Running head: THE FARTHEST COMMUTE

The Farthest Commute: Supporting International Students

Marie Johnston, Mary Lopez, & Thaddeus Teo
SDAD 5750 Best Practices in Student Services
Seattle University

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The Farthest Commute: Supporting International Students

The significant increase in international students studying in American post-secondary
institutions across the country has become a common talking point for many higher education
administrators and state policy makers. According to the most recent Open Doors data, which is
an annual report on student mobility published by the Institute of International Education (IIE)
(2014) in partnership with the U.S. Department of States Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs, the total number of international students enrolled at American colleges and universities
increased by slightly more than eight percent or 66,408 from the previous year to a new record
high of 886,052 in the academic year ending in 2014. This makes it the eighth consecutive year
that total international student numbers have increased to record highs, only for these records to
be broken again the following year. According to IIE (2014), the overall number of international
students studying in the United States has grown by 72% since 2000, making them one of the
fastest growing student populations, and we do not foresee this trend slowing down.
Students from China make up the bulk of all international students in the United States at
31%, and then followed by students from India and South Korea at 12% and 8% respectively
(IIE, 2014). These top three nations collectively represent half of all the international students,
and their annual rates of growth are in the positive direction (IIE, 2014). Nevertheless, it is vital
that educational researchers and student affairs professionals do not simply group up
international students into a single category as students from different countries and/or cultural
backgrounds face different and very unique challenges.
According to a recent NAFSA (n.d.) report, it was estimated that international students
and their families contributed $26.8 billion to the United States economy and supported the
creation of approximately 340,000 jobs in academic year 2013-2014. In addition to the positive

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economic impact of this country, international students undeniably contribute to an institutions

diversity in ways beyond just ethnic or racial makeup. The unique experiences, cultures, and
languages that they bring with them to the United States significantly contributes to the
educational mission of the institution. A more internationalized college campus will serve to
enhance the quality of education both inside and outside the classroom through cross-cultural
conversations, perspective-shifting discussions and analyses, and global understanding of
cultures, histories, and current affairs. These are essential components of a 21st century
education that promotes critical thinking and strong culturally competent communication skills
during an era where global trade and economies are highly interconnected. We believe that it is
the duty of all educators to help facilitate this educational process through equitable support for
international students both inside and outside the classroom.
This national growth trend is very visible at the University of Washington (UW) over the
last decade, which has seen international student enrollments hit a record high of 7,469 in
academic year 2013-2014, making the institution the 10th highest in terms of international student
enrollment numbers among all colleges and universities in the country (IIE, 2014). Despite the
growth and large numbers of students, the UW has yet to develop a comprehensive centralized
office or program to support and serve the vast number of international students. The UW is also
one of very few public institutions that does not host an international student orientation for new
international students arriving at and transferring to the institution (international student
orientation is run and managed by an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization known as
the Foundation for International Understanding Through Students or FIUTS for short). In this
paper, our group seeks to raise awareness and highlight several unique challenges that

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international students face, as well as propose an ideal support program for this particular student
population based on current literature and best practices in the field.
Redefining International Students
Most, if not all, postsecondary institutions in the United States classify international
students as individuals enrolled for educational credits who are on temporary student visas (F-1,
J-1, or M-1) and who are not immigrants (permanent residents or green card holders). However,
it can be argued that classifying international students simply based on their citizenship status
instead of looking at them more broadly from a cross-border mobility perspective
disenfranchises the experiences and challenges of both recent legal immigrants and American
citizens who have spent a significant number of their developmental years abroad. Many of
these transnational-Americans who have had different cultural and social experiences growing up
outside the United States may face similar sociocultural challenges to non-citizen international
students upon their arrival to college. Due to globalization and the rise of international business
in the recent half-century, American higher education has seen a rise in students whose parents
had legally moved to the United States for jobs as well as students who were born in the United
States but raised outside the country.
This unique group of lawfully American citizens and immigrants who are socially and
culturally international must also be included in institutional support systems and programs as
they may face unique challenges of their own. For example, there might be difficulty in
translating prior international education credentials to fit into the domestic student college
application, and they risk omission from international orientation programs that provide
workshops on American culture, language, and advice on navigating the social aspects of college
life. Just as society is slowly moving away from viewing gender as binary, higher educations

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classification of and support for international students can no longer be citizen versus noncitizen, especially in this highly globalized world that we live in.
International Student Challenges
International students face challenges that affect academic performance in different
degrees, creating feelings of exclusion, isolation and stress. The rapidly increasing number of
international students in the United States may also lead to feelings of competition, which can
lead to psychological pressure that affects the academic performance of students. As Student
Development Administration (SDA) students and future professionals in student affairs, it is our
responsibility to collaborate in order to create awareness within the academic community about
these challenges. We identified the following challenges:
Culture Shock
Challenges with acculturation lead to psychological and cultural stress. Culture shock
affects academic performance in different degrees, creating feelings of exclusion, isolation and
stress. These challenges comprise living in an unfamiliar culture, English language skills,
academic performance expectations, and adjustment to a foreign educational system (Fontaine &
Todd, 2012). International students need more support to address the cultural change and
adaptation to the new culture. Student affairs professionals need more training in multicultural
competence in order to address issues about cultural differences. Community-based learning is
certainly a valuable tool to help international students overcome the barriers of not only language
but also of socializing with members of the host culture (Fontaine & Todd, 2011). In many
countries, volunteering is not common, or works differently than in the US. In Peru, for example,
helping people in need is primarily channeled through the church in the form of food or clothing
donation. As part of their experience, international students should learn how volunteering works

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in the U.S., and that it is important not only to give back to their new community, but also to
learn new aspects of the host culture.
Difficulty Finding Internships and Jobs Post-graduation.
This is an issue due to the restrictions to obtain a work visa and the limited number of
companies willing to sponsor a foreigner to obtain a work visa. Along the same lines, Ariana
Aldebot, Director of Student Leadership at the Department of Communication at UW,
acknowledges this is an issue that international students face. Therefore, international students
need support in securing an internship or job where they can apply what they learned, or at least
secure work authorization, so their investment would really be worth their effort.
Discrimination and Microaggressions
In an interview with international students from SU, Cascadia College, and Bellevue
College, a group of students from the Multicultural Perspectives class of Seattle University
discovered that 9 out of 10 students faced microaggressions (D'Ambrosia, De Leon, Lee, Lopez,
& Truong, 2015).
Making American Friends
All international students interviewed by Lopez (2014) shared the same feeling: it is
difficult to have an American friend. Domestic students are not interested in participating in
international programs. For example, the International Student Center (ISC) at Seattle University
(SU) had a program called I-buddy, which is not offered anymore because of lack of
participation of domestic students, making it more difficult for international students to connect
and adapt to the host culture.

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New Academic Culture and Environment

In conversations with some international students to learn about their experiences, it was
found that many of them have similar challenges about the academic environment. The
expectation is that international students have the same academic performance as domestic
students, but most of them feel overwhelmed with the academic workload and class discussions
(Lopez, 2014).
The aforementioned social and linguistic barriers also play a significant role that
undergirds academic culture shock. International students often struggle with the different
pedagogical norms and practices of the American higher education system that is unlike what
they are used to growing up in their home countries. Issues of verbally participating in the
classroom, questioning their classmates and the professors opinions, and working in groups are
some activities that may be new to them (Redden, 2014). It takes continuous encouragement for
international students to find comfort in these new classroom practices as well as the confidence
to verbally express themselves in a non-native language in front of a large class. The act of
approaching their professors during office hours also requires a shift in what international
students typically think is a sign of weakness to understanding it as a sign of proactive
participation that faculty respect and appreciate of their students.
Another common academic issue that international students face is difficulty in
paraphrasing written work, which leads to perceived plagiarism. The misunderstanding of
American academic codes of conduct may be due to language barriers and a different
philosophical belief in how knowledge is defined. For example, a common issue for students
from collectivist cultures is to view copying a classmates work as a shared endeavor or
repeating verbatim as a sign of respect to the original author or speaker rather than cheating

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(Redden, 2007). When students are cited for their academic misdemeanor, it often results in
further emotional and psychological stress that adds to the culture shock.
Issues of Retention and Student Success
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, the United States is the first destination
for higher education; however, the retention rate dropped between 2000 and 2010 (Marmolejo,
2012). The main reasons for the drop in retention rates are lack of opportunities to find an
internship or job after graduation, financial support, and microaggressions.
Lack of opportunities to find an internship or job after graduation
Research from NAFSA shows that institutions reasons for attrition of international
students are academic preparedness or transfer to other institutions, while students main reason
for attrition is the lack of tangible and intangible returns from their investments in education
(Redden, 2014). This gap in understanding the main reason for attrition makes student affair
professionals not able to take proper action to address the real issue.
International students lack financial support
According to results of a national survey publish in the Inside Higher Education website,
36% of international students said that their main reason to leave school is because of
affordability, and 34% said it is availability of scholarships. These reasons cause a gap that takes
students to abandon their studies in the U.S. (Redden, 2014).
Microaggressions
Discrimination in a way of microagressions has been a common issue among many
international students, which makes feel them unwelcomed and alien in the new academic
environment. There are three forms of microagressions: microassault, which is an explicit racial
derogation; microinsult, which is communication that are rude, insensitive and humiliating; and

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microinvalidation which is the negation of targets contributions, opinions or thoughts (Wing

Sue, D., et al., 2007). The most common form of microaggression among international students
is microinsult.
Suggestions for Supporting International Students
Upon studying the academic and social issues that international students face, our group
has come up with suggestions on the ways in which higher education institutions can better
support their international student populations. It is recognized that these suggestions may not
necessarily be the best model for all institutions, but is instead a starting point that can be
adjusted to fit the institutional mission and needs. By establishing foundational elements that can
be incorporated into all institutions, international students can find consistency across institutions
and have an easier time navigating different institutional types should they transfer or pursue a
graduate level of education in the U.S.
The underlying theme of our suggestions is to develop a centralized international student
services office within the institutional campus. This office shall serve international students with
both immigration and academic advising at minimum. However, it would be best if the office can
incorporate elements on student leadership initiatives, orientations, programming, collaboration,
and a space for community-building. The creation of a centralized office has the opportunity to
create a vast number of opportunities to increase student success and retention at higher
education institutions.
The centralized office can serve as a recognizable starting point for prospective
international students. By contacting the centralized office, the student would likely be able to
receive answers on documentation, immigration, the TOEFL, campus activities, and
opportunities for involvement at the institution. This first point of contact would provide the

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institutional and community social support that international students need through their
transition process into the new institution, as founded in the research by Goodman et al. (2006)
(Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn, 2010). Once connected with the centralized office, the
student would be able to continue maintaining the relationship and would be able to transition
into the new institution. Once at the institution, the student would develop a psychological sense
of belonging by having the support, understanding, and advocacy from the staff within the
centralized office (Hurtado, Milem, Clayton-Pederson, & Allen, 1998). The students would have
a relationship with staff who would understand their visa, academic, and cultural situations and
provide services that would cater to each individual student's needs. With students receiving
services that understand their individuality, the centralized office can provide opportunities for
institutions to no longer see international students as having a deficit within the system, but
would instead value the cultural wealth that each student brings (Yosso, 2005).
There is also an opportunity that the centralized office can increase student retention by
developing a leadership and programming model that enables international students to not only
become involved in their campus life, but also make meaning of their time as a student within the
institution. One example of international student programming is an orientation or retreat for
international students at the beginning of the year. Both the orientation and retreat can provide
new international students with an opportunity to connect with the campus, build community
with other new students, and develop an opportunity to receive mentorship from their peer
leaders. By working with students at the beginning of their academic career, the retreat or
orientation can also provide students with the support from the institution, community, and
friends as found in the research by Goodman et. al (2006) (Evans et. al, 2010). For students who
are already at the institution, leadership opportunities such as assisting with orientation can

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provide the continuing students with opportunities to make meaning of their experiences at their
current institution. As international students who are also serving as orientation leaders are able
to reflect on their personal journeys transitioning to life at the new institution, they can begin
their meaning-making process and develop self-authorship towards their education (Evans et. al,
2010).
The centralized office should also provide the international students with a community
space. This space can be utilized for advocacy, solidarity, and general programming. This is a
key factor for institutions who want to create an environment where marginalized student
populations can feel emotionally and mentally connected with the campus (Hurtado, 1998). For
prospective students who are exploring options on what institutions they would want to attend,
the existence of an identity-based space can demonstrate an institution's care for a specific
student population (Renn, 2012). This means that the creation of an identity-based space can
potentially impact the admissions rate of international students, and when the students enter the
campus, the solidarity space can enable new students to have a comfortable space within their
new institution.
Conclusion
Overall, the population of international students at U.S. institutions of higher education is
increasing on a yearly basis. In order to best serve international students, many institutions of
higher education need to re-evaluate their services and practices to see whether or not they are
effectively working with this population. Institutions can begin the work by solidifying a
definition of who the international students are, the needs of the population, and best practices
that are occurring across the nation. Institutions also need to assess the campus climate and
attitudes towards international students. The needs of international students are not limited to

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administrative services provided for them. International students also need an environment and
inclusivity fostered through their interactions with faculty, staff, and students. Similar to all
students studying at any institution of higher education, international students also deserve the
recognition of their individual needs and the effort to increase the retention rates and their
success. Higher education is working towards being an inclusive environment for all student
populations, but higher education also needs to be intentional on not forgetting about specific
student populations, such as international students.

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