The first day of classes on campus is nerve wracking enough, but imagine arriving at a university in a new country where you don't have any friends, housing or classes.

Joelle Frechette, an exchange student from Montreal, Quebec, said she encountered many difficulties when she began classes at the University of Arizona this semester.

"I had no place to sleep in the first night!" she said. Frechette rented a hotel room.

Her first week on campus was very chaotic, she said. Frechette had not registered for classes, and was unaware of an orientation session for international students. "They didn't tell me anything," she said.

She now lives in an off-campus apartment with another international student from Canada. "After you're registered, and get a place to live, it all gets better," she said.

Bevin McArthur, director of International Student Association, said there is little or no focus on international issues on campus.

The biggest concerns international students face when they come to the UA are "adequate housing, financial problems, health care and learning to cope with a completely different culture," said David Currey, assistant director of the Center for Global Student Programs.

The International Student Association and the CGSP are designed to assist the 2,500 international students enrolled at the UA. CGSP provides advising and assistance on federal immigration regulation issues. ISA serves as a support group to make the UA community more like home for the international students.

ISA also serves as an umbrella organization over different clubs and organizations on campus for international students, McArthur said.

CGSP, which resulted from a merger between the former International Student Center and Study Abroad, has a goal of helping promote more interaction between international students and American students, Currey said. It provides advising on federal immigration regulations, conducts an international orientation and registration program, and administers and promotes education abroad and exchange programs.

In addition to ISA and CGSP, there are 20 international and cultural clubs recognized by the Associated Students. International students, however, are not getting enough information about how they can get involved on campus, Bevin said.

But, she added, to a certain degree, there is also some apathy from the students' part towards material distributed to them.

Frechette said she contacts ISA and CGSP when she wants to get involved on campus.

"They are useful, but they aren't enough," she said.

ISA, which is funded by ASUA, operates on a $2,080 annual budget, which allows the organization to spend less than $1 per international student.

"This symbolizes the priority international students and issues have on campus," McArthur said.

Tulin Akin, an international student from Turkey, said he thinks the university pays enough attention to international students.

"When I came here we had this international students orientation, and I must say it was helpful," said Akin.

Akin, who is a chemical engineering graduate student, came to the UA in August 1995.

He said he chose the UA because of its graduate program, and the offer to work as a teaching assistant. He said he also found the Arizona climate appealing.

"I enjoy my independence (in terms of money) while studying in the U.S. Here, I see myself as a professional student. It is an extraordinary experience.

"The least I like is talking with an accent. Unfortunately, most of the Americans think that I am thinking with an accent too," Akin said.

Despite financial difficulties, the campus organizations are currently working on different ways to improve their services. McArthur, who became the ISA director this fall, said she is determined to get more students to participate. ISA is currently working on the creation of an International Culture Week. It is scheduled for the week before Spring Break.

International Culture Week would be very much like the Tucson Heritage Festival, McArthur said. Committees will be set up, and students from various cultures will sell food and present other aspects of their culture.

"ISA is an under used resource/service provided for international students. Hopefully, International Culture Week will change this, and international students will take a more active role in determining their place at the UA," McArthur said.

For information on scholarships, jobs, forums, workshops, community events and international club activities, students should access ISA's Web page at http://w3.arizona.edu/~isa

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