Is It Important for Multilingual Students to Participate in the Culture Organizations?

People often wonder why multilingual students have trouble succeeding or graduating from college. From Samuel D. Museus research, “approximately half of all students who matriculate at four-year college or university will fail to complete a bachelor’s degree with 6 years (Berkner, He, & Cataldi, 2002).” This means, for multilingual students, graduate from college is not an easy job. Some experts think the root of the problem is in the college, students lack the experiences for cross-culture communication. It is because for many ethnic students, especially the international students, they are shy to speak to other people. As multilingual students, they have language barrier, and diffident about communicate with others. However, in order to succeed in the college and blend in with the foreign cultures, it is better to adopt the new culture on one’s own initiative. Samuel D. Museus expresses this idea when he using Tinto’s theory as an underlying assumption that “Students who come from cultures incongruent with the culture of their college campus must detach themselves from their cultures of origin (i.e., precollege cultures) and adopt the values, assumptions, and norms of the cultures of immersion (i.e. , dominant campus cultures) to succeed (Museus, 2008. P. 572).” Therefore, this is one of the reasons why universities build many culture organizations and centers to make different students get used to the new school life. If students are conscious of the impact of participate in culture organizations, and then they may find the benefits, and find it easy to succeed. There are many instances in which culture organizations are important for college students. Most students, especially multilingual students think their college life is boring. It is because except study, they do not have any other fun activities. Diane Hedin indicates that the biggest problem students should overcome in their school is a lack of motivation (Hedin 1989). She states that “boredom is probably a function of what seems to many students an unfathomable gap between the curriculum and their everyday lives (P. Hedin, Power of Community Service, P. 203).” However, Hedin also gives a good solution to solve this problem, which is to participate in the communities, she continue says that “community service provides the critical missing link for many students, an opportunity to apply academic learning to real human needs and to knowledge gained usable in one’s thinking beyond the situation in which the learning occurred (P. Hedin, Power of Community Service, P. 203).” This case may not happen to all the students, but in large settings such as the multilingual students I familiar in Indiana University. They participate in the Chinese Students and Scholar Association in Indiana University and get help from the organization, and they enjoyed their college life in here. To help students get over the hump is the common purpose for the most of culture organizations. The Chinese Students and Scholar Association is one of the earliest established Asian student organizations in Indiana University. Like any other Chinese student associations in the United States and Canada, their purpose is to serve fellow Chinese students and scholars, bond Chinese community, and promote Chinese culture. They try their best to create a second home for students and scholars from China and help them succeed in their academic or career life. Except that, they also organize activities to build up a tight relationship between all the Chinese in IU as one united group. Every IU students can participate in their activities even if you are not the member of CSSA; and if you want to become one of the members to hold the activities, you need to send the application and contact to the president. One example that made a significant impression on me was as the member of
The Asian Culture Community, when I received the news to participate in a donation activity to help a Chinese girl, Yuxin Duan. She was a spring semester freshman, and diagnosed with lymph cancer during her first year at IU. The CSSA launched a campaign for charity in the Wells Library to help her. This news was not only spread through our campus, but also all over China. At that time I realized that CSSA would help one even in a serious problem like illness. Except that, the CSSA also provides other help, like the service for pick-up freshmen at the airport before the semester beginning, and the direction for select courses. Those types of help can make the multilingual students adapt the campus life better, give them confidence to build their own social network, and willing to try new things. The culture organizations are also good places to develop our communication skill. As the member of Asian Culture Community, I have participated in an Asian Culture Communication activity. During the activity, every student could watched the show which performed by different country from Asian. In that time, I met a Korean girl who was interested in Chinese culture. At first I felt nervous to talk with her. However, after got to know her interested and she tried to use some Chinese words for greeting, I feel more relax. Then, I started to introduce the scenic spots and historical sites in China to her, and taught her some easy Chinese words. She also told me many interesting places in Korea and gave me some traditional food as gifts. Since talked to her, I know how to start a conversation with stranger, and be willing to make new foreigner friends. The culture organization can not only enrich our communication experience, but also can provide the chances for students, which can bring us one step closer to success. For instance, every year, Chinese Students and Scholar Association will share the information about internship programs. Last year, one of my friends who was senior found a job through the CSSA. She told me it is because the Chinese Students and Scholar Association searched the jobs information for them, and help them contact to the company to make sure the information correctly. She noticed there was a New York Company looking for the international students who wanted to work in Bank. After applied to the job and interviewed, she finally got this job. Therefore, to be a member of a culture organization is very useful. Even though consider to the negative factors, it may spend you much time on working with the organization, the positive effects may help us understand why the culture organizations are important for the multilingual students. What are the benefits form join in the culture communities? What can we do as the member in the group? How do the culture organizations influence our college life? I hope you can answering these questions after read my essay.

Works Cited
IUCSSA, Official Website, [Article online]. Retrieved by September,28, 2012, from web: http://www.iucssa.com
Samuel D. Museus, “The Role of Ethnic Student Organizations in Fostering African
American and Asian American Students ' Cultural Adjustment and Membership at Predominantly White Institutions”, Journal of College Student Development, Volume 49, Number 6, November/December 2008, pp. 568-586 (Article). Web. Sep, 28, 2012.
Dafina Lazarus Stewart, “Culture Centers in Higher Education: Perspectives on Identity,
Theory, and Practice (review)”, Journal of College Student Development, Volume 53, Number 1, January/February 2012, pp. 172-174 (Article). Web. Sep, 28, 2012.
Diane P. Hedin, “The Power of Community Service”, Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science, Vol. 37, No. 2, Caring for America 's Children (1989) (pp. 201-213) (Article). Web. Sep, 28, 2012.

Cited: IUCSSA, Official Website, [Article online]. Retrieved by September,28, 2012, from web: http://www.iucssa.com Samuel D. Museus, “The Role of Ethnic Student Organizations in Fostering African American and Asian American Students ' Cultural Adjustment and Membership at Predominantly White Institutions”, Journal of College Student Development, Volume 49, Number 6, November/December 2008, pp. 568-586 (Article). Web. Sep, 28, 2012. Dafina Lazarus Stewart, “Culture Centers in Higher Education: Perspectives on Identity, Theory, and Practice (review)”, Journal of College Student Development, Volume 53, Number 1, January/February 2012, pp. 172-174 (Article). Web. Sep, 28, 2012. Diane P. Hedin, “The Power of Community Service”, Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science, Vol. 37, No. 2, Caring for America 's Children (1989) (pp. 201-213) (Article). Web. Sep, 28, 2012.