Students who enjoy talking can volunteer to help international students.
The Conversations Partners Program, part of the International Hospitality Council, matches native speakers of English with non-native speakers for language practice and cultural exchange, said Nan Uhl, executive director of the IHC.
Native speakers of English, usually undergraduates, volunteer by filling out an application form, after which they are then matched up with a non-native speaker. Non-native speakers who request partners include graduate students, spouses of graduate students, visiting scholars and even community members.
The IHC encourages faculty and staff to get involved with the program, Uhl said.
This semester, more than 220 language partners have been matched, but there are still 100 on the waiting list.
Once students are matched up with a partner, their meetings are flexible and they decide on the activity themselves, which could include a meal or a conversation over coffee. Partners usually meet about once a week. Knowledge of another language is not required by the native speaker but if students want to practice a foreign language, the IHC tries to match them up with a speaker of that language, Uhl said.
Penn State students normally participate in the program to learn about other cultures or for the volunteer experience. Also, it serves as a good language education experience.
"They simply want to consolidate their language learning opportunities," Uhl said.
Some students volunteer for the conversations to learn more about their own cultural heritage. Also, students look for friendship and want to offer a helping hand to newcomers, she added.
Nila Kreidich (junior-agricultural science) joined the program because she was interested in volunteer work and wanted to help international students assimilate into the university. Kreidich has also gotten a chance to practice her Spanish with her partner.
"I think she's helping me out more than I'm helping her out," she said.
Liliane Gerwing, a Brazilian conversation partner, requested a partner to find a friend and to practice English. "Having a friend, I really learn about the culture and I don't feel alone. It's so difficult for the international students here to make friends, so you need to come to a place for help to find someone who is open to you," she said.
Uhl feels that the program can bring people on the campus closer to each other. "With the growing concern over racial profiling, racial intolerance and so forth, it's a good opportunity for people to meet people of different backgrounds and get to know each other on a personal basis," she said.
The program is conducted through the United Way but is housed on campus because it works closely with the international programs on campus. Anyone who would like to apply to become a conversation partner should go to 201 Boucke for an application.
