Florida State University - Renegade / Tally Ho Yearbook (Tallahassee, FL)

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photo courtesv of 1 he International Center There were approximately 800 international students enrolled at the University from over 100 different countries worldwide. Almost one third of these students were married and brought their families with them, and many of these students came to the United States for the first time. The International Student Center was a branch of Student Affairs that covered all non-academic concerns of students. The ma|or concern of the center is to advise students, help them with immigration, visitation of family members coming to the United States, and paperwork, said director Roberta Christie. Outside of the all the paper work involved, international students found time for fun at the International Student Center. They participated in Global Gatherings, a weekly series of informal discussions and presentations organized to aid students and faculty in understanding the diverse cultures around the world. They had a Small World Speakers Bureau, where they were able to share their own customs and cultures with the community. The students spoke at Girl Scout meetings, retirement homes, classes at the University, and several other places. The International Wives Group met monthly to provide activities outside of the home for spouses of international students. These women participated in group discussions, demonstrations, and also shared the foods of their countries with each other. An international Friends Program paired up students with a person or family of Tallahassee. This program helped the students adjust to the culture and allowed residents of Tallahassee to meet and become friends with people from around the world. This organization provides overall enjoyable and educational experience for the students and members of the community, said Christie. Students as well as community members were able to make new friends from exciting places. Beyond Borders was a service exchange program also offered by the International Student Center. University students had the opportunity to visit Turrialba, Costa Rica, the University of West Indies in Jamaica, and Charles University in Prague. In this program, students stayed with a host in the foreign country for two to four weeks, and participa ted in volunteer community services in the area while they were there. This program was open to students and faculty interested in studying in other countries. ] in V J j (1 J I! Mini rnop ulluwu 28 Student Life

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m mm V photo courtesy of Jake Winger ) £1 m I v j fill fMMMr old friends. I had the absolute best time of my life in the Bahamas. I got to see some old buddies, expenencs a different culture, and sample every kind of rum known to man, said Matthews. Some students, for several different reasons, had to remain at the University for their spring break. While this may not have seemed as fun as some other destinations, it was still a needed break. Brian Lucyk, a junior on the track team, had to stay in Tallahassee over spring break to train. Well, yeah, I definitely would have rather gotten out of Tallahassee for spring break, but it wasn ' t that bad. All my friends on the team were still here so we still managed to have a pretty good time. Just being away from classes for a week is a good enough break for me, Lucyk said. University students did many different things over their spring break, ranging from staying in Tallahassee to travelling to Caribbean beaches. While there was much variance between different students spring break experiences, they all had one thing in common — they were happy to get away from classes and the daily grind for a much needed week of relaxing. Jlorida State and West Point students form a team in the iSud wiser Amature Spring IQreak Volluball Ciassic in the Bahamas. The team was able to beat most of the challenging teams, and were defeated in the finals for second place. Spring Break 27

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' ' Jar Left) University of Costa Rica students enjoying the Unity in the Community festival. (Left) A day trip to St. Qeorge 9sland gives the international students a chance to bond. (tfelow Left) Students taking part in the welcome diner for new students by performing international music (top center) One student participates in the Unity for the Community festival celebrated the diversity of Tallahassee, (center) international student center takes part in the Homecoming parade by proudly displaying the flags of many nations, (top right) Joseph M. Joseph helps decorate a cake for the Homecoming reception, (bottom) 9s it Marcel the monkey from Jriends? No, it is a random monkey with students from IQeyond order ' s program photo courtesy ot The International Center Int ' l center 29