Minorities account for nearly half of the student population across America, but recent studies show that these students are learning in largely segregated environments.

On our campus of over 45,000 students, about 20 percent are of foreign nationalities. As that number increases, these foreign students become even more important to campus.

Lin Yuan, 23, is a Chinese undergraduate student studying computer science. Despite classes being diverse, Yuan still has trouble making friends outside of his nationality. 

“With so many international students, it is more convenient to make friends from your own country,” Yuan said, explaining his reasons for not interacting with students of other ethnicities.         

Yuan is not the only one who feels this way, as there are others who live, hang out and travel with students from their own country because they think American-born students might be unwelcoming.

A recent report issued by the Civil Rights Project at UCLA suggests that states including New York, Illinois, California, New York, Texas and Michigan tend to have the most segregated schools.

Segregation on campus

Anyone living in a foreign country is naturally drawn to spend time with people who share their language and culture. Even domestic students, especially those from the Chicagoland area, tend to spend a lot of time with their high school classmates.

Jessica Young, assistant director for International Student and Scholar Services, says the students who tend not to come out of their comfort zones suffer in their professional lives. 

“It is always expected more from foreign students,” Young said. “If during college they don’t take chances, it is always more difficult for them to adjust to a workplace as compared to domestic students.” 

She suggests that the University can start new programs and old programs should be enhanced. 

Young says that classrooms should be made more interactive, new programs should be initiated in the residence halls and mentoring programs should be strengthened so that more students make use of them. 

Diversity for domestic students

Illinois has had a significant number of international graduate students for many years and that percentage has changed very little in the past decade. It is the number of international undergraduate students that has grown rapidly in recent years.  

The number of U.S. citizens and permanent resident undergraduates in 2012-13 remained exactly the same as the number in 2003-04. The increase in international undergraduates matches the increase in overall campus enrollment over that period.

Charles Tucker, vice provost for Undergraduate Education and Innovation, says the University is projecting that the Fall 2013 freshman class will have even more Illinois residents than the year before.  

“International students add a new dimension to the campus experience, allowing domestic students to meet and work with people from other countries,” Tucker says, adding, “In this way all students at Illinois can develop cultural competencies that are important in our globalized world, whether or not they study abroad.” 

Renee Romano, vice chancellor for Student Affairs, says there are some new projects in the pipeline to connect students. 

“We are trying to enhance student organizations and make classes more interactive and culturally rich so that all students can come closer,” Romano says.  

She suggests that students make the best use of volunteer programs so that they can meet new people.

International students and economy 

The Association of International Educators, a non-profit organization for education professionals, estimates that last year, international students and their dependents added approximately $21.81 billion to the national economy. And every year, more international students come to the U.S. bringing more revenues with them. It is estimated that more than 60 percent of international students receive the majority of their funds through family recourses.

With a hike in the number of international students, the University is expanding every year. Today the campus has more buildings, workers, teachers and students — domestic and international — than they have had in the past. 

According to the University Planning and Budgeting Office, since 2003 there has been a 10 percent surge in the number of enrollment of undergraduate, graduate and professional level students. Where some people associate the hike with the recession, others say it’s globalization. 

Barb Welge, director at the University Office for Planning and Budgeting, explains expansion at the University. 

“It’s global change,” Welge says. “The economies of developing countries like China and India are expanding and now people have more money to afford foreign education than in the past.” 

Both social and economic factors have played roles in the growth of students coming to the U.S. The one-child policy that was initiated by the Chinese government more than 20 years ago, along with the privatization of real estate in China, has meant that many more Chinese families could afford to send a son or daughter to the U.S. for college. Also, a college degree from a prestigious university is seen in many parts of the world as very desirable, both socially and economically. 

University dormitories

The University welcomed a record number of international students last fall, most of whom reside in University dorms. The students come from over 80 different countries making the dormitory experience richer, but assigning too many students with the same ethnicity in one dorm can cause segregation among international students. 

University Housing spokeswoman Kirsten Ruby says that University Housing believes in providing diverse cultural experiences to all students. 

“Cultural activities are arranged in all dorms to keep students connected,” Ruby says. “We try to add diverse food items in the menu so that students experience unique tastes of different countries.”

Despite these efforts, language and cultural backgrounds still set students apart. The comfort zone provided by someone with the same background seems to play a key part in overshadowing the real colors of diversity.

There are many opportunities for students on campus, and new programs are being developed every year. Some of these programs are academically oriented, such as the International Student Success Teams. Some programs are socially oriented like International Student and Scholar Services office, New Student Programs and the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Where international students add over $204 million to the University revenue annually, there are a number of challenges to socially integrating the campus. The onus is upon the students.

Zara can be reached at [email protected].