On Friday, Sept. 18, The School of Communication Studies hosted an International Student Orientation in Taylor Hall. Students from all backgrounds – from South Korea, to China, to Europe – all came together for an informative evening to help them get better acclimated to the communication studies program. Miao Liu, the international student advisor and liaison for the School of Communication Studies led the meeting as she introduced faculty, staff members and newly-admitted students all to the ins-and-outs of the School of Communication Studies.
“I was an international student myself, and I have known many of the international students who ended up staying here as a professional or as a student in the Ph.D. program,” Liu said.“Also, I worked at the university as an auditor for six years. I know the university organizations fairly well and the resources we have to offer.”
With help from the faculty, Liu talked about everything from the different programs that were offered in the School of Communication Studies to different policies of the university, academic conduct and even how the new international students could get involved around campus. There was even a portion of the meeting where different student organizations affiliated with the college got a chance to introduce themselves to the crowd and tell a little bit about what they did.
Crystal Satterfield, a senior public communication major and secretary of the Kent Communication Society said “At KCS we try our best to help international students feel welcome at Kent. We welcome all majors and we host a good amount of social events where we get together and have a lot of fun, and in turn, this evokes a lot of different conversation.”
A new student organization affiliated with the School of Communication Studies, the Intercultural Communication Society, also had representatives at the mandatory meeting.
“We are designed to reduce culture stereotypes in order for a harmonious communication environment. We aim at bringing all students from all majors and backgrounds who are interested in sharing their own culture or learning different cultures, together as a community to provide a platform helping international students to acclimate to such a different culture, life here in ɫҹ, as well as the academic program,” Jiaqi Zhao, president of Intercultural Communication Society said.
In addition to learning about these organizations, students also learned more about the communication studies program and the supplemental support they can get from ɫҹ. Sangwuk Lee, a communication studies graduate student who is also very new to the United States, attended the mandatory meeting where he gained a good amount of good information.
“I really enjoy the communication studies master’s program here at ɫҹ. For international students, this school supports them by providing a lot of supplementary programs and resources such as the writing commons, speech and conversation classes and other things,” Lee said.
According to Liu, the School of Communication Studies is working on a mentoring program with a student organization to help international students navigate through the university, with the help of domestic students.
“Certain departments at ɫҹ have their own organization or department that sets up a mentor program to help students feel more comfortable. As of right now, we are working on developing a program with the Intercultural Communication Society. In addition to this program, a community-based organization, International Friendship Connection, dedicates their time to helping these international students find host families and conversation partners in conjunction with the School of Communication Studies,” Liu said
Students interested in learning more about how they can help the international student community at ɫҹ are encouraged to speak with Liu. She can be contacted by email at mliu2@kent.edu.