'Friends' sought to assist international students

When you're a member of the Northwest family, good friends shouldn't be hard to find, especially if you're an international student making the big adjustment to a new school in a new country.

That's the idea behind Friends of International Students, an organization that pairs Northwest students from outside the United States with families and individuals who offer information, assistance, hospitality and maybe the occasional pizza or home-cooked meal.

Anyone interested in assisting international students during the fall trimester needs to sign up by 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7. Simply e-mail fis@mail.nwmissouri.edu or call Ann Lech at 660.562.1958 (ext. 1958 on campus).

First-time friends are asked to attend one of two orientation sessions on Monday, Sept. 10, and Tuesday, Sept. 11, in Meeting Room D of the J.W. Jones Student Union. Both meetings begin at 6 p.m.

Once enrolled in the program, friends are expected to have some kind of contact with their student at least once a month and to attend group events twice a year.

Lech, who teaches English as a second language at Northwest, founded Friends of International Students four years ago. She noted that FIS is a community-based organization, and that members don't have to belong to the University faculty or staff. In fact, she is seeking members living throughout Nodaway County.

"Many of these students feel a lot of loneliness," Lech said. "They're also often just unfamiliar with how things work. If they can pick up the phone and call someone about a question they have or ask for advice, that's a very important link."

When you're living in a new culture and learning a new language, normally simple situations often seem complicated, Lech said. Students can have trouble with everything from getting their garbage picked up to dealing with official-sounding credit card offers.

Student response to the program has been both positive and heartwarming, Lech said. "It's usually the little things, a ride to Wal-Mart, going to a Bearcat game, even just visiting someone's home can be very special.

For more information, please contact:

Anthony Brown,
News Bureau Manager
E-Mail: abrown@nwmissouri.edu
Phone (660) 562-1704
Fax (660) 562-1900

Northwest Missouri State University
219 Administration Building,
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468

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