seems a bit unfitting, doesn’t it?
If the International Student Council is incorporated, why not the National Pahellenic Council, the Interfraternity Council, On Campus Housing Council, Student Athlete Council, Latino Greek Council, National Panhellenic Greek Council, or any of the other councils on campus? One Council should not be more important than another.