The Online Reflector

As summer break came to a close and students started settling in to a new school year, the 2012 presidential election was in full swing. This election season has been widely talked about in other countries and around the United States.

Out of a campus community of  more than 5,000, the University of Indianapolis has more than 400 students, faculty and staff  who represent more than 40 countries.

“I don’t hear much about [international] students becoming politically involved or active,” said Director of the International Division Mimi Chase.

Chase said she thinks international students who are faced with economic difficulties may need to focus more on education and jobs rather than on politics.

Gina Lin, who is an international student from Taiwan, knows  little about American politics. Lin is a senior sociology major who came to UIndy in August 2012 to study for one year.

“In Taiwan, we have lots of news of American politics. But I focus on [politics in] Taiwan, because it can affect Taiwan,” Lin said.

For students such as Lin, American politics may be difficult to keep up with. But Lin said she understands the importance of its role in the world, especially with respect to their home country. Lin mentioned a few upcoming issues in Taiwan and said that America is involved in some of the conversations about them.

Chase said that because politics in other countries can affect so many areas of life, the people of those countries may need to be aware of politics and actively involved. She said that for Americans, however, there is not usually the same need for awareness because there are not likely to be drastic changes; especially not changes that will affect their basic needs of food and shelter.

Chase, who has visited other countries, said she has seen what it is like to be worried about food for the next day. The United States is fortunate generally to have economic security, she said, and even though there have been recent struggles, they are small in comparison to many places in the world.

Associate Professor of History and Political Science Milind Thakar works with international students, discussing American and foreign politics on a regular basis.

“I don’t think they [international students] care much about not voting,” Thakar said. “Students tend to find it [American politics] very entertaining and very odd.”

Thakar also mentioned the cultural differences that stem from collectivistic and individualistic orientations. He said for American candidates to say, “pick me” is striking in its individualistic approach. For students who come from countries where political sides are voted for, rather than single candidates, that it may come across as odd, Thakar said.

Through the discussions that he conducts in his classrooms, Thakar said he has observed that students are surprised that political candidates are not truthful, which they did not expect to be the case in America.

Thakar said there is an obvious lack of awareness of foreign politics, both as a whole for Americans and for political candidates. He also said that students studying political science have mentioned a lack of knowledge of international affairs in American politics.

“Students feel that they [candidates] should know about international events that concern America,” Thakar said.

He believes that two improvements students would like to see in American politics are increased geographical awareness (especially among politically engaged individuals) and increased respect for other people in the world.

Thakar said that there are too many of what he calls “geography illiterate” Americans and that it should be the candidates’ responsibility to understand geography, especially when it involves American issues.

“Most Americans do not think of other countries in [a] favorable light because they do not know,” Thakar said.

Thakar mentioned the common statement that America is the “greatest country,” but he said he believes the public ignorance of other countries ends up leading to a negative perception of the rest of the world.

Thakar thinks too many Americans are afraid to interact with foreigners and that both groups are truly curious. He said that he knows there are students who would love to talk about their own country, and they are also curious to hear about the United States. He said he would like to see more interaction between different cultures.

Sophomore communication major Rabab Bo Khamseen is from Saudi Arabia. She said that she is not particularly active and is only slightly aware of American politics. She said that although she is not very interested in American politics, she does follow Saudi Arabian politics.

A natural tendency among international students is to observe and retain one’s own opinion rather than expressing it.

“Some of our students come from countries that do not grant [the] liberty of free speech,” Chase said.

In contrast, she said Americans have the right to freedom of speech and are  encouraged to speak their opinions.

According to Chase, providing a safe place to discuss political topics could bring about more international student involvement. She thought there might be less hesitancy to express one’s opinion if an on-campus event where students could freely and respectfully discuss political issues. This, she said, may also encourage people from different cultural backgrounds to interact.