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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 1996)
Page tember 2,19! >hmei ter that it« Freshmen wi the spirit ggie Wranglti 5 reakers, dant ned by theFi s. ish Camp con no re account! strived to ma jut going asf item get exciii tt'TexasA&M p bring out tin id get the i&M," Rothsa( a freshmange or, attendedtJ i and discove: n Aggieland l-’isit Camp ex? ; traditions to * said. “I net ? the vieu openhagen si . helped bie toothbrush ii lors demonstr te by sharing i. a freshman bo aid. r, a freshui t it was a rewar >t about 1. “The counsel] I felt welcome art of a family.' i The Battalion GGIELIFE Page 5 Monday • September 2, 1996 World Wide Traditions International students get their first taste ofi Aggie Spirit at I-Camp By James Francis The Batt alion T e v f lexas A&M University is called a world class uni versity, thanks to the help of students who hail from around the world. As these new students enter the University system, many will look to Fish Camp and T-Camp to acquaint them with ife at A&M. But for hose starting an academic chapter in the United Staes, International Camp (I-Camp) offers a specialized helping hand to international students. Rajesh Kumar, president of the International Students Association and a business administration graduate itudent, said I-Camp reaches many students. “I’m hippy to see so many people getting involved,” id relax the si hesaid. “t gets them excited about the University.” Kuma said that this year, I-Camp accommoda tions for 150 students had to be stretched for 175 because nore people attended than were expected. Kuma' said he hopes to avoid overcrowding in the future by extending the duration of the one-day camp. “It’s hisically a question of funds, and one day is a tion major, si bit short” he said. “We’ll try to make it a two-day event intics were fiiis later on.” 'listing but ii fr om improvements for the annual camp, the their faces w main locus of I-Camp is to ease international students into college life at Texas A&M. Kurrarsaid I-Camp is meant to encourage interna- , tional students in school, improve interpersonal skills ' neermg .?1mdte.ch them about traditions. “I-Camp is like an initiation rite to Aggieland,” he said. ‘It gives (the students) an idea of what they can 11 do oitside of academics.” I-Camp allows international students to learn uniqie characteristics about A&M and ways to get invoked in campus life. “(nternational students) are totally new and lost whet they get over here,” Kumar said. “For most of ) tivities Advt i began Hon ry 1990 when ;r students ne on like any oif A&M: •r students 0$] Dunn said, goals are tbfe| imp focuse irst-time nee, where- up is more tian Torres np director idents, and that' t they start F-Camp, Page Tim Moog, The Battalion Students from across the world learn how to "hump it" during I-Camp. them, football is soccer.” Kumar said he helps with the camp and enjoys the experience because he understands first-hand what it is like to be an international student at A&M. “f've been here for just a year,” he said. “This was my way of giving back to what 1 was given last year.” Kamran Shah, I-Camp director and junior comput er tngineering major, was commended for doing a by Kumar. Shah, who has lived in six different countries on s know that soij rlrfreshmenartl four continents including Europe, Asia and Africa, was Tim Moog, The Battalion Fen-Ju Tsai, vice president of the International Student's Association, whoops after yell practice at I-Camp, which took place on Aug. 24. born in South Arabia. Shah said coming to Texas gave him time to observe cultural differences between here and his former homes. “It takes a little getting used to — seeing trucks instead of cars,” he said. Shah said I-Camp introduced him to tradi tions, including the profound atmosphere sur rounding Muster. “(Muster is] such an idea,” he said, “something so simple, yet so meaningful.” Shah said the solemn occasion of remembering colleagues and friends is an overwhelming event. I-Camp introduces traditions, provides perfor mances, showcases guest speakers and gives the advantage of making new friends. “I met both my roommates through I-Camp,” Shah said. Anna Becker, a freshman business administra tion major, said she made new friends and discov ered differences in cultural attitudes at the camp. Becker said College Station is larger than her hometown located in the south of Sweden. “The people here are lovely and so friendly,” she said. Becker said the trademark Texas climate also grabbed her attention. "The weather is hotter and more humid here,” she said. Becker said she learned a lot about Texas cul ture, Aggie songs and A&M traditions. “I felt it was great, because I met a lot of people from different countries,” she said. From India to Taiwan, individual international students have their own favorite I-Camp memories. Julio Fajardo, a transfer student from California and industrial engineering major, is originally from Nicaragua. He said he was introduced to the traditional howdy and gig ’em calls at I-Camp and learned a great deal about the Memorial Student Center. Fajardo said his most memorable event was a speech he heard during camp. “(The guest speaker) talked all about being an Aggie, and the connections that we have to make in life,” Fajardo said. Fajardo said he recommends I-Camp to interna tional students. “I give it an eight or nine out of 10,” he said. T-Camp Continued from Page 4 3 S/l out comfortable and are not step ping on the campus cold turkey.” Like Fish Camp, T-Camp fea tures mixers, competitions and Discussion Groups (DGs) so stu dents can get to know each other and make new friends. Behind-the-scenes work at the camps is done bythe “T-Team,” a group of students who work on the activities, act as yell leaders and teach traditions. Carabeth Johnston, T-camp director of staffand a senior edu cation major, said the overall goals of T-Cairip are basically the same as Fish Camp. “Fish Camp training is proba bly more extensive because they have four times as many people as we do at T-Camp,” Johnston said. “But we’re both trying to motivate the students and get them involved.” lohnston began working with Howdy Camp Mash Crew, a group similar to T-Camp’s T- Team, for two years before she began her work at T-Camp. “Most people work their way up from T-Team to co-chair, then to director of staff,” Johnston said. “I just applied last September because I really wanted to get involved on cam pus and chose to be a director so I could work with it on a differ ent level.” Dunn said the number of peo ple attending T-Camp has grown over the past few years. “Our first summer, we had about 60 people,” Dunn said. “That number has risen to between 350 and 400 this summer.” Dunn said the program has made some minor changes over the years. “Eve seen the program grow more than I’ve seen it change,” Dunn said. 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