Record influx of international students puts pressure on Dashew Center
Incoming students practice doing the 8-clap at the Dashew Center’s New International Student and Scholar Orientation on Sept. 18.
By Jillian Beck
Sept. 23, 2012 8:17 a.m.
UCLA will welcome a record number of international students this fall, putting pressure on campus organizations that are expected to support the new Bruins.
This year’s incoming class of freshman and transfer students is 15 percent international students ““ an increase of about 6 percent from last year. The university has focused its efforts on recruiting out-of-state and international students to increase revenue in a time when state funding is uncertain. UCLA received about $99,000,000 from nonresident tuition in 2011-2012 and expects about $119,000,000 this year.
The Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars, a central hub for programs and support for international students at UCLA, puts on programs for international students to interact with American students, said Susan Oh, a counselor for degree-seeking international students at the center.
Counselors at the center help the international students throughout their time at UCLA, she said.
But the influx of international students has increased the workload for the Dashew Center in recent months.
UCLA Undergraduate Admissions and the Graduate Division usually issue I-20 forms, which are forms international students have to fill out to apply for student visas in their home countries, Oh said. This year though, the Dashew Center issued the forms to some international graduate students, Oh said. Next year, the center may start issuing the forms to undergraduate students as well, she added.
The rise in incoming freshman and transfer international students also caused the center’s staff to double the number of orientation sessions to 10 total, Oh said.
The center also hired additional counselors and reach out to other parts of campus to support the large increase in students coming to UCLA from abroad, said Shideh Hanassab, the interim director of the center.
The rise in numbers has also enhanced and fostered new collaboration among departments on campus.
“Supporting the international students is not just on the center,” Hanassab said. “The whole campus is sharing that responsibility.”
To help cover the costs of the orientation sessions this summer, the Office of Residential Life provided refreshments for the 10 New International Student and Scholar Orientation sessions during the summer, said Jack Gibbons, director of residential education for ORL.
“(The Dashew Center’s) budget has been stretched in order to provide their programs and services,” Gibbons said. “So we said, “˜Let us help you.'”
The Dashew Center is returning the favor, too.
Staff from the Dashew Center trained ORL staff earlier in the summer about how to work with international students, in preparation for the impending wave of new international students, Gibbons said.
Through the training, ORL staff learned how to support and interact with the students, most of whom are new to the United States, he added.
Other entities and departments on campus are also helping to cushion the financial impact of the increase.
The UCLA Career Center and the Dashew Center already have a strong relationship ““ putting on programs and events to help international students professionally, said Kathy Sims, the Career Center’s director.
Currently, the Career Center has a staff position that acts as liaison to the Dashew Center, Sims said. Because of the increase in students ““ international students specifically ““ the Career Center plans to request additional funding from the Student Fee Advisory Committee, Sims said. The committee makes recommendations on how the UCLA chancellor should allocate student fees. The additional funding would add one more liaison position, among other staff positions, to the center, Sims added.
“We have the expertise,” Sims said. “But the sheer volume of students that are coming creates an even greater demand for this expertise.”
The Dashew Center hired two additional international student counselors this year with the help of additional funding from UCLA Student Affairs, Hanassab said.
She said the center will continue collaborating with other departments across campus and may move some of its workshops online to cut costs rather than cutting services.
“Some of our workshops could be offered as webinars, but that would be a pity,” she said. “I’d rather have personal contact between the students and scholars.”
UCLA could likely see another jump in the number of incoming international students next year, said Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, associate vice chancellor of enrollment management.
As the international student population at UCLA continues to increase, Hanassab said the center will have to keep making adjustments. Looking ahead, Hanassab said the Dashew Center will most likely need to request more money from UCLA Student Affairs to support staffing and the center’s programs and services.
“Something has to be worked on,” said Stanley Dashew, the 96-year-old founder and namesake of the center, who spoke through an interpreter because of his difficulty with speaking. “(The center) didn’t happen by itself, it takes effort.”
Meanwhile, Copeland-Morgan’s office is waiting for their enrollment targets to be finalized for the upcoming admissions cycle, which she said will most likely stay at a high level.
“That said, we have some major issues that we are facing in the state of California,” she said.
She added that the university’s resources should be considered when increasing enrollment to generate additional revenue for the university.
“(The enrollment plan) is a model that has to be looked at every year,” she said. “We have to be realistic about the capabilities of the institution.”
