Page 1

Community Friends o f International S tudents

Internat ional Place of The Claremont Colleges , 390 East 9th S treet , Claremont , CA 91711 -5905

Summer 2016 h t tp : / / ip lace .c laremont.edu Vol . 39, No. 3

2016 Community Friend of the Year

Joan Gerard

The term “It takes a village…” is quite appropriate for how Community Friends events are planned and

executed. Members and friends volunteer to assist I-Place in its many activities, BUT, there is one board

committee that makes these efforts and goals happen. This is the Special Events Committee, headed up by

Board member JOAN GERARD.

In 2015 our dear friend and Special Events Co-Chair, Linda

Heilpern, passed away. She contributed her special culinary talents

to CFIS events for years. CFIS benefited from her dedicated service.

Joan continued on alone this year with committee duties. Her

duties actually increased due to increased enrollments of

international students at The Claremont Colleges. The Special

Events committee coordinated two (instead of the usual one)

Welcome Picnics, two Family Dinners, 1 Gala, 1 Holiday Reception,

volunteer participation at the International Festival, and the Annual

Meeting. Many CFIS volunteers helped - but everyone took

directions from Joan. She is good at managing people (after all, she

was a junior high school teacher in Upland for over 30 years!). She

continues, in her retirement, to be a mentor for new teachers. She is

an avid cyclist, volunteers for her synagogue. AND she helped us!

Joan began contr ibuting to CFIS as a host family in 1995. She

and her husband have hosted about 30 international students over the years. She served as Co-President for

three years, has served as Chair of the Special Events committee for many years, and continues to be a

vital presence on the board.

It is our pleasure to honor JOAN for years of service to Community Friends of International Students as

our 2016 Community Friend of the Year.

Thank you to all outgoing board members for your time, service, and commitment in support of CFIS and the

international student community of The Claremont Colleges.

Page 2

“Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.”

This is a quote that we think is indicative of where we are as we

approach the 2016-2017 academic year.

Where we are starting — We are starting from a place of

strength, standing on the solid foundation built by the very

dedicated people who have made I-Place and CFIS into what we

are today. We are in awe of what has grown from the 1969 seed

of an idea to support the 58 international students in Claremont,

working out of borrowed space with no funding from the

colleges.

In 2016, I-Place has its own budget funded by all seven

institutions, with an office at CMC and a professional staff of

four, to support more than 1100 international students. Chrystal,

Susan and Jessica still provide the personal touch, the friendly

faces, and the support that is at the heart of what I-Place is

about, but much of the work of the staff must be devoted to

compliance with government regulations and the administrative

demands of being accountable to seven different institutions.

What we have — We have a steadfast group of generous CFIS

members; host families who share their lives and homes;

conversation partners who devote their time; bakers and ticket-

takers, storytellers and trinket sellers, and the set-up and clean-

up crews who provide the muscle and hustle needed to run the

International Festival. We have new criteria for membership

that recognizes all these and other contributions of time, talent

and treasure.

What we can do — We can suppor t CFIS events and I-Place

programs as they evolve to meet the changing needs of a

growing international student population. The Welcome Picnic

became two picnics last year to accommodate five different

undergraduate schedules for orientation, but the cost was

prohibitive and not a prudent use of CFIS resources. This year

we are planning a Host Family Reunion event about a week or

so after classes start. We hope you can join the fun.

With the increase in students, we have noticed an increase in

requests for CFIS emergency loans and technology grants. We

can hold a fund-raiser to help meet these funding needs and we

welcome ideas in that regard.

We can relieve I-Place staff of the CFIS administrative duties,

and not divert their time from providing the personal attention

that students need. We can continue to be part of the human

connection that fosters mutual understanding and friendship

with our students from 84 different countries. We hope we can

continue to rely on you, and we are most grateful for your

support going forward.

Members of the Board 2016-2017

Officers

Co-Presidents: Neva Barker, Kristen Mallory

Vice-President: Katya Fairbanks

Secretary: Catherine D’Emilio

Treasurer: Todd Sasaki

Nominating Committee: Claudia Lennear &

John Faranda

Directors & Coordinators

Host Family: John Tarin, Barbara Rugeley

Membership: Laurie Strobel, Maureen McCluney

Fund-Raising: Bertil Lindblad

Newsletter Co-Editors: Helen Young,

Claudia Lennear, Catherine D’Emilio

Special Events: Joan Gerard, Beth Hartnett

Support Council: Neil Gerard

Conversation Partners: Katya Fairbanks

Members-at-Large

Rita Wodinsky, Marcia Habib, Latreace Cox

Community Support Council

Renuka Balakrishnan, Sandra Baldonado, Donna &

Dave Bedell, Norma Blissett-Jacoob, Laura

Bollinger, Deb and John Corey, Frank D’Emilio,

Barbara and Vasu Dev, Emily and Michael Fay,

Sandra Flores, Carol Gil, Helaine and Steve Gold-

water, Betty Hagelbarger, Brenda & John Hill,

Anita Hughes, Sue Keith, Pat Lightfoot, Tamara &

John Mark Lindvall, Susan Lominska, Charlene

Martin, Marc Massoud, Dean McHenry, Swapan &

Mitra Nag, Deede and Larry Olson, Claire Oxtoby,

Lissa Petersen, Diann Ring, Marguerite Royse,

Linda & Herb Scott, Greg Shapton, Judith and Da-

vid Tanenbaum, Ellen and Marshall Taylor,

Edie Young, Cindy Walkenbach

International Place Staff

Interim Director: Jessica Alampay

Administrative Assistant: Sue Kerns

Program Coordinator: Chrystal Orozco

Contact Information

I-Place Office: (909) 607-4571; 621-8344

Website: iplace.claremont.edu

E-mail: ipoffice@cmc.edu

Fax: (909) 621-8549

FROM THE PRESIDENTS

Neva Barker and Maureen McCluney,

Co-Presidents, 2015-16

Page 3

I have now served as Host Family Coordinator for CFIS for a few years, and it is a pleasure working with

CFIS members and volunteers to place incoming students with host families. This usually involves many

hours of contacting families by phone or email, to see if they can host an international student from the

Claremont Colleges.

Even though I can’t host a student myself, for lack of a spare bedroom in my home, I have received much

satisfaction in placing many international students with friendly host families. International students who

come to Claremont benefit greatly from seeing how an average American family lives. The host family

experience can also provide an opportunity for forming friendships that last a lifetime.

I invite you (especially any first-time readers of this newsletter) to consider taking a chance by becoming a

host family this summer. Click on the International Place website to learn how to do it. You won’t regret

doing so! I-Place Office: (909) 607-4571; 621-8344

Website: iplace.claremont.edu

Host Families Needed - An Invitation for Both New and Continuing Hosts

By John Tarin, Host Family Coordinator

This year’s Annual Meeting and Dinner, held at the Smith Campus Center at Pomona College on Sunday,

June 5, was a great success. The evening began with a reception on the patio and was followed by dinner.

Following dinner Neva Barker and Maureen McCluney conducted the business portion of the evening,

highlighting the great strides that CFIS has made this year. Treasurer Susan

Brinkama presented the budget and Claudia Lennear presented the new

slate of officers, who were approved unanimously. Interim Director Jessica

Alampay, gave her report recounting the major events of the year and

complimented CFIS for its role supporting our international students and

I-Place.

Professor of Italian Studies at Scripps College, Elise Magistro, our

honored speaker, shared her interests in issues relating to Italy and the

history of Italian cooking, especially in Sicily. She explained that large

families, restricted by primogenitor inheritance laws, often sequestered their

daughters in nunneries, where the rich families contributed to the support

of the convent by providing consumables: sugar, flour, cocoa, salt. The

nuns would create confections as a thank you. In 1860, Italy was unified

and secularized, suppressing any convent that couldn’t support itself. Thus, some convents were motivated

to sell their products to support themselves. Dr. Magistro demonstrated how the pastries imitated the

Baroque architecture of the cities. The speech was charming and the pastries looked delicious!

CFIS ANNUAL MEETING AND DINNER

Page 4

INTERNATIONAL

FESTIVAL

2016

Page 5

International Festival 2016: Singin’, Dancin’ and Eatin’ in the Rain

A long-standing tradition and an event that brings together students from all

the 7C’s, community members and volunteers, student performers and

professional artists as well as the ever-helpful Boy Scouts, International Festival

2016 held on Saturday, April 9th, was a true celebration with a good turnout

despite the uncharacteristic drizzle.

International Festival is first and foremost about authentic international food

made with love by student volunteers from over 25 countries. 17 regional booths

mapping out the whole world, from Japan and Singapore to Vietnam to Russia

to Saudi Arabia to Greece to France to Morocco to Mexico and all the way to

the Philippines offered yummy treats such as scallion pancakes, dried seaweed,

noodles in curry and coconut milk, egg rolls, yam cake pops, ramen, tzatziki,

ceviche con tostadas, pasta fredda, beef dumplings, flatbread with salmon and

much, much more.

The dessert menu was equally head-spinning and included both crepes and

blini (French and Russian thin pancakes, respectively), tiramisu, baklava, flan, honey and sesame pastries. The

community volunteer bakery contributed with delicious cinnamon buns and cookies. Students and the I-Place

staff coordinators worked very hard well into the wee hours of the days preceding the festival to make the

food, with the invaluable help of the dining hall kitchens staff.

Back in the days of ancient Rome, they knew the public needed both bread and circuses – food and

entertainment. I-Fest is certainly not just about the bread, circuses are very much in, too – a whole variety of

them, in fact. Cultural activities are a particular favorite among the younger world-travelers coming to the

CMC Quad: this year visitors enjoyed doing arts and crafts at the Mexican booth, weaving narratives at the

story-telling booth with the local community group and joining a sunflower seed contest. And of course there

was the singing and dancing, on stage and all around it, with performers hailing from Ireland, China, the

Philippines and beyond. The joyful celebration was crowned by an electric performance by Masanga

Marimba, a musical group playing traditional music from Zimbabwe AND Latin America (more bridging and

more mapping!) that had the happy and well-fed visitors, including members of the Claremont Colleges

Ballroom Dance company, break out into an impromptu dance in the rain.

Page 6

Tea and Conversation with International Students and Their Families

Tamara Lindvall is a longtime supporter of international students attending the Claremont Colleges. She

volunteers to serve this particular student demographic, planning the best ways for them to acquire

meaningful American experiences when finding leisure time. Soft-spoken, the diminutive advocate

operates quietly behind the scenes directing the arts and crafts booth during the annual International

Festival, or performing a “meet and greet” at luncheons featuring a prominent speaker who presents

information about important international topics or events..

She is not a newcomer to the international student experience. She honed her cultural skills by living

abroad with her family, first as a young girl living with her family in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia where her father

worked as a geologist. Next, it was Paris, France and later Rome, Italy. Finally, she made journeys to

several destinations in Pakistan where trips to the mountains or countryside were her chosen terminus.

Nowadays, Tamara lives here in town with her own family and is the proud parent of a son who has spent a

summer in Moscow.

As a member of Community Friends of International Students, Tamara can genuinely empathize with

those who come to study in America for the first time because she herself has lived and studied in another

country. To bridge the cultural gap, she has lead an English Conversation and Friendship group for the last

ten years, meeting and befriending many delightful spouses of international students and their children.

With help from Rita Wodinsky and Norma Blissett, Tamara organizes small social settings, such as tea

parties in her home, picnics in scenic spots around the campuses, coffee in the I-Place lounge, as well as

visits to museums, parks and plays. Like a cultural bridge, she believes that participating in these groups

makes it easier for spouses to cross over to the American lifestyle. These regularly held English

conversation circles allow one to practice the English language comfortably and, most importantly, allow

one to make friends. Additionally, it allows the wives of students to teach about their country, language and

culture.

Tamara invites other Community Friend who would like to get involved in this enriching activity. Please

contact her for information about assisting with the next English Conversation meeting or to inquire about

starting up your own group. She can be reached at tamaralindvall@gmail.com

She has served on the Board of Directors of CFIS both as Vice-President and Member At-Large.

Page 7

Alfonso Rodriquez, from Mexico, attended Pitzer College in 2014-15 as an exchange student. He writes

to his host parent that he has just finished his first year of graduate school at the University of Mexico, where

he is working on a Master’s Degree in Anthropology. Looking back, he says his best social experience in

Claremont was attending a Mexican concert at the Los Angeles County Fair with his host family. Also, his

academic semester at Pitzer was an experience in enrichment as the courses gave him an opportunity to

express his thoughts in the English language. Alfonso says that “Claremont will remain in my memory as

‘my little pueblo’ in North America. It is small, quiet, and full of wonderful people from many different

places. It is very cosmopolitan.”

When asked if his impressions of the U.S. or California changed at all since he first arrived, he answers,

yes. “My host family directed me to many Mexican American cultural places in the neighborhood on the first

day we met. I was surprised to see all the architectural and art influences from my country in Claremont and

Pomona.” Alfonso plans to conduct research once he finishes his degree.

Bereniece H. Martínez, from Argentina, was a 2014-15 Pitzer Exchange Student studying theater. This

past year, since returning to Buenos Aires, she organized her CV for submission to the National Theater and

ended up accepting a position in stage design at her university to get some management experience. This

coming summer she will work for an international summer stock group that features dance. (Yes, the Tango

is included in the repertoire!)

Her best experiences here were working with world-class theater and art professors. She says their guidance

helped her make productive choices. Things she most enjoyed while at the colleges included going shopping

with her host family. “It is so incredible how cheap the prices are in California compared to Buenos Aires,

whether you are shopping at the Montclair Plaza mall or the local grocery

super store. Wow!” Something she enjoyed the least was the transporta-

tion system: very limited. What about her plans for the future? “Right now, I live in a multi-

generational home. I really look forward to seeing my grandmother once

again. She is a person who is so kind, knowledgeable, and a source of

strength. I will consult with her when I move out to live on my own later

this year.” And her impressions of California and the colleges? “It is very

beautiful in the United States. The climate is mild and the sun always

shines. The mountains form a lovely backdrop that seem so near they can

be touched. I knew it would be pleasant to live there, but California is

much nicer than I imagined.”

Bereniece would like to make a career path that leads from productions

at smaller theaters to large scale spectacles. She is tempted to get

involved in scene design in the film industry; however, but knows that

vision may take another degree and relocation. Bereniece Martinez and

her Grandmother

Touching Base with Former Students

Page 8

Touching Base with Former Students—Continued

Noopur Kore, from India, graduated from CGU in the 2014-15

academic year and received an MS degree in Information Systems and

Technology. She is currently here and looking for a job. Her best

memory of her time at the colleges was organizing and celebrating Holi

Festival on the CGU campus. She participated in the host family

program through I-Place and also enjoyed working with a Conversation

Partner. She most appreciated Claremont and the colleges because it

was an “excellent place to study, surrounded by people focused on their

education.” But she also found it “too quiet!” She is looking forward

to utilizing her education and experience once she gets back home. Her

impressions of the US or California have definitely changed since

living and studying here. “Looking at the culture and people in real life

as opposed to warped projections of the media helped me change my impressions. I have a much better

knowledge now.” Noopur plans to work in the US for few years then go back to her home country to pursue

further interests and be near her family.

You may view the CFIS newsletter on the

I-Place website at http://iplace.claremont.edu. Click

on the link for "Community Friends of International

Students.”

If you want to receive the newsletter in print, or

prefer not to receive the newsletter at all, please let us

know by sending a message to ipoffice@cmc.edu or

phone us at 909-607-4571.

Electronic News

Do you have a bicycle

sitting around that you

don’t use any more?

For several years I

have been fixing up

donated bikes and

loaning them out to international students. Due to

attrition, I am down to one bike. If you would like

to donate a bike to the cause, don’t worry if your

bike is not in great condition. I can repair it.

Contact me or I-Place at 909-607-4571,

ipoffice@cmc.edu .

Dave Bedell

The Host Family Program

Start Dates

Don’t miss the chance to host an international

student during the summer 2016 host family

program. Listed below are the start dates for the

various orientations.

Keck Graduate Institute Host Family Dates:

Thursday, August 11 and Friday, August 12

Orientation 1: Tuesday, August 16 and

Wednesday, August 17

Pomona College, Claremont McKenna College,

Pitzer College (degree-seeking students/non-

exchange)

Orientation 2: Saturday, August 20 and

Sunday, August 21

Harvey Mudd College, Scripps College, Pitzer

College (exchange students), Claremont

Graduate University

Go to the I-Place website to sign up. Website: iplace.claremont.edu

Page 9

Arlene Andrew

Anne Bages

Sandy Baldonado

Neva Barker

Donna and David Bedell

Kenneth Benesh

Sophia and Charles Blankson

Laura and Chuck Burt

Eloise and Norman Cadman

Mary and Chris Caenepeel

Susan Choi

Young Ah Choi

Eun Ryong Chong

Jean and John Cobb

Betsey Coffman

Deb and John Corey

Lynne Curry

Preethi de Silva

Frank and Catherine D'Emilio

Carol-Lee Marshall and

Ben Dewald

Jane and Gordon Douglass

Enid Eckert

Soumya Chakravart and

Katya Fairbanks

John Faranda

Amy and Richard Fass

Emily and Michael Fay

Laura Felzer

Penny and Jerry Garris

Joan and Neil Gerard

Katie and Bob Gerecke

Carol and Gus Gil

Norma and Scott Grannis

Elke Haetzel

Bonnie Busenberg and

Tom Helliwell

Brenda and John Hill

Eun Ju Hong

Anita Hughes

Dorothy Jenkins

Stew Johnson

Jeanne L Kennedy

Marc Massoud

Maureen and Bill McCluney

Jackie and Dean McHenry

Barbara Mensendiek

Asli Misoglu

Lynda Mulhall

Helen-Jeanne and

Leonard Munter

Barbara Musselman

Mitra and Swapan Nag

Kaoru Numata

Alice Oglesby

Alok and Sumedha Ojha

Deede and Larry Olson

Claire and David Oxtoby

Markos Papageorgiou

Lissa and Dan Petersen

Joan and John Phillips

Rhonda and Randy Prout

Jenifer Onstatt and

Merrill Ring

Karen and Michael Rosenthal

Dorothy and Dennis Royse

Greg Shapton and

Barbara Rugeley

Nancy Ruyter

Radha Sadhu

Linda and Peter Saeta

Jill and Warren Schimpff

Amrita Sinnas

Daryl Smith

Zia Sud

Admiral and Chamy Sun

Judith and David Tanenbaum

Ellen and Marshall Taylor

Sabrina Tin

Ann Stromberg and

Rudi Volti

Cindy Walkenbach

Teddie and Kent Warner

Ahlene and David Welsh

Myra White

Rita Wodinsky

Edie Young

Helen Young

“THANK YOU” TO OUR WONDERFUL CFIS DONORS

In Memoriam

Amitabha Chowdhury,

Neepa Chowdhury’s husband.

We wish to convey our condolences to

his family and to acknowledge

his contribution to

Community Friends of International

Students.

Page 10

BYLAW CHANGES REDEFINES MEMBERSHIP IN CFIS

The following changes in the Bylaws were discussed and passed at the Annual Meeting on Sunday, June

5, by the CFIS members in attendance. They relate to a new definition of membership and broadening the

category of membership in the group.

This is the prior language in CFIS By-Laws (in italics) (Amended June 3, 2013)

Membership

Any interested person may become a member upon payment of dues. Dues shall be set annually by the

Board of Directors.

[NB: Board of Directors = Officers (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Chair of

Nominating Committee) plus 5-25 additional elected members.]

Here is the new language for CFIS By-Laws (in italics, amended on June 5, 2016)

Membership

A person shall be considered a member of CFIS by fulfilling any of the following criteria:

Payment of annual dues set annually by the Board of Directors, or

Volunteering at a CFIS event, or

Hosting an international student from The Claremont Colleges for one of the semester orientation

programs, or

Working with international students to improve their language skills as a Conversation Partner, or

Committing to one of the ongoing CFIS programs.

A Membership Update form shall be required each year, indicating those criteria making the member

eligible. Current contact information will be requested on this form.

This Bylaw change has been made because each of the above-mentioned services supports the goals of CFIS

to improve international understanding and friendship, to provide services to international students of The

Claremont Colleges, and to raise funds in support of I-Place programs. People offering such services shall be

considered as members of CFIS.

Several other bylaws were also changed to come into conformity with this new definition. Please contact the

co-presidents if you would like a copy of the revised Bylaws.

Page 11

The 2015-16 academic year was full of changes at The Claremont Colleges.

International Place also experienced significant changes in the composition

of our staff. In the past year we bid farewell to 2 dedicated members of the

International Place staff: Donald Delgado, Director of International Place

from 2008-2016 and Marsha Habib, Assistant Director from 2013-2016, both

of whom have taken their extensive experience in International Education

beyond International Place. Donald helps local schools with immigration reg-

ulations compliance as a Field Representative for the U.S. Student and Ex-

change Visitor Program, while Marsha has taken on the role of International

Student Advisor at Keck Graduate Institute.

The search for a permanent Director for International Place took place in the Spring semester, led by the

Kristen Mallory, Director of Off-Campus Study at Claremont McKenna College, who also happens to be the

incoming co-President of CFIS. The search for a permanent Assistant Director began soon after the start of

summer. International Place expects both searches to be complete in early July.

Ensuring full staffing is a priority for International Place. In addition to revising and updating job

descriptions, we have been taking a close look at our programming and considering how to best serve our

international students and scholars. Our staff looks forward to introducing new features to our pre-existing

programming, as well as introducing new programs, such as a workshop for faculty and staff, entitled: “An

Introduction to The International Student Experience,” which we hope will give us the opportunity to raise

awareness of issues that affect our international students. This new workshop will cover topics from cultural

and academic adjustment, from the perspective of students raised outside of the U.S., as well as regulations

pertaining to immigration and employment, and more.

In response to the protest movements of the Fall of 2015, International Place reached out to our students

and opened its doors to dialogue. The students who came in to speak to our staff reminded us that the

International Student and Scholar community experienced these dramatic events in very unique ways. It

meant a great deal to us that students were willing to turn to I-Place in such a tumultuous time, and to share

their thoughts and experiences with us. These moments allowed our staff the opportunity to learn more about

our students perspectives, but it also gave us the chance to provide some context for what they were seeing

and hearing on campus. These events also served as a catalyst for International Place to introduce a new

segment to the New International Student and Scholar Orientation. This new segment of orientation will allow

our fellow shared-services offices to get to know our students, and for our students to learn more about these

resources and campus leaders. In doing this we seek to further equip our students to face the many social,

academic, and personal challenges that they may face in Claremont. Helping connect our students to the right

support mechanism is paramount amongst the missions of our office, and we continue to search for the best

ways to serve this diverse and dynamic community. We believe that our job at International Place includes

fostering understanding and providing opportunities to our students to learn about the diversity of

communities and resources that exist to support all students.

We are gearing up for a busy orientation season, and look forward to seeing many of you in the month of

August! We appreciate all that CFIS does for International Place and for our students. We hope many of you

will choose to host a student again this summer.

Wishing you a very happy summer, from International Place.

A MESSAGE FROM INTERNATIONAL PLACE By Interim Director: Jessica Alampay

Page 12

Community Friends of International Students

390 East 9th Street

Claremont, CA 91711-5905