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PITTSBURG —
The International Student Association held a party Friday night welcoming new students to the Pittsburg State campus. But it was also one of the first events for Cathy Lee Arcuino, the incoming associate director for international affairs.
Arcuino had only spent a week on campus before attending the party, and she said she got a good taste of what PSU is all about.
"This is fun for the students to see and meet other students. It's informal and relaxed," Arcuino said. "It gives them something to do to take their mind off of schoolwork. I love the energy of this place. From everyone I've talked to, it feels like a community. It makes it very inviting."
But Arcuino wasn't the only new person to campus. The party was a way of welcoming the 80 or so new international students to campus. All told, about 85 people packed United Methodist Center Friday for pizza, cookies, games, music and more.
Jazmin Ramirez, International Student Association president, said the event means more to the new students than most people could know.
"It's very important," Ramirez said. "New students often feel alone. If you're in your dorm, you easily get depressed. It's easier to get homesick if you're just sitting in your dorm. So that's the idea of the event, to make it feel more homey and to make the new students feel more comfortable."
The event also serves as a mini-kickoff to the semester's worth of ISA activities and events. This semester, the group seems to be taking on a different approach than in years past.
"The leaders asked me if they could plan more service-type activities," said Jeff Hashman, ISA advisor. "They've talked about weekly visits to nursing homes. They want to get active in The Big Event this year. But then they've also talked about monthly unique trips, like going to Silver Dollar City."
This event was ultimately the beginning for the students, who said they enjoyed the event.
"This is my first time at PSU, so I don't know about the U.S. or understand how I can live here," Jongsou Bae said. "The international students have no idea about the events which take place in America. This really helped me. There's not this kind of party in Korea."
Another student may have identified the larger purpose of the event — to create friendships between the students.
"There's music, food and pizza. I can make lots of new friends very quickly and you can get to know each other," said Joy Huang from Taiwan. "I love these parties and events. The people are so friendly."
The International Student Association held a party Friday night welcoming new students to the Pittsburg State campus. But it was also one of the first events for Cathy Lee Arcuino, the incoming associate director for international affairs.
Arcuino had only spent a week on campus before attending the party, and she said she got a good taste of what PSU is all about.
"This is fun for the students to see and meet other students. It's informal and relaxed," Arcuino said. "It gives them something to do to take their mind off of schoolwork. I love the energy of this place. From everyone I've talked to, it feels like a community. It makes it very inviting."
But Arcuino wasn't the only new person to campus. The party was a way of welcoming the 80 or so new international students to campus. All told, about 85 people packed United Methodist Center Friday for pizza, cookies, games, music and more.
Jazmin Ramirez, International Student Association president, said the event means more to the new students than most people could know.
"It's very important," Ramirez said. "New students often feel alone. If you're in your dorm, you easily get depressed. It's easier to get homesick if you're just sitting in your dorm. So that's the idea of the event, to make it feel more homey and to make the new students feel more comfortable."
The event also serves as a mini-kickoff to the semester's worth of ISA activities and events. This semester, the group seems to be taking on a different approach than in years past.
"The leaders asked me if they could plan more service-type activities," said Jeff Hashman, ISA advisor. "They've talked about weekly visits to nursing homes. They want to get active in The Big Event this year. But then they've also talked about monthly unique trips, like going to Silver Dollar City."
This event was ultimately the beginning for the students, who said they enjoyed the event.
"This is my first time at PSU, so I don't know about the U.S. or understand how I can live here," Jongsou Bae said. "The international students have no idea about the events which take place in America. This really helped me. There's not this kind of party in Korea."
Another student may have identified the larger purpose of the event — to create friendships between the students.
"There's music, food and pizza. I can make lots of new friends very quickly and you can get to know each other," said Joy Huang from Taiwan. "I love these parties and events. The people are so friendly."
