绿奴天花板

Twenty faculty and staff members learned Wednesday what it鈥檚 like to walk in the shoes of an international student when they participated in a simulation of the steps taken before students even leave their home countries and arrive on campus.听

The ninth floor of the Vaughn Center was set up with stations that represented the hoops students jump through, including exchanging money, obtaining a passport, taking an English test and checking in with the office of admissions, with the goal of making it to mandatory orientation at the university.听

Upon entering the simulation, attendees were given instructions and an envelope of Monopoly money to spend like cash at the various stops. They then had 40 minutes to make it through the necessary steps.听

鈥淲e are here to step into someone鈥檚 shoes,鈥� said Jessica Ramirez, international student and scholar advisor in the International Programs Office. She added that participants may feel stressed or confused. 鈥淗old on to that feeling,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 exactly what students feel every year.鈥�

Participants were mostly calm at the start, but they were tested by obstacles.听

At the bank: 鈥淒o you have the proper paperwork?鈥�

At the passport office: 鈥淗ave you exchanged your money?鈥�

Participants moved quickly and increasingly frantically between tables, backtracking as needed to complete requirements in time. Some were tempted and fooled by a person set up next to the passport office selling knockoff passports and bogus plane tickets.听This, three people would learn, would be a costly error, both in time and money.听

As time dwindled, participants began to feel increased stress, asking others where to get certain paperwork to move on to the next station.

Isiah Williams, an academic programs specialist, said the experience was 鈥渆ye-opening.鈥澨鼿e had given his money to another staff member, after she bought a fake passport.听鈥淵ou never know who they鈥檙e leaving behind, or who they鈥檙e doing this for,鈥� he said about international students.

The exercise 鈥渃reated patience and more understanding of the challenges they face to get here and the challenges to stay here,鈥� he said.

Janice Carrion-Delgado, assistant director of annual giving, said she wanted to participate to learn what it was like to be an international student.听鈥淭here鈥檚 so many steps and roadblocks,鈥� she said, 鈥渨hich makes them so resilient.鈥澨�

Carrion-Delgado admitted she didn鈥檛 feel stressed until time was running out and she missed the mandatory orientation.

Only one participant arrived on time.听

This is the third year the International Programs Office hosted the event. 鈥淭his exercise is (only) the first part to make it to the U.S., and none of you could,鈥� said Henry Heredia-Spratling, assistant director of the International Programs Office.

Following the event, attendees participated in a debrief session.听The English test was voted the easiest part, despite the cost to attempt the test and the challenging content.听Sympathy was deemed the most important skill to have when working with international students.

鈥淔or you to be sympathetic, you have to put yourself in the international students鈥� shoes from time to time,鈥� said Heredia-Spratling. 鈥淛ust being a student at a university is complicated. Being an international student is 15 times so.鈥�