Quality cultural exchange brings students together |
| Posted by Administrator on Oct 01 2008 at 1:30 PM |
Photo by Kevin Whetstone
Student from many different countries gather in the Student Union on Tuesday afternoon for the Campus Conversation Table. The conversation tables aim to increase English vocabulary, as well as allowing participant to make some new friends.
By Tara Purdie
Antelope Staff
The Nebraskan Student Union Food Court brimmed with students from all over the world on Tuesday Sept. 23, for the second meeting of Campus Conversation Table. Over one hundred students assembled around tables and chairs with one thing in mind, quality conversation with someone from a different country and culture.
Education Specialist Lisa George, who teaches for the English Language Institute on West Campus, is co-coordinator for Campus Conversation Table. George said that CCT benefitted the international students by giving them opportunities to practice their English skills, to make new friends and learn about the American culture.
George said that native-English speaking students benefitted because CCT gave them a chance to learn about differences and similarities between cultures, provided them with the ability to see things from a different perspective and it also provided them with the opportunity to make new friends.
"The goal of Campus Conversation Table is to create a more cohesive campus environment by helping our students be more aware and tolerant of the many different cultures we have represented here on campus. Like this campus, our country is becoming so culturally diverse and I think we all can benefit from programs such as CCT," George said.
Peilin Zhang, a sophomore from an east coastal city of China majoring in accounting, said the atmosphere at CCT is relaxed, which helped her release some of the pressure of classes. Zhang said that meeting new friends and learning about different cultures were two main reasons she attended Campus Conversation Table.
Elizabeth Thomas, a junior from Omaha majoring in secondary English and speech education said she attended Campus Conversation Table because of the extra-credit opportunity that was offered by her professor.
Thomas said that her group started out with three people, but it ended with seven, which made the conversation more challenging but worthwhile. Thomas said that her group talked about everything from majors and hobbies to boyfriends and fears.
Josh Moody, a sophomore journalism and political science major from Orleans, said there were several benefits from attending CCT.
"I enjoy meeting people from other cultures and learning more about those cultures. I have a lot of respect for international students because they move to a part of the world that is often very different from their own, and oftentimes they have to learn another language in order to be able to study abroad."
Moody said he is considering spending a year abroad teaching English as a second language before directly jumping into the job market, and attending CCT helped make his decision on teaching English overseas.
Moody said that students interested in other cultures should attend, and that he feels it is a good way to raise cultural awareness and form a bond of solidarity with those in the international community.
"The great thing about the conversation table is that it allows everyone to share a very basic skill, language. Anyone can take an hour out of their week to sit down and help others further their understanding of another language and it's as simple as just holding a conversation," Moody said.
