What Could Make the Buddy Program More Effective?

Chonnam National University (CNU) offers a buddy program designed to support international students’ campus lives and enhance their academic success, while fostering connections between international and current students. International students can get help from current friends to adjust to their new surroundings and Korean life, while current students can also practice their foreign language skills through mutual cultural exchange with their buddies. Joining the program can be beneficial for both students, but there have been complaints about the program, along with opinions for improvements. The number of current student applicants has also decreased this semester. In this issue’s News Focus, the Chonnam Tribune examines the program’s operation and listens to the feedback from students who have participated in the program, exploring ways to enhance its effectiveness. 

About the Buddy Program 
The Office of International Affairs (OIA) has paired 60 current and 140 international students as for the Buddy Program this semester. All incoming international students are required to participate in this program. Current students are responsible for helping their buddies get accustomed to university life and trips around. Their team-oriented activities are recorded in a buddy diary and then submitted to the OIA. Current students who participate in the program receive some benefits such as official volunteer hours.

The OIA revised the program’s benefits system this semester. The most significant change is that the scholarships for outstanding buddies have been eliminated. Volunteer hours for current students will also be apportioned differently depending on their international buddies’ satisfaction results. Until last year, the students selected as outstanding buddies received a scholarship of 200,000 won, and every participant obtained about 30 volunteer hours.

In this regard, Buddy Program Manager Choi Jung-in said, “The buddy program’s purpose is to encourage international and current students to form friendships and engage in a variety of mutual cultural exchange activities. Granting cash prizes to outstanding buddies may contradict the program’s objectives and be unfair to those who are not awarded prizes. Therefore, we decided that only volunteer hours are awarded to current buddies.” According to the manager, it may not be fair because not all participating students benefit if only outstanding buddies are rewarded, and the new approach to awarding volunteer hours is designed to encourage more active participation in activities with buddies.

Feedback on the Program
The buddy program is still causing financial strain among current students due to the cost of activities, despite meeting their expectations regarding English practice. Park Ha-ju (Junior, Dept. of Public Administration said, “Through the program, I achieved my main goals of improving my English skills and engaging in cultural exchange. However, the more we met, the more money we spent. I think that providing subsidies for buddy teams would reduce the financial burden of joining the program and motivate them to participate in the activities.” Essentially, buddy teams are encouraged to have meals together and engage in activities, in addition to studying together.

Some foreign students said that current students did not participate in the buddy program actively. Troalen Maina (Exchange Student, Dept. of English Language and Literature) said, “Our buddies helped us with questions and administrative tasks. They involved us in a variety of interesting activities, so I never felt uncomfortable, because my buddies were always there whenever I needed them. However, I heard that some other current buddies did not spend enough time with their foreign buddies, only seeking the program’s financial and administrative benefits.” Due to this concern, the OIA decided to distribute volunteer hours based on international students’ satisfaction. If current students put enough effort into their activities, the satisfaction results of international buddies were virtually always positive. However, some consider this strategy ineffective for ensuring smooth operation.

It is apparent that this program is beneficial to international students. Nevertheless, not all international students are fully engaged in the program, even though participation in this program is mandatory for all international students. In fact, the majority of the team members who had poor experiences with the activities gave up their benefits and unilaterally disengaged from the program. As a result, some international students feel uncomfortable during their time on campus because they are unable to communicate well with their buddies. 

Room for Improvement
Based on feedback from students who participated in the program, it is advisable that the OIA holds more events or programs that both students can enjoy together and which would give them chances to get closer. It is an effective way to reduce costs for buddy teams when participating in private activities, thereby loweringthe financial burden. Additionally, communication issues may arise, and team members may not always get along with each other. Some international students may make personal requests that go beyond the program’s guidelines set by the OIA, such as asking their buddies to participate in personal activities or assist with daily tasks.

Furthermore, it is crucial that both groups receive detailed and comprehensive information about the buddy program so that they can understand its benefits and participate more actively. Meanwhile, according to the OIA, there may be consequences for buddies who neglect their responsibilities, including being disqualified from applying for any program it offers in the future.

Toward Accomplishing Its Purpose
In spite of the program’s positive impacts, the recent diminishing number of current applicants highlights room for the program to improve its quality to satisfy both groups of students. Enhancing activities directly run by the OIA to reduce financial burdens and ensuring effective communication are helpful approaches to resolving the current issues. By executing these changes, the buddy program will attract more current applicants and reinforce its role in building a supportive and inclusive educational community on campus.

Li Kunling (Exchange Student, Dept. of Korean Language and Literature) said, “My language skills improved by making friends from various countries. With my buddy’s help, I was able to learn about school and adapt well.” As she mentioned, the buddy program is beneficial for international students. Current students can also gain valuable experience by making foreign friends from abroad and assisting them. Through the program, both students will have the opportunity to experience the world at CNU while forming new friendships. 

By Ok Hui-kyeong, Reporter