Northeastern State University - Tsa La Gi Yearbook (Tahlequah, OK)

Page 26 text:

Strangers ina Strange Land If one were to look on a globe, Tehran, Iran, is almost halfway around the world to Tahlequah, Okla. This is a long way to go to school. During the spring semester, some 47 students from 12 nations were attending Northeastern. The country with the largest number of students attending NSU was Iran, with 23. American students occasionally wonder how foreign students wind up in northeastern Oklahoma, particularly in Tahlequah, a place that is not that well-known outside the borders of this state. Some foreign students may wonder the same thing. It is erroneous to try and group individuals under a blanket term of foreign student. It is too easy to let stereo- types develop. Students come from Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Nigeria, France, Lebanon, Philippines, Korea, Taiwan, Ethiopia, Venezuela and Pakistan. If the student who moves on campus from Pawhuska has problems adjusting to campus life, then it is difficult to imagine the trials facing a student from an entirely dif- ferent background. No matter how well the student understands it, the language is not his mother tongue. The American lifestyle no doubt deals out large doses of culture shock. The average Oklahoman’s diet is often a strange fare to the new foreign student. And, of course, there is the rollercoaster climate of this area to contend with. There is no common set of reasons for leaving their countries to attend Northeastern. Even so, there is one common thing shared by each foreign student: they must not only struggle, as any college student, to get an edu- cation, but they also must contend with the problems that come with being a stranger in a strange land. 22 Foreign Students iil

Page 25 text:

Moonlighting Moonlighting is not uncommon for students who need extra money for extra expenses. Becky Brewer is one ambitious moonlighter who manages to find time be a full-time student, work two jobs, and also have some time for herself. “With two jobs, | have to discipline myself, and put things into their priorities. | try to put my school work first, then my job, then my love life,’’ said Brewer. Brewer, a freshman from Seminole, works 15 hours a week as a desk attendant at Ross Hall on work study, and also works 17 hours a week in the shoe department at Wal-Mart. “Really, I’m not that crowded for time. | have my sched- ule all worked out. | go to class in the mornings, work afternoons at Wal-Mart, then work late evenings as a desk attendant, and while I’m working at the desk, | can do my studying,” she said. “The bad thing about working two jobs is that | don’t get to go home on weekends very much. But the extra money | get makes it a lot easier,’’ Brewer said. Getting Experience Matt Gentry, a sophomore from Poteau, doesn’t like giving parking tickets any more than people like getting them. “| don’t like giving parking tickets at all, but it’s part of my job and | have to do it,’’ said Gentry who works for Campus security. “| really don’t think people should be charged to park anywhere on campus if they have a decal. It’s only a quarter, but it’s still on campus,’’ complained Gentry. But writing parking tickets is not all that Gentry’s job entails. His main reason for working is to make money to get through school, but he also feels the job experience will help him to find a job related to his political science major after graduation. Working Students 21 a

Page 27 text:

Cs — Foreign Students 23 Oe ee ee