From: gerry@cmu.edu (Gerry Roston)
Newsgroups: sci.engr,sci.edu,misc.education,sci.engr.biomed,sci.engr.chem
Subject: Re: Foreign Students / Faculty
Date: 9 Apr 92 21:05:46 GMT
Reply-To: gerry@cmu.edu (Gerry Roston)
Organization: Field Robotics Center, CMU


[I will offer a viewpoint contrary to most of the others that have
been posted.]

In article <1992Apr8.022921.6693@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> khafagi@egr.msu.edu (Bassem K. Khafagi) writes:

   * 1. Do you feel FE are assets or burden to the system

Burden: Students in other countries must, by the nature of their
educational systems, rise to the very top, or they will be shut out.
This means that in competing with American students, who do not
necessarily have the same work ethic, they will appear to be the
better choice.  This means that at our best schools, the foreigners
displace Americans, which has an impact of our country's future.

   * 2. Do you beleive they discourage women or minorities from the
eng. profession

Discourage: Many of the foriegners come from middle eastern or
oriental societies, both of which heavily discriminate against women.  

   * 3. Do they have any impact on the Salaries (for Faculty or
Engineers)

Lower: Many of the foreigners want to stya in the USA after
graduation.  The only way to do so is to get a green card.  To get
that, they must have an employer.  Employers, knowing this, offer
lower salaries which the foreigners will not refuse because they want
to stay.  An employer then has the option to hire a qualified
American at one price or an equally qualified foreigner at a lowr
price...

   * 4. How the system can benifit from their existence in the U.S.

   * 5. For Students taught by Foreign Faculty or TA's, What is your
feedback

It depends on the individual's ability to clearly express themself in
English.  I have found that many foreign students tend to surround
themselves with people from their home country and they talk in their
native language.  This does little to improve their use of the English
language.  You are only as good as your ability to clearly communicate
your ideas.

   * 6. Do they need more admin. work (Burden)

No more than anyone else does.

   * 7. Do you have any thoughts or Ideas on the subject "not covered here"

Without the ability to clearly communicate, foreign students are a
drag on the system.  Furthermore, I have seen instanes (the business
school at Case Western Reserve, for example), where foreign students
are given preferential treatment, vis-a-vis financial aid, with
respect to American students.  While I do believe that having some
number of foriegn students is beneficial, because of the interchange
of ideas and ideologies, when a graduate engineering department has
more than 50% foreign students, something is quite wrong.

--
Gerry Roston (gerry@cmu.edu)    | [the most perfect form of popular
Field Robotics Center,          | government is that] where the least injury
Carnegie Mellon University      | done to meanest individual, is considered
Pittsburgh, PA, 15213           | as an insult on the whole constitution.
(412) 268-3856                  | Solon
                                | 
The opinions expressed are mine | 
and do not reflect the official | 
position of CMU, FRC, RedZone,  | 
or any other organization.      | 
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