The International Student and Exchange Services (ISES) sees itself as a home away from home for the 1,700 international students who attend Dalhousie. But most of its services have been provided from a single office in the Killam Library. That could soon change. An international student centre in a new building on the Sexton campus may soon offer better services and longer hours.
Although planning is still in the preliminary stages, the ISES hopes this restructuring will help solve problems related to the current format.
According to the ISES Project and Program Coordinator, Natalie Wood, the program’s main purpose is to provide international students with a smooth transition to Dalhousie.
“We ensure they have a home to go to,” she says.
This home includes social activities, like the upcoming bowling night, as well as information meetings. Meetings cover topics like academic advising, income tax clinics, health care information and general information about living in Canada.
Currently students are advised about services by email. Wood says this makes getting the word out to the international student community a big challenge, with email fatigue playing a significant role. The proposed new student centre should help increase the ISES’s visibility.
Students willing to read their ISES emails are sometimes surprised by the range of services available.
Economics PhD student Shamsul Arefin, from Bangladesh, says the ISES has information he needs.
“I often receive emails with anything I should know. Things like this,” he says, gesturing to tax forms available at the ISES tax clinic he is attending.
Haley Farrar, a second year student from the United States, gives the ISES a mixed review.
“I think that the social events are great, especially for people who may have culture shock, but I’ve never had any luck on the bureaucratic side of things,” she says.
She found that the ISES was unable to help her access the health care plan. “They just couldn’t answer my questions.”
On a larger scale, Wood says the ISES’ reaction to events outside Canada has always been important to international students. Following the earthquake in Japan, they began to mobilize in order to provide students with as much information as possible.
“We’re a safe place for students to come and talk about their fears,” she says. Wood says the office also provides students with useful contacts for organizations like the Red Cross. “We tell them where and who to talk to,” she says, “because people don’t always know.”
In addition to helping students who are visiting Canada, ISES provides assistance for current Dalhousie students who want to study on exchanges.
Second-year student Heather Gale will study in Denmark next semester. The ISES gave her general information and guidance throughout the application process.
“The experience so far has been very positive,” she says, “The people are always friendly and informative.”
Gale thinks the exchange services should circulate more student testimonials about different exchange locations to ensure all students know the variety of services the ISES provides.
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