LANGUAGE PROGRAM EASES WAY

An "English as a second language" program at Southeast Missouri State University is giving international students like Kayo Shirao a head start on an American college education.

Shirao, who is from Tokyo, went through the program 2 years ago. She is now a sophomore at Southeast.

The program provided Shirao not only intensive instruction in the English language, but helped her adjust to a culture much different from her own.

"The first time I was kind of scared to talk to Americans," the 21-year-old student recalled. But she said the program "made me feel at ease."

The intensive English program is provided through the Center for International Studies. The students are submersed in English for five hours a day, five days a week, said Jesse R. Perry, coordinator of the program.

"The primary purpose is to prepare international students for entrance into American colleges, primarily Southeast," he said. "We really give them a broad education," said Perry, adding that includes learning about American culture.

The intensive English program was started at Southeast in 1978. It was discontinued in the early 1980s, but resurrected in 1985.

"It is not the typical intensive English program," said Marvin Swanson, director of the Center for International Studies.

The program is designed to provide international students with a "comprehensive understanding of American culture," said Swanson.

The program is set up on the basis of eight-week terms, Perry said. Students may take the intensive English program for up to 15 months. "The average student is in it anywhere from nine to 12 months," said Perry.

Although they are generally not enrolled in the university while taking the English program, the students stay in campus housing during the academic year. "We arrange for them to have a roommate from another nationality, usually an American roommate," said Perry.

In the summer, he said, international students have a chance to live with American families. "We have eight- to 10-week home-stays in the summer."

The program is self-supporting, paid for by the tuition and room and board fees charged the students. The cost for attending the program for 16 weeks amounts to about $5,000, Perry said.

"Southeast is a very attractive institution economically," he said. In addition, international students are drawn here because "Cape Girardeau is seen as a safer, more welcoming community than a larger city would be."

Perry said the average person participating in the program is 18 or 19 years old. A few of them are transfers from foreign universities, he said.

As many as 60 students go through the program annually. "This year we are averaging about 43 or 44" at any one time, said Perry.

In the fall there were 45 students in the program, 30 of them Japanese.

Six years ago virtually all of the students were Japanese. Now, about two-thirds of the students are Japanese, Perry said. Other students come from a variety of places, including Hong Kong, France, Spain, the Bahamas, Turkey, and South Korea.

"Now we have a couple of Arab students coming in," he said.

Students are divided into classes according to their level of English proficiency. Usually there are four to five classes with 10 to 15 students in a class, he said.

Classes are held in various campus buildings and at the Center for International Studies.

The progress of the students is assessed on the basis of an international, standardized test on English. "It's not just a matter of lecturing and hoping they get something out of it," said Perry.

The international students come here having learned some English. "We don't teach the alphabet," said Perry. "Some of them do come in at very low levels" of proficiency in English, he said.

Perry said the program involves reading, writing, listening and speaking English.

The language is taught through a focus on various academic units. One such unit is on psychology, for example.

"It's a very strict program," said Perry. "We give them tests every week."

Students also learn how to do research in the library and take notes in the classroom.

Perry said he and four other faculty members teach the classes. Because of the small class sizes and the nature of the program, the staff forges close ties with the students.

Staff members take students to the doctor and on field trips. "We work with them. We eat with them," said Perry. "It's much more of a service-oriented approach," he pointed out.

"You get attached to them because they are dependent on you," he said. "You do get to know the students a lot more, and you don't want any of them to fail."

Perry said that dealing with international students is also a learning experience for him. He said: "They make me more aware of my own culture. They are learning my language, but I am also learning their culture."