Peking University 中文
Peking University 中文
Current location: Home > News > Campus > Content
背景图

Campus Community Advisor Program Launched at PKU Shenzhen

Date:

In line with pursuing an active internationalization program, Peking University Shenzhen launched the Campus Community Advisors (CCA) program to promote integration between Chinese and international students. The program launched by the Chancellor’s Secretariat Office (CSO) has been planned keeping and to address the difficulties faced by the international students so far. This program being introduced for the first time in China and being modelled on similar successful programs in American universities is a part of the pioneering initiatives of Peking University Shenzhen to develop an international campus. The CCA’s selected from a pool of over 20 applicants will live together with international students on the same floor in twin shared room and will share a plethora of responsibilities both trivial such as unlocking rooms in case of loss of keys to the broader cultural integration of international students.



The primary role of the CCA’s as envisioned by the programs progenitors namely Ms. Gretta Herrin and others from the CSO is to live in on-campus housing in a peer advising capacity and make connections with their residents and connect residents the various student services offered by PKU Shenzhen by bridging the language barriers. The CCA’s are also expected to collaborate with staff members to promote positive social and culturally inclusive activities to help international students get to know their Chinese peers. The CCA program has been very well received by the international student community so far. “International students face a lot of problems in our daily lives, which are mere inconveniences but not easy to deal with. The CCA’s we believe will put an end to this”, said one international student when asked about his expectation from this initiative.

Selection of CCA’s

The CCA’s are selected from a pool of highly motivated Chinese students with the necessary English language proficiency. Intercultural competence to deal with professors and students from different background as well as the time and willingness to participate in the program were also pivotal selection factors. “I do agree that I am really busy, but all law school students are busy. What matters is that I am willing to extract some time off my schedule to help my friends”, said one applicant during the interview process. This reporter witnessed the interview process firsthand during his internship at the Chancellors office. The initial phase of the selection process involved filling up a detailed form with several motivations oriented questions. This was followed by a friendly interview by staff members from the HSBC Business School, CSO as well as international students themselves. There were several light moments in the interview. Because the interview was a two way process, the applicants were also encouraged to ask questions to the team to which one applicant after a brief moment replied, “When do we start?” The entire room burst out with laughter.

After the two stage selection process, eight students were selected as CCA’s, six from the School of Transnational Law, one from the School of Sciences and Humanities (SHSS) and one from the School of Electronics and Computer Engineering (SECE). Taking note of the large number of large number of STL students compared to other schools, a CCA said, “it might be a good way for PHBS and STL to collaborate”, while another remarked, “after the extremely high tuition fee at STL, at least my room is for free”, and added, “joking of course”, after a long pause and a small period of hysterical laughter.

Responsibilities of the CCA’s

The CCA’s are entrusted with several important responsibilities such as helping international students if they lose their room key, being on call at times of emergencies etc. To facilitate this, all international students are asked to sign a key waiver to allow the CCA’s to have in their possession a copy of their room key. “This has been a standard practice in American graduate schools for a long time. We are trying to introduce it here”, said Gretta Herrin, who first came up with the idea of initiating a CCA program, about the key waiver. “But this is not incentive for the international students to be careless because the CCA’s are there to assist, not babysit the international students”. The CCA’s taking turn will always be available on call to help an international student. Apart from these day to day activities, the broad spectrum responsibilities of the CCA’s are to jointly organize cultural inclusion activities. The CCA’s also will not be responsible for accompanying international students to hospitals etc. These activities will remain operational in in the same way as till now with volunteers being arranged through English Association and Volunteer Association. The CCA’s can however help the international students find volunteers.

The CCA’s met all the international students this week at NYPD through a pizza party organized by Ms. Herrin. The atmosphere of the party was jovial where the CCA’s and international students shared their experiences both good and bad with each other. This reporter had his share of fun too listening to the overtly comic conversations happening all across the NYPD. One of the CCA’s while introducing himself said, “ . . . my name is ….. I am there to assist you. And if you have any problems, you can call my roommate first”. Nearing the end of the party, a CCA laughingly added, “time to have beer with our European friends because being a CCA is all about learning each other’s culture”. If the pizza party was any sign of what is to come, the CCA’s will greatly improve the internationalization efforts of PKU Shenzhen as well as lessen the inconveniences in the life of an international student.

Written by Sunny Mewati and April Peng
 


Scroll to top

Latest News

MORE
Links
Your PKUSZ
Follow Us

Copyright © 2021 Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School. All rights reserved. Email: iao@pku.edu.cn

粤ICP备12081285号