International students fend for themselves during spring break

International students at Georgia College & State University faced accommodation challenges to reside in Milledgeville over Spring Break.

Many international students who live on campus or near campus depend greatly on services provided by the university. However, for the week of Spring Break, international students had to find other means of food and alternate transportation.

Food services such as Sodexho’s Dining Hall, Chick-fil-A, and Books & Brew were closed from Friday, March 11 until the following Sunday, March 20.

Libby Davis, the International Student Advisor, admits that there are challenges for the international students who stay on campus for the holiday. International students who live in the dorms had limited food options because there aren’t many cooking supplies like pots or pans in the dorms.

Also, campus shuttles halted transportation during the week of Spring Break. Most international students do not have cars and losing the shuttle for a week created obstacles.

“If we’re trying to get more students on campus, we need to provide more services,” Davis said.

GC&SU is allowing students to stay on property for Spring Break. Davis said she commends the university for being understanding of international students who are staying in the dorms over long holidays such as Winter Break and Spring Break.

“I think University Housing is supportive of these students during the breaks by ensuring they have a place to stay,” Davis said.

Not everything on campus was closed. Einstein Bros Bagels remained open, and other facilities such as the Depot, the library and the labs remained open with shortened hours. The Centennial Center provided regular hours during the break.

Not all international students stayed on campus for the break. Twenty international students signed up to go on the International Club’s Spring Break trip. The club’s officers planned a three-day trip to Daytona Beach, Cape Canaveral, and St. Augustine, Florida.

Some members of the club suggested that the trip should have been longer. Others wished that the club officials had chosen a different location.

Savinder Juneja from India attended the International Club trip to Florida, but encountered hardships upon return from the vacation.

“I had to hire a cab to go get food. It was $4 to hire a cab one-way,” Juneja said.

Sadiq Oyapero of Nigeria encountered similar problems with the dining hall’s closing.

“International students had nowhere to go and nothing to eat,” Oyapero said. “I had to eat 40 cents Ramen noodles.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 1 2005. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry