Miriam Jordan’s article (WSJ, Foreign Students Stream into U.S. March 25,2015), may have overlooked an important part of the story. As a Sociology Professor, I have personally witnessed the influx of Asian students. In my classes, I lecture about the manifest and latent consequences of organizational behavior. While the manifest consequence of this influx has been to increase revenue, the latent consequence has been to place an added burden on the faculty. We are functioning as de facto quality control for screening students that are neither culturally nor academically prepared for liberal arts classes. Lacking writing skills and unwilling or unable to participate in discussions, these students are at a great disadvantage. It is then tacitly incumbent on professors to decide whether they are fit to attend an U.S. college. To date (mid-semester) there has been no administration follow up asking for evaluations on the performance of these new students. These evaluations have been s.o.p for at risk students in prior years. It seems heartless and greedy to take their money only to have them fail out a semester or two later. There needs to be a period of acculturation before enrolling and a system of providing emotional and academic support during their stay in U.S. schools. For example, here is a recent e-mail exchange between me and a student that was unhappy with her mid-term grade. She wanted to meet with me so I sent her my office hours. When she asked where my office was, I told her that it was on the syllabus. This was her response;” Prof, on the syllabus you will write 1855 broadway, room 405B, but you didn’t write which building, so could you tell me? Thanks.” Some of my colleagues were assumed by it. I didn’t know what to think. Is this a cultural communication problem? Does she not understand how things work in the U.S.? What do you think?
