International efforts prove beneficial despite narrow scope

By Rice Thresher Staff     1/20/14 6:00pm

The Thresher is pleased to see the administration's effort to include a more diverse group of students from around the world, namely through new exchange programs in France, South Korea and Denmark, as well as the Brasil@Rice on-campus program (see story, p. 1). They provide a different perspective to the undergraduate experience and enrich cultural life.

While we think the directive to increase the international student population is good, simply increasing the percentage of international students does not necessarily make Rice more diverse. Rice should seek out a variety of international groups rather than simply focusing on students from one region or country.

While Rice has done a fine job gathering a diverse student body, we would like to see more effort put toward promoting social integration between international and exchange students and domestic students. International students come a long way from their homes to be a part of the American education system, which includes not only academics, but also social experiences. Likewise, students from the United States may come to Rice for its diverse student body. Rice students should take advantage of the opportunity to interact with diverse cultural groups and learn from their peers.

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Rice should be a place for a cultural education as well as an academic one.

 

Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Thresher editorial staff. All other opinion pieces represent solely the opinion of the piece's author.

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