Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Z 250 USC BY KAREN PETIT Of The Gamecock staff Within the past 10 years, USC has experienced an approximate 10 per cent annual increase in in ternational student enrollment. From 60 students in 1964 to the 250 foreign students who attended USC last semester, USC's international environment has been slowly but steadily growing, Theadore Ledeen, coordinator of foreign student affairs said. This same increase is being seen on many U.S. campuses. While about 150,000 foreign students come to the U.S. each year, their main reasons for studying in the U.S. seem uncertain. "This is one of the questions we have probably never answered," Ledeen said. One of the reasons may be that the U.S. attracts people from all over the world. It seems to be the golden place to visit, he added. Many international students have hopes of eventually staying here after completing their studies. When foreign countries send their students to the U.S., they hope these students will return to help other citizens. Sometimes, however, the students will not go home, Ledeen said. This is true especially of students from Taiwan and Africa. In India a student with a degree from an American university may have to wait a year in the labor pool before finding a job. "The foreign student has it rougher all the way around," Ledeen said. "Inflation is world wide and their dollars just aren't stretching. And, of course, the language barrier is a problem too." Over half of USC's international students are graduate students. Many of these are here on scholarships and assistantships. Taiwan will only allow graduate students to study abroad. Un dergraduate internationals seem to be from more affluent families since there are no scholarships for international undergraduate students. One foreign un dergraduate listed his father's occupation on the application form as a "royal family." USC's international students are mainly interested in studying engineering, business, and physics. Students from Hong Kong are chiefly interested in pharmacy with a few students studying biology. In fact, many foreign countries will not let their students come if they will not take science courses. In addition to the variety of these courses, foreign students are also attracted to geology studies as well as to the MIBS program (Masters in International Business Studies) offered by the business ad ministration school. About 25 graduate students on campus are studying business In the MIBS program. The possibilities of graduate scholarships and assistantships, geology courses, business studies and the MIBS program, oil money from Libya and Morocco are just a few of the reasons international students have chosen USC as their university. Former USC President Thomas F. Jones was a true International, F oreigy Ps Inter Ledeen said. When Jones met a foreign student whom he thought would make a good USC student, he would make provisions for that student to come to Carolina. In this way, USC has developed many new international contacts. The growth of international relations at USC has been a gradual thing, Ledeen said. In 1964 former dean Charles Witten developed the idea of a community committee to help international students. Since many church families had already been entertaining the students, it was not difficult to find a host family for each student. Although the students do not live with the families, the families look after the students as adopted children. In one case, a student became sick and his Columbia family took him to the doctor without first notifying USC officials. Later the University learned the student would have died had the family not taken immediate action. This community program, called the Columbia Council for In ternationals, has several projects. One is the furnishings committee which has already provided something for over 100 students. Items donated by the group include beds, lamps, and chairs. There is also a small loan fund set up by the Council for In ternational Students. Students can borrow up to $100 for 30 days. After this, a six per cent interest is charged. The Council is also a member of the national organization of COSERV a national organization interested in international affairs. When international educators visit USC, the Council entertains them. Last year more than 100 distinguished educators representing Africa, the Republic of China, Germany, and Japan were guests of the Council. The USC history department has the only exchange program bet ween USC and a foreign country. USC history students have the chance to study abroad in War wick, England, in a program designed for international history study. In return, English students come to the University to take the places of the students who have left. Exchange programs are a good idea, Ledeen said, but they are costly. Someone is going to have to give some extra money for transportation and few want to do so. The high costs of traveling abroad make exchange programs somewhat prohibitive. There are a few scholarships for international study but there Is much competition. Assistance funds include the Fulbright, Mars hall Plan Rotary Foundation, and Rhodes scholarships. At present, USC doesn't have any type of International center where both USC students and In ternational students can stay. The only existing facility Is the In ternational House and conditions there are Inadequate, Ledeen said. Of the 29 male students living there, about 15 are foreign students. Plans have been made each year to tear down International House, but have been postponed now until the end of the '75-'76 school year. After that, there wil StudeE iational be no structure of any kind to serve as an international area, Ledeen said. Holidays can sometimes present problems for the international students who can't go home. During Thanksgiving some of the dorms stay open but at Christmas the dorms close. The University, however, will open International House if necessary for students who cannot find a place to go or who need to stay on campus to study. Some international students go to the various holiday houses run by the nation's different churches. Many families within these churches will open their homes to the students during Christmas. Holiday house arqas include Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. By working with the in ternational students, Ledeen hopes that international relations will grow. "You never know who you are working with," Ledeen said. "Some of these kids may be prime ministers of their countries one day." Coordination for foreign student admissions is worked out between the office for foreign student af fairs and the admissions office for undergraduates. The individual colleges on campus take care of their own graduate enrollments including that of all foreign students. Undergraduate admissions keeps the foreign student office informed on all new international students. The graduate school system is different. Each college fills out the necessary forms for the OPEN MON. - T Secon, PABST 6PACK CASE $1.49 $5.95 PAI Kilbourne or ts Domi Experi new students and there have been times when the foreign student office did not know about a new international student until he arrived on campus. International undergraduate students must go through a complicated procedure before final acceptance at USC. According to Mrs. Betty Wills, administrator for foreign undergraduate admissions, the admissions office tries to write all information in a way that is easy to translate. To further aid the student, applications for ad missions are not on computer forms. The University does not charge an application fee for these students because of the difficulty in changing currencies. In considering international undergraduates for admission, the admissions office emphasizes three things. First, the student is going to have to pay for his education. Also, the student must have an adequate knowledge of English so that he can understand classroom work. Then, the student must have adequate background information so that his education is equivalent to the high school level in the U.S. The admissions office uses the SAT and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) to determine a student's credentials. The admissions office handles both the new undergraduates and international transfer students from other U.S. universities. Foreign students pay the same amount as do out of state students. There is one exception. The overseas student who is applying to Carolina for the first time must JIM GR KEG 0 Your One - Stc Discount Winf FIUR S. 1O-1Opm, F RI. a :I Anniversa BUD and SCHLITZ 6-PACK CASE $1.69 $6.60 iscount on All ITY AND BAR SUPI ICE' d Rosewood Dr. pay a required travel deposit. The sum is equivalent of the cost of a ticket to his home plus the dor mitory cost for his first year. The University takes out the dormitory fee and puts the rest in the travel account. This money is kept for the student in a USC savings fund and can be used for an emergency trip home. Interest is added to the money and if the sum is not used, the student can use it to buy his last ticket home. We don't have as many problems as one might think," Wills said. "The travel deposit does save some problems. The student showing up with no money just doesn't happen here. We know he has some financial backing before he gets here." Before an international student arrives at USC, he must complete seven requirements. The first four are the application form, school records, the TOEFL, and the SAT. If these records are acceptable, the student is sent a Form 1-20, a certificate of his eligibility en titling him to a student visa. Authorization to give the 1-20 form was granted USC in 1954 by the Immigration and Naturalization Services. The immigration service must be satisfied with a student's credentials of study at USC, his fluency in English and ability to do work here, and the student's financial responsibility before it will grant a visa. The student must renew his visa every year. The last three requirements are the travel account money, a physical examination record, and application for a dormitory room. ADY'S NAILS p Party Center P and Beer nd SA T. 10-1lpm ry Sale HAMMS 6-PACK CASE $1.69 $6.80 Wine PLIES 782-5397