Diamondback coverage of international students ‘exhibits insensitivity’
I am outraged and highly disappointed by The Diamondback’s lack of support for the Annual Thanksgiving Dinner hosted by the International Graduate Student Association.
Although it did send a photographer – who did an excellent job in capturing the spirit of the evening on film – the paper did not see it fit to send a reporter to our event. We had more than 300 international students attending our dinner, plus university administrators such as Assistant President and Chief of Staff Ann Wylie, Associate Provost for Equity and Diversity Cordell Black and Director of International Programs Saul Sosnowski. Despite numerous invitations by mail, e-mail and phone, no reporter came. Worse, I talked to a Diamondback staff member on the phone just hours before the event started who assured me The Diamondback would send a reporter and photographer as well as run a special focus on international issues.
Only a small picture on page two gave credit to this important and successful event geared solely toward international students. Ironically, Wednesday’s issue featured an article on the declining number of international students, in which I, in my role as the president of IGSA, was quoted.
The grammatical error in the statement I issued to The Diamondback reporter via phone in reference to the article on international student numbers further exhibits an insensitivity toward non-native English speakers that is only exceeded by the paper’s staff’s thoughtlessness to ignore the IGSA Thanksgiving Dinner. I am saddened and angered beyond belief by The Diamondback’s insensitivity to and lack of support for international students. I can only hope, in the future, the paper’s reporting staff will show more respect and appreciation for the international student constituency on the campus.
Isabell Cserno
President
International Graduate Student Association
Grad Pub is student government at its finest
Every Friday from 4 to 7 p.m., more than a hundred graduate students gather at R.J. Bentley’s for the weekly Graduate Pub. Now in its second year at Bentley’s, Grad Pub has grown into a something truly unique.
Each week we have close to 30 different graduate programs represented and at least one graduate student from every continent in the world. Grad Pub is a great place to meet new friends, catch up with old ones and unwind after a long week. Graduate students have proven to be extremely loyal to the Pub, turning out rain or shine every week in record numbers. If you’re a graduate student at the university and haven’t been down to the Pub before, I would encourage you to do so. You can find out more about Grad Pub at the Graduate Student Government’s website www.gsg.umd.edu.
It isn’t all just fun and games, or beer and chicken wings, for that matter. A few weeks ago, Board of Regents member Jim Rosapepe and College Park Mayor Stephen Brayman were in attendance, going from table to table for over an hour, talking to graduate students about their concerns. Provost Bill Destler has also been a guest at Grad Pub. Members of the Graduate Student Government, which sponsors the event, are also consistently in attendance, and go out of their way to meet their constituents and listen to their ideas and problems.
Grad Pub is an example of student government at its finest. Grad Pub attracts a diverse and loyal crowd and also serves as a means for sharing concerns and organizing social action. Some of the Graduate Student Government’s best ideas have started out as small talk among friends at Grad Pub.
David Foster
Graduate student
Criminology and criminal justice
Vice President for Community Development
Graduate Student Government
