The Barometer Online

Issue date: 10/27/09 Section: News

Ram Ravichandran, a student in electrical engineering, addresses a crowd in the MU at the opening ceremony of the IRC.

Vice Provost of Student Affairs Larry Roper cuts the ribbon to the doors of the new International Resource Center in the MU.

The International Resource Center kicked off its grand opening Monday, Oct. 26 in the MU lounge.

"We are an international community," said Larry Roper, vice provost of Students Affairs. "The MU is the living room of OSU, and now it's the living room for all students," Roper said.

According to the opening ceremony presentation, the purpose of the IRC is to act as a home-away-from-home for anyone with international connections and for any student who wishes to learn more about OSU's international community. It's also meant to be a place to welcome international students and faculty in a safe and comfortable environment while promoting international awareness.

In its initial stages, the IRC was the idea of a few OSU students, which include Madhurima Bahedra and Ram Ravichandran, among a few others. Ravichandran, who is majoring in electrical engineering, is the only remaining student who still attends OSU out of the original students who came up with the concept of the IRC. The others graduated last June.

"[The IRC] was an idea of like-minded students who wanted to see if it would generate interest," Ravichandran said.

In January of 2008, the original set of students met with Michael Henthorn, the director of the MU, to propose the idea of having a center for international students. A visit to UO also sparked the idea to create a center, since UO already had a similar center up and running.

In the fall of 2008, the only resource that was available for international students was the Welcome Center, which was only open at the beginning of each term.

"After they came to the Welcome Center so many international students wanted to come back throughout the year but didn't have the opportunity," said Rachael Webber, an advisor for International Student and Faculty Services. "The IRC gained momentum from seeing that kind of need."

Between January and March of 2009, the IRC was in the MU learning lounge three days a week, but it wasn't until July of this year that it moved into the MU quiet lounge, which is now its permanent location.

Ravichandran said it is very important to have a center like the IRC because of the INTO OSU initiative, whose goal is to increase the number of international students on campus.

"The center provides a place for [these] students," Ravichandran said. "It also brings the world to OSU's doorstep and to those who don't get the opportunity to go abroad."

Even though the center has grown quickly since 2008, it's still in its beginning phase. According to Webber, the IRC never began with a set budget, and now is mostly student-fee funded.

The center works in collaboration with ISOSU and the Campus Alliance for International Resources. Currently, the IRC serves as a place to come and explore and share ideas on the various cultures that encompass the student body. There are brown bag lunches students can attend as well as coffee hours every other Monday.

In the future, the IRC hopes to provide students with resource material for those hoping to travel and learn about other cultures. The IRC is open Monday through Friday from 11:00 to 2 p.m and 4:00 to 6 p.m., but hopes to reach the goal of remaining open from 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.

According to Ravichandran the IRC is in need of volunteers. For students interested in becoming involved with the center or volunteering, there are meetings every Friday at 11 a.m. at the IRC.

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Yadira Gutierrez, staff writer

737-2231, news@dailybarometer.com

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