By M. Chandos McCoy, Elizabeth Plagwitz, and Sandy Tupper

THE PROJECT

In October of 2004, McDonel Hall, a residential dormitory on the campus of Michigan State University housing many international and exchange students formally proposed a new living option to the Housing Options Committee. After evolving over a four-year period, the proposal was submitted and sought approval to create the “International Language and Culture Floor”.

Although the opportunity is not specific to a particular academic requirement, numerous academic units (especially language departments) supported the initiative. Administrative and student service offices across campus also wrote letters of support for the new floor which framed its goal as follows: “to house students together who value cultural diversity and wish to seek it out and to provide a unique residence hall environment where students can experience a variety of language and cultural opportunities through everyday living and support programming.”

After receiving approval for this floor as a two-year pilot project beginning in Fall Semester 2005, recruitment for the floor and programming planning began in earnest. At present this initiative is limited to one wing of a floor housing a total of 39 students, 17 of whom are US Americans, 22 of whom are international students. We hope to expand as word spreads and demand increases.

THE BACKGROUND

McDonel Hall provides housing to a significant number of international students. There has been a challenge in the past to find US American roommates who desired to live with international students. Several years ago complaints were very common from US Americans that “they did not want the burden” of communicating with an international student room-mate, whose first language might, very possibly, not be English. On the other side, complaints were also received from international students who had not been housed with a US American student, but rather with other international students, often from their own native country.

Over the past couple of years McDonel Hall has put forth great effort to find US American students who wanted to be with international students.  These efforts have been rather subtle in nature, asking students at yearly lease sign-up, promoting at the Study Abroad Fair, through word of mouth and announcements in language classes.

Having not received one complaint related to housing placement from US American or international students after placing students based on this informal survey, it was felt that it was time to take the next step and formally propose the International Language and Culture Floor as a standardized residential housing option on the campus of Michigan State University.

The International Language and Culture Floor has two aspects to it: the daily life of cross-cultural living on the floor itself and support programming in the residence’s cafeteria and open to the entire MSU campus community.

As Peter Briggs, Director of the Office of International Students and Scholars at Michigan State University indicated in his supporting letter for the proposal, the floor seeks to support the university-wide commitment to internationalization through:

• helping promote study abroad opportunities;
• providing co-curricular internationalization opportunities here on campus;
• attracting international speakers and programming;
• providing a model international program to contribute to MSU’s image as an international university; and,
• increasing enrollment of non-resident students and demonstrating MSU’s international engagements.

THE PROGRAMMING

The floor has a designated mentor who provides unique programming for these students. In addition to the everyday cross-cultural and international focus that students on the International Language and Culture floor receive, support programming has been put in place and / or expanded upon for the entire MSU community. These events are held either in the Kiva or in the cafeteria area of McDonel Hall and pull in students not only for the International Language and Culture floor but throughout the dormitory system.

Much programming was already in place before the Language and Culture Floor was approved. These initiatives included:

• Casual conversation nights twice a week: Monday (Spanish) and Wednesday (French);
• International film series every Monday evening;
• Variety of cultural events and celebrations such as Indian Diwali and Mexican Day of the Dead; and,
• Plays and presentations, such as a play by the French students, talent show by McGlobe and the Asian Student Organization.

Initiatives that have taken place now that the International Language and Culture Floor has been approved include:

• Three International Dance Lessons per semester sponsored by LaCasa (an organization that arranges events for students with interests in Spanish and Latin American cultures);
• The International Film Series has continued and has been promoted throughout campus. Guest speakers have been included whenever possible; and,
• The cultural events and celebrations have continued.

As evidence of its support of this residential initiative, the Office of Study Abroad has agreed to sponsor and organize a monthly “travel series”, focusing each month on a different region of the world. The Fall Semester programming included Asia Night (September), Eastern and Western Europe Night (October) and India / Middle East Night (November). Next semester we will continue the series with Africa Night (January), Latin America and the Caribbean Night (February) and North America Night (April).

This travel series has taken advantage of extensive input and participation by international and exchange students here on campus. The events are held in the hall’s cafeteria over the dinner hours (4-7 PM) and have included such events as:

• Selected food from the region served in the cafeteria
• Origami and calligraphy
• Root beer float tent to celebrate Oktoberfest
• Henna hand-painting
• Access to information on study abroad programs to the region
• Fact sheets for countries – cross-referencing with facts on the US
• Country-specific displays and music

DESIRED OUTCOMES

As we enter our second semester trial period of this two-year pilot project, we hope for and anticipate the following significant outcomes:

• Increased student knowledge of major current events around the world;
• Increased student knowledge of basic cultural information and practices;
• Increased student knowledge of self in cultural context;
• Increased proficiency in a language other than one’s native tongue;
• Increased student desire to learn about other cultures;
• Increased involvement of academic units in the floor’s programming;
• Increased diversity of one’s social group; and,
• Increased appreciation of cultural differences.

VALUE TO THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY

The following points are what we have determined to be significant value added to the university community as a result of this residential option and the accompanying programming:

• Provide a significant opportunity for the academic community to add value to their program at no additional cost;
• Provide a cross-cultural experience for students that adds value to their living experience as well as their educational experience;
• Provide a unique living experience that will recruit new customers and keep current ones longer, providing additional revenues to the University;
• Provide an opportunity for the academic community to research and survey a unique living group; and,
• Provide returning study abroad participants with the opportunity to continue the language / cultural learning begun while they were abroad.

CONCLUSION

The steering committee for this initiative meets monthly to review the success and challenges of past programming and to plan for future programming.  By the end of the first year (May 2006), the program will undergo a thorough review by the steering committee in which the evaluative input of students on the floor will feature prominently.  If it is deemed to be a successful initiative, we will begin planning our programming events for the following year and to decide what our desired outcomes and assessment schedule will be for the 2006-7 year.

M. Chandos McCoy is McDonel Hall Manager; Elizabeth Plagwitz is Academic Specialist in the Office of Study Abroad; and Sandy Tupper is Educational Programs Coordinator in the Office of Study Abroad at Michigan State University.