Going the extra mile

A joint venture between Student Government (SG) and the Indian Students Association (ISA) is going the extra mile to help international students through the last leg of their journeys to UTD.

Deepak Ravindran, information technology management graduate and president of ISA, helped foster an initiative between SG and ISA that provided bus service from the airport to campus for international students.

For Sanoj Nambian, a computer science graduate student who starts at UTD this fall, the service made a difference. He said his trip from Pune, India, to the United States was frustrating, with a delayed flight making the journey difficult. But, on his arrival at the airport, he was picked up and met by other students from his country also staying here at UTD, providing him with both transportation and networking opportunities.

Ravindran and other members of ISA arranged for 75 students to be transported from the airport to apartments on campus. Student Government (SG) allocated $2,000 for 15-passenger buses to make trips throughout several days, sometimes making multiple trips in a single day. Premier Transportation Company provided the service, said SG Administrative Assistant Gloria Kelley, who coordinated the transportation.

International student Juzer Kaiedjoher, an information technology management graduate student, said Ravindran anticipated students' needs and made an effort to connect with the Indian students through e-mails.

ISA has been providing transportation to international students for about 10 years, but the large number of requests this year required outside funding, Ravindran said. Ravindran spoke to several departments before he was able to find a source of funding for the transportation. Ravindran said SG president Steven Rosson was excited to help and understood the importance of providing such a service to international students.

"It's obviously a need that wasn't being met," Rosson said. "What I was bothered by was that there was not more of an effort made to welcome them as a group."

Rosson said he talked with several staff members, including SG Advisor Patty Atchley and Dean of Students Donna Rogers, to help secure funding. Both Rosson and Ravindran said that they wanted to continue the program in the future.

"I saw this year as a sort of pilot program," Rosson said. "We could take the same amount of money we spent on pickups … and bring back more students."

Getting from the airport to campus isn't the only challenge students from other countries face. Some international students also spoke about their difficulties navigating a new culture.

Sainath Vijayaraghavan, a management information systems graduate student, said that the American education system is "totally different" from that in India. He said he came here in part because of the modern technology, which he said could sometimes take up to four years to reach India. He said he also wants to get to know a new culture.

Kaiedjoher said he'd seen glimpses of American culture before arriving in the United States through the media. He is a fan of Elvis Presley, including songs such as "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Fools Rush In." He said he also likes "Star Wars" and "How I Met Your Mother," a syndicated American television program he watched in India.

Kaiedjoher said he plans to explore Dallas and to meet new people.

ISA is trying to help foster this social exploration and by holding interactive sessions in which international student can meet others like themselves and form friendships, Ravindran said. Their goal is to make students feel at home.

"I would feel uncomfortable if I didn't see anyone from my country," he said.