Shanghai students adapt to Weber life

Two weeks ago, Yun Yang boarded a plane in her homeland of China to fly to Utah where she will spend the next two years away from family, friends and her native culture as she studies international economics at Weber State University. Her trip was among the first of many that students from Shanghai, China are expecting to make in the coming years. On Tuesday, only a week after arriving, Yang, along with 18 other students from Shanghai Normal University, experienced cultural differences and language barriers that surfaced during their English 1010 class. As their American classmate, freshman Leland Vance, introduced himself and explained he was the father of 10 children, jaws dropped and the air filled first with gasps, then with laughter. "It was a little bit of shock," Yang said. Vance said that he was aware of cultural differences between the United States and China, because he has heard that the number of children in China is limited. "It's probably a shock that people here in the United States can have so many with a blended family or even within one marriage," Vance said. Professor Cheyney Wheelwright said she encouraged the students to ask questions and share their opinions about differences in each country's culture. "I know from their Chinese culture that they don't participate in class," Wheelwright said. "My goal right from day one was to engage them, pull them in and let hem know that it's OK to talk back and forth." In addition to the cultural differences that surfaced during the class, there were a few communication issues. After struggling to pronounce the students' names as she went through the roll, the class erupted in applause when Wheelwright pronounced correctly Onja Manny Michel Randriambololonas' name, a student from Madagascar. A few of the students asked to be called by American names like Frederick, Amy and Rachel instead of their Chinese names. One student, Wang Xin Yan, even said, "Call me anything you want." The interplay of foreign cultures and languages is likely to become a more common element in WSU classrooms. WSU has had a written agreement with SNU for the last decade, but this is the first semester the agreement has brought SNU students to WSU. Clifford Nowell, Associate Dean of the Goddard School of Business said he expects that another 20-30 students will enroll at WSU from Shanghai next fall. In October, Nowell will be traveling with Lewis Gale, Dean of the Goddard School of Business, to Shanghai and South Korea to recruit more international students. "Most universities have a much higher percent of international students," Nowell said. "By bringing in international students we're exposing our students to other cultures and really trying to do what happens naturally at lots of other universities in the country." Gale is also working to develop a study abroad program to allow WSU students to attend Shanghai Normal University for a semester. To make it affordable, Gale is working to secure internship opportunities for WSU students with businesses in Shanghai. As the flavor of WSU becomes more international, students will gain a better "understanding of working in the global environment," Gale said. "Students will need to continue to develop their abilities in the global market."