The demand for housing options that broaden the cultural awareness of UW-Madison students — both international and local — has led to the development of the new International Learning Community (ILC) in Adams Hall this fall.
“I come back to the United States after many years overseas to understand America not only through my eyes but through the eyes of the world. [ILC] is an extension of my life overseas,” junior Zachary Zilinski of Behran said.
Associate Dean of International Students Mike Hinden said the concept for the ILC came approximately a year ago when University Housing’s Merit Hall’s Global Village, a program with similar structure, became extremely popular.
Cindy Havens, a residence hall manager, said the ILC is home to more than 50 students, 14 of whom are international. Its curriculum has similar goals to the learning communities of Chadbourne and Bradley residence halls and the Women in Science and Engineering Residence Halls. However, unlike other learning communities, the ILC focuses on international and cultural issues. The theme of the program is International Knowledge and Awareness.
In addition to hall interaction and increased access to faculty, ILC residents participate in a variety of activities to further the learning process. The group plans to take a class together and attend other cultural activities, like cultural dances, concerts with an international appeal, and plays such as “The Taming of the Shrew”.
While the ILC plans to experience a broad spectrum of cultures, the German culture was chosen as the hall’s first cultural emphasis. This is because of the German department’s willingness and eagerness to work with ILC. The first floor and half of the second floor of Adams Hall, titled Stockwerk Deutsch, are German-oriented.
Signs such as Herren (men) and Gemeinschaftsraum (den), among others, give the floors a German flair. Further, not a word of English is allowed to exit the mouths of its residents and with the presence of a German native, students are immersed in the German experience.
The concept of a learning community with an international focus was merely a natural response to the 4,000 or so international students that attend the UW Hinden explained.
“It’s a great place for students interested in other cultures,” he added.
Havens said that ILC provides valuable opportunities for students to connect and form relationships with their professors. In fact, students regularly eat dinner with faculty members. Since students live in such a melange of cultures and backgrounds, learning is inevitable, especially for those interested in studying abroad. Interaction with foreign neighbors gives students a head start on intercultural learning that can be taken abroad.
“The ILC helps to get international students learning about the United States while their own cultures are celebrated,” Hinden said.
“It’s a good experience because I can meet lots of people and because I’m interested in other countries,” sophomore Asuka Fukushima of Tokoyo, Japan said.
The Stockwerk Deutsch is hopefully only the start of more ILCs to come. Tentative plans for a Spanish language and culture floor in Adams Hall for next year are in the works.
Unfortunately, past experience has shown that the student body isn’t always continually and readily responsive to diversity, said Multicultural Residential Consultant Fatima Ashraf.
“Restricting yourself to your own culture/ethnicity is a form of isolation and a proponent of ignorance. Exploration leads to experience which leads to a reaction on one’s part, and reactions are physical teachers,” Ashraf said.
