The global community is expanding, and Ball State University is becoming a more prominent member.
With an international student body that has grown exponentially, the campus is home to a total of 510 international students who represent 78 different countries. For the 2006-2007 school year, 193 undergraduate international students have enrolled at Ball State. In 2005, there were 152 undergraduate international students.
Debra Goens, foreign student adviser and immigration specialist, said students face a large number of difficulties both en route and upon arrival in the United States. Luggage, visas, passports and even water bottles are subject to scrutiny before one can board a flight.
Possible problems still await a prospective student once arriving.
Seojen Lee, a sophomore from South Korea, said one of the most common barriers that arises is the language difference. Even for a student who may have studied English, the sheer amount of slang contained within American English can create a conversational roadblock, she said.
"General discussion and conversation have been some of the most difficult tasks I've faced," Lee said.
Senior Akima Nishimura, originally from Japan, said the timing and delivery of a regular lecture in class is also challenging for some students.
"At times I have had trouble keeping up with the pace of discussions and lectures," she said.
International students also face problems getting Indiana driver licenses. To receive a license, international students must have multiple forms of ID, including a Social Security number, a passport with an attached visa, and proof of Indiana residency.
Some students, though, encounter problems with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, even after presenting this collection of paperwork, One problem stems from a part of the form, known as an I-94, which is stapled to a student's visa. Inhee Lee, a production researcher at Ball State, originally from Seoul, South Korea, said the BMV in Muncie has refused multiple I-94's because subheads on the form are written in non-English languages,
This is only a sampling of the possible trials that await international students. Goens said differences in lifestyle, currency and food can contribute to adversity and possible culture shock for these students,
Inhee Lee said Ball State is a member of an international community and must be aware of its image.
"Ball State must be aware of the problems that international students face," he said. "Ignorance could hurt its image in the eyes of both current and prospective students. When a campus is internationally acknowledged, its image is as important as its quality of education."
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