Students walked away from yesterday's fireside chat, led by Provost Robert Barchi, with mostly positive reactions to the discussion of the international experience at Penn.
Though surrounding noise in Houston Hall made it difficult to hear, the discussion was still able to take a more conversational form and the approximate 20 students who came to the chat had a chance to engage Barchi in productive dialogue.
The majority of the chat focused on ways to improve the experience for international students at Penn, specifically making them feel comfortable and form a support system with people from similar backgrounds, while at the same time integrating them into the general student body.
Barchi repeatedly asked students for suggestions on how to better the situation. One student suggested the University coordinate an advising program that would pair American students with international students to help acclimate them to life at Penn and in the United States.
And Barchi was receptive, asked the student to elaborate on the idea, and after listening said, "that could work."
Barchi opened the discussion, the second fireside chat of the fall semester, with statistics of how many international students compose the student body. Of the undergraduate community, 10 percent are international students.
Many of the students who attended the chat were themselves natives of foreign countries and said they came because the issue was close to heart. And they felt Barchi truly listened to their concerns.
"He does have the authority to change things," Engineering sophomore and Trinidad native Lydia Dowlath said. "So it's really cool that he's willing to listen to the average student and his or her vision for the University."
Barchi also stressed the issue of "critical mass," which he described as the need to have a substantial number of international students at Penn so that American students interact with them during their daily routines and have plenty of opportunities to exchange ideas and learn from one another.
"You need to have enough people in the mix, that you bump into international students in classroom, in the dining hall, etc." he said. "We're probably not at that level."
So he asked students if they thought the University should increase the number of international students admitted to Penn, although that would require that the number of American students admitted decrease because the class size must stay at a constant 2,500.
But students felt the issue of numbers shouldn't be the University's focus right now. Instead, they said the priority should be to improve existing programs for international students.
Barchi asked students to help him with an issue he needs to resolve, and soon.
"I'm very concerned about our international student population this year around the holidays," he said. "They'll be less likely to go home, and will feel lonely and isolated."
Students offered suggestions, such as having College of General Studies students, who normally stay in the area for the holidays, host international students for meals. Barchi said if students had any more ideas to be sure and e-mail him.
The last 10 minutes of the chat were dedicated to student concerns about study abroad. Students questioned the University's policy on transfer credit and financial aid for study abroad programs.
But Barchi maintained the University's present stance and said he and the students would just have to "agree to disagree."
Even after Barchi left, small groups of students stayed to talk with one another about points raised in the discussion. And they agreed this fireside chat was one of the best they had attended.
"I thought there were some great suggestions made that I know the Provost will definitely examine," Undergraduate Assembly Chairwoman and College senior Dana Hork said.
