Literature Review

I’ve acquired a few sources for my literature review. They are articles I found from our time in the library, learning how to look up articles and databases as a class. My community of research is the Cranwell International Center and my articles present different aspects of this community. A common thread I found throughout all of these articles, however, is the positive impact Cranwell’s services have both on the international students at Virginia Tech, and on the Blacksburg community. One article told about a woman’s fight to get her U.S. residency after she obtained her post-doctorate. Another article described what goes on during “international week,” held at the Cranwell Center. The third article talks about a family in Blacksburg who participates in the “International Friendship Program” and consider the international students they’ve hosted like their own children. The last article is about how international students here at Virginia Tech have adjusted to life in Blacksburg from their hometowns in other countries.
The first article I mentioned, titled, “‘Postdocs’ Fight the Clock to Get U.S. Residency,” (Esposito, 2007) goes into the struggle many international scholars have when trying to study in the U.S. In one particular case, Katrin Anacker, a German woman had a scholarship to study at Ohio State University and then stayed in America through Virginia Tech’s Metropolitan Institute in Alexandria, is running out of time to apply for U.S. residency because she has yet to get a job offer. Kim Beisecker, the director of the Cranwell International Center brought up a very scary, yet true point in this article. First, she mentions in the article that “there’s no underestimating how difficult how difficult it can be for foreign scholars without permanent residency to jump from position to position and one temporary visa to another.” Beisecker says, “You’re talking years of not knowing where your future is. No control over timing, no control over the decision, really.”
The second article I use in my literature review, “Around the World in 10 Days Explore Cultural Diversity During Tech’s International Week,” (Mason, 1996) advertises Tech’s celebration of international diversity due to a variety of events in a span of 10 days, held at the Cranwell International Center. It begins with a parade at the Cranwell Center and includes a variety of events including movie nights, luncheons celebrating the foods of different cultures and the International Street Fair on Saturday. A good number of the students who go to Tech are foreign students so the Mason writes that through international week, the student of Tech and the people of Blacksburg can learn about the different cultures represented without having to leave Blacksburg.
The third article I use, “Hosts Can Create an International Family,” (Campbell, 2001) sheds light on the “International Friendship Program” the Cranwell Center offers. Through this program, families can host international students and help them better acclimate to the American life-style. The family this article is about, the Whites, “have nine children, but only three are theirs biologically…[they] consider six international students they’ve adopted…as their own children.” One international student from China, Xuzhu Dong, thinks of the Whites, Christiansburg residents, as his American mother and father. The Whites have done many different activates with Dong. They even hosted his baby shower for him and his wife, and have included them in their Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays.
The last article in my literature review, “Virginia Tech: International Students at Virginia Tech Face Daily Challenges,” (Welter, 2000) consults with a couple of international students at Virginia Tech and records their opinions of the university and campus. This article cites Kim Beisecker’s claim once again that Tech’s international students represent many different nationalities each year. The students interviewed for this article all say that they love the Blacksburg campus for its rural setting. They do complain however that because of this rural setting, it’s more difficult to get around if you don’t have a car but they enjoy the activities offered on campus none the less.
Through these articles that I have read, there’s no denying that the Cranwell International Center’s impact on the students at Tech and the Blacksburg community has been an influential and positive one. I’ve seen time and time again that although the transition international students have to make to both Tech and to America can be a very difficult one, the Cranwell Center does a superb job making that transition as smooth as possible. They do this both by teaching the students how to adapt to American culture, and by educating U.S. citizens of the cultures represented at Virginia Tech.