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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (June 2, 1982)
'Eh? What was that again?' Language barrier hurdled Apparently foreign profes sors and graduate teach ing fellows are not pre senting the University with the same problems that colleges in the rest of the nation are facing. At some Universities, students are complaining because they can't under stand the English of non-national professors and GTFs. But not at the University, where an estimated 10 to 15 percent of the staff and faculty are non-nationals. At feast, not very much or very often. Some students do admit they have prob lems understanding a professor because of his accent, but they usually just transfer out of the class or go talk to the professor about the problem Department heads in the hard sciences, where most of the foreigners are concentrated, say they don't let for eigners teach unless they are competent in English For example, math GTFs usually teach courses, but foreign ones may assist a regular professor for a term before they teach on their own. “We assess whether the person is doing well before we assign a regular course,” says Theodore Palmer, head of the math department “Many of the students have problems with (the foreign GTFs),” he admits, adding that the department has only had to remove one GTF from a teaching position and that person was also having problems with graduate studies. He says they have less than one complaint a week about specific communications Story: Sandy Johnstone Photography: Mark Pynes problems with GTFs and they average about five complaints a week about gen eral concerns. If the department receives even one complaint about an instructor, Palmer will make the person aware of it with either a phone call or a note. If they receive several complaints, he will have a faculty member sit in on the class to judge the accuracy of the complaints “Sometimes the complaint seems to tally unjustified and sometime it seems absolutely on the mark," says Palmer "The language difficulty can be a barrier, but it can be surmounted in many cases ” Palmer says the department has to consider the academic part of a graduate student’s career as well as teaching ability. "We want to get the very best graduate students we can and some times the better ones are from over seas." He adds that the foreign GTFs may not be “among the very best (in teaching), but they do an adequate job “ Jim Tattersall, head of the economics department, agrees “There are a lot of foreign students who want to do graduate work in the United States and there's no reason why they shouldn't compete for those positions,” he says. "We've had very few complaints ” The economics department has two different types of teaching situations for GTFs which may help to lessen the problem Usually they start out teaching Economics 199 classes under a profes sor’s supervision before teaching a regular three credit lower division course The economics department requires that the applicants show they can "han dle English pretty well” judging from their performance on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) "If students have a problems with in structor they shouldn't hesitate to take the problem known to the faculty super visor and department chair so corrective action can be taken," he says Foreign professors and GTFs them selves don't seem to perceive a great problem either "The language barrier is not there," says Iraj Fooladi, visiting assistant econ omics professor from Iran. "The subject is very technical. Experience says if students do not understand, it is not the language, but the concept." Fooladi. who has been in the United States for five years, says he presents his lecture in "different wording than an American professor," but adds that that is "not vital in understanding the material for the students." His students seem to have few com plaints about his teaching “Sometimes I have to really listen, but I usually understand," says John Barton, a pre-buisiness major in Fooland's Econ 375 class. He doesn't think he would be doing any better with an American professor "It (his communications skill) does create problems, but you learn to adjust to it," says Becky Taicott, a pre-business major in Fooladi's Econ 375 class "You have to listen more carefully which might help in the long run." Taicott does not think she could do any better with an American'professor either She says she ts getting about the same grades as in previous economics classes Former Soviet Sergey Yuzvinsky, as sociate math professor, says he has had "no problems” with students not understanding his lectures "They sometimes ask again, but the subject is \ “The language barrier la not there," says IraJ Fooled!, a visiting economics professor from Iran. international,” he says "I know before hand what the questions will be." “In my first lecture. I ask people to correct me (on pronunciation)," he says "Usually no one does.” Stephany Freeman, math major, also says she has had no problems under standing Yuzvinsky She did have trou ble with a GTF last year, but took another class from her this year and found her English much improved Hsing-Yeh Wu. a GTF in chemistry, has only spoken English for one year, but "I practice a lot,” she says. A recommendation from a professor at New York State University wrote a recommendation of her English ability so she could be accepted here "The students are very friendly," says Wu. "If it's difficult to explain, I show how to do it and write it on paper Some students like an international education They like to come and talk (about Chin a)" FALL TERM AT THE OREGON COAST ONE OF THE BEST THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COLLEGE EDUCATION For more information about how you con learn in on exciting and stimulating atmosphere come down to Suite 1 EMU X4073 APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE GET STUFFED! I wanna stuff you an’ yer favorite wid any 3-ingredient small Souttisider pizza anna pitcher a soft drink er beer fer emcAce style meza -V~ ri EAH I M \t n TAKE-OUTS 345-4114 652 EAST BROADWAY/-'
