ssues & ideas EDITOR EDMOND LU THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 09, 2014 7 International students in the spotlight Langara set a record high for international student recruitment this year and named international education as a priority in a newly-published five-year academic plan. So EDMOND LU photo Six months after taking over funding for B.C. ESL programs, the federal government still haven’t announced plans for future funding. Domestic ESL programs in danger Uncertainty in funding means the end of domestic ESL at Langara By SANDY POWLIK angara College will not be able to provide English as a Second Lan- guage programs to new domestic students starting in 2015. Last year, the federal government changed the way it funds ESL educa- tion in B.C.. “The federal government stopped funnelling funds to the province and is now administering it directly,’ said Langara English for Academic Purpos- es program coordinator, Sandra Johan- sen. ESL programs in B.C. are “an impor- tant bridge to education, to training and to the workforce for thousands of people who have decided to call B.C. home,” said Rodney Porter, a spokes- person for the Ministry of Advanced Education. The Ministry of Advanced Education provided a $17-million one-time pay- ment in transition funding to 17 institu- tions for ESL in 2014-15. Not six months after the transition funding, three of B.C.’s six largest ESL providers are unable to accept new do- mestic students in 2015 due to lack of funding. Instead of distributing funds to schools directly, the federal govern- ment is now leaving ESL programs in the hands of non-profits. This means greatly reduced funding, and since no specific plan has been worked out, sev- eral thousand students will be turned away next year. Johansen says it is a tough situation for domestic students, who comprise 20 to 30 per cent of ESL students at Langa- ra. “We have enough funding for our current domestic students to continue in future sessions, however, we do not have funding to accept new domestic students into the program at this time,” Johansen said. The LEAP program provides ESL training to about 3,000 domestic and in- ternational students every year and received $776,000 from the province. The payment was to help schools transition to the new funding model, but according to Porter, “this funding has dried up.” Good news for LEAP 7 student, Shir- ley Liu, who can finish the program’s eight levels. Liu said the program pushed and motivated her “to meet the standards of upper-level” English. The ministry is unsure about the fu- ture of domestic ESL programs in B.C., Porter said, “but we want to make it sustainable.” At this point, Johansen says there is nothing they can do. “We are waiting to hear about the future of the funding.” 66 [ESL pro- grams are/an important bridge to education, to training and to the workforce for thou- sands of people. RODNEY PORTER Freedom seekers covet Canadian citizenship Judge to give seminar on the rights, freedoms and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship By MARY BEACH Canadian citizens gathered at Langara College on Friday, where representatives from B.C.’s Provincial Nominee Program described who is eli- gible for the program and how it works to the Canadian citizen hopefuls. Another citizenship seminar, “The Two Aspects of Canadian Citizenship,” given by citizenship Judge Robert D. Watt, former Chief Herald of Canada and recipient of the Queen’s Dia- mond and Gold Ju- bilee Medals, fol- lows close on its heels and hopes to inspire students to think about what it means to be a Ca- nadian. “It was my dream from child- hood,” says inter- national nursing student Rashpal Kaur, about becoming a Canadian citizen. “Freedom is much more important here.” Harpreet Kaur Gill, another interna- tional nursing student, believes that here in Canada, nursing is a noble pro- fession with “advanced technologies and facilities.” “In Canada, you work hard to settle and make a place for yourself in the country,” Gill said. Canadian-born Geoff Stoakes does not claim to be very patriotic, But he believes Canadians embody “open- mindedness, diversity, a wide range of ethnicities, and [are] generally polite.” “It’s one of the most valued citizen- ships in the world,” said Ashli Kom- aryk, member of the board of directors for the Canadian Club of Vancouver, sponsor of Thursday’s seminar. “Our mission is to promote Canadi- an citizenship and to encourage other Canadians to recognize the incredible country that we live in,” said Komaryk. Si interested in becoming HARPREET KAUR GILL Internationa nursing student International department eases students into Canadian living Department has programs in place to help students adjust to the challenges of studying and living in a foreign enviroment ¥ a \ a H be Alice D'Eon photo Yvonne Kwok says the best thing for new international students is to keep an open mind. . "a = The Voice is also online! SCAN THIS QR CODE To find this story online, or visit http:// langaravoice.ca/ By ALICE D’EON demic Plan” on Sept. 25, which lists the recruitment of international students as one of its five main priori- ties. Interestingly, international enroll- ment at the schoo] also set record highs this fall. According to the document, Langara wants to “increase international stu- dent enrolment to meet or exceed pro- vincial and federal targets.” However, living in a new country for the first time can be challenging, and Langara’s international education department aims to do all it can to facilitate a smooth transition for its growing popu- lation of international students. The department encourages stu- I angara released a five-year “Aca- dents to take advantage of the support available on campus while trying to ad- just to a new culture. “They’re not only having to adjust to a new education system, which might be very different from what they are used to,” said Teresa Brooks, manager of International Student Services. “It’s also the living environment.” For students who feel shy about speaking English in public, there are workshops like i-Chat, where an inter- national student coordinator runs a discussion on a topic relevant to some of the hurdles the international stu- dents face. The i-Explore program gives new- comers a chance to get to know their new city, while i-Café offers the oppor- tunity to mix and mingle in a relaxed setting with other international stu- dents. “This office has an open door policy,” Brooks said. “We always tell our stu- dents that we hope this will be their first point of contact when they come to Langara.” Despite all the effort the department makes to ease its students into their new home, there are still things Cana- dians do which we consider normal, but freak them out. “In my first semester, I saw someone eating a banana in class. I was like, re- ally? It was a shock,” said Yvonne Kwok, who is from Hong King, and a recent grad of Langara’s university transfer program. Kwok’s advice for international stu- dents is to be open and try new things.