The Oakland Center’s Habitat—Oakland University’s social and gaming hub—became the epicenter of an immersive experience for international students in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program at OU on Jan 16. Like every semester, students from Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and all over the world spent some time at the “ESL Fun & Games” event to mingle with other Grizzlies and practice their English language skills. 

For almost 20 years, the ESL institute, as part of the Global Engagement Office, has supported international students in improving their language proficiency, whether it is to take back home or pursue careers in Michigan.

“Today’s event was put together to develop a sense of belonging for our new students,” Elizabeth Adams, ESL coordinator and international adviser, said. “Since we have a seven-week program, seven-week terms, students come and go so it’s nice to re-establish a sense of classroom culture.”

The crowd this year was on the smaller side, eight as opposed to the almost 20 students enrolling per term. Office of Global Engagement Executive Director Adem Althor explained that this reduction in participants responds to international trends.

“If you go back 10 years ago, we, as well as many other English language institutes, had a lot of students coming from China, coming from Saudi Arabia for language learning,” Althor said. “Those markets are sending fewer students these days, but we have students from Vietnam, students from Korea and other countries.”

The support has remained the same regardless of class size or language level, with most students finding new friends at OU’s residence halls, where most stay for the duration of the program. Jack Coyle, a political science major, attended the Friday get-together with Khoi Tran after they met at Hillcrest.

“Khoi is my suitemate, we go everywhere, we play pool, go to the dining hall, go to the gym,” Coyle said. “He brought his Vietnamese snacks over to the dorm and we traded. I gave him Goldfish and Sun Chips and he gave me his snacks, which I liked better—Vietnamese snacks.”

Like for Coyle, the cultural exchange is bilateral, with many American students invested in welcoming ESL students to the culture at OU. 

“We’re bringing the world to our campus here,” Althor said. “It’s really exciting when our American students get to know the language learners and learn about their country, learn a few words in their language, partake in their holidays and festivals. ”

Back in the classroom, the ESL Institute provides participants with pathways to pursue a degree at OU. Aside from full access to all on-campus resources, students find support getting F-1 and J-1 student visas to extend their academic experience.

“Students go on for a degree and finish up with their level seven courses, so that’s very exciting,” Adams said. “They come back and they talk about their program and I help them with that application process for an academic degree.”

As diverse as the students, the institute also offers custom programs where professionals also find themselves practicing through casual conversation. 

“We had a group come twice from Japan to visit and improve their English language skills,” Adams said. “We had a local company in the Detroit Metro area take classes with us as part of a customized program and they were an automotive supplier.”

With support from the office of the Registrar and Housing, Adams and Althor have been looking for more allies to enrich the experience of international students beyond university grounds. 

“In the past, we’ve done Mackinac Island, certainly Detroit, we went to the DIA,” Althor said. “We are always looking outside of our main campus. What can we show students?”