COLLOQUY

THE QUESTION

RESPONSES

BACKGROUND

It is to our advantage on the world stage to Americanize foreign students, especially those from dictatorships such as China. Their way of thinking and their attitude towards Americans are almost always favorably influenced, which helps us when these students become leaders in their homelands.

The fees paid by foreign students or their governments help academic "assembly lines" going, so that professors, labs and money will be available for future Americans. Such things are usually beyond the resources of most states or boards of trustees.

I agree that it can be a political problem trying to justify so many foreign students to state taxpayers and alumni who graduated in different times. However, the socio-economic advantages above can be used to sway doubters. The political point in favor of foreign students is that reciprocal rights are extended to Americans studying overseas, which most of us would support as a worthwhile broadening experience. It certainly was for me as an American at University College London, which has foreign students forming nearly a quarter of the student population with very few problems.

-- Robert W. Allen, Ph.D., Univ. of London (posted 5/11, 9:30 a.m., E.D.T.)

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