Contact: Maridith Geuder
It may be "hola" in Spanish, "czes" in Polish or "hello" in English, but everyone involved in a new Mississippi State program shares the common language of friendship.
Now in its second year, the Conversation Partner program pairs English-speaking and international students studying on the Starkville campus. Coordinated by the university's English as a Second Language Center, the new program was created to help the visiting students practice and expand their English language skills while simultaneously learning more about American culture.
A part of MSU's Division of Continuing Education, the ESL Center offers an intensive language immersion program that provides more than 20 instructional hours weekly. Since 1999 alone, enrollment has included more than 500 students from nearly 35 countries stretching from Argentina to the Czech Republic to Thailand.
ESL manager Philip G. Bonfanti began Conversation Partner as a volunteer effort that would supplement formal ESL studies while providing additional benefits for all involved.
"I was looking for a way to encourage interaction between ESL and Mississippi State students," he said. "Happily, the program has become more than a lesson in speaking. It also has become a lesson on forging lasting friendships across international boundaries."
Prior to beginning their cross-cultural exchanges, ESL students and their English-speaking partners share the general framework for agreed-upon interactions with program coordinator and instructor Molly J. Watkins. They then work out a schedule of activities, deciding how often to meet, where to go and what to do.
"The specifics are up to the partners," Watkins said. "My role is to formalize the arrangements."
According to two of the volunteer students, participation in the Conversation Partner program has significantly expanded their out-of-class educations.
"I have made some of the best friends of my life through this program," said Daniel P. Peeks of Birmingham, Ala., a junior psychology major who first learned about the program in an English class.
Since volunteering last year, he opened his Starkville home to four students and spent spring break in Florida with partner students. Taking his experiences one step further, he left recently for a year in South Korea as part of an academic exchange program.
"I've always had an interest in Asian culture and will be excited to see my friends in Korea again," he said shortly before leaving.
Like Peeks, Amy M. Harrington of Meridian, who recently earned a master's degree in education, said volunteering for the program has helped her establish new friendships and expand her cultural understandings.
"During a backpacking trip to Europe, I was able to visit an ESL friend in Poland and stay in her home," Harrington said. "As a result, I learned more about her family and a lot more about her culture."
The ESL Center continually is seeking American and other English-speaking volunteers to serve in Conversation Partner. In light of the Sept. 11 national--some would say, international--catastrophes in New York and Washington, programs such as these have taken on a greater meaning.
"Recent tragic events have reinforced the need for strong communication and understanding between people of different cultures," Bonfanti said. "We believe that providing opportunities such as Conversation Partner is more important now than ever before."
For more information about MSU Conversation Partner, telephone Bonfanti, Watkins or other ESL Center personnel at (662) 325-2648.