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FIS is a cooperative effort between the
Office of International Student Affairs (OISA) and volunteers
in the local community. Our goal is to connect international
students with local families who will support their experience
here as well as enjoy the opportunity for cultural exchange.
Many FIS matches result in true and lasting friendships! Other
relationships are less interactive, but are still helpful
for a student whose family lives very far away. New matches
are made in August and January.
International Students make up 6% of our
student body at The College of Wooster. We enroll approximately
120 students from 35 different countries - India, Ghana and
Jamaica are currently the three largest nationality groups.
Host Families come in all shapes and sizes!
There are nearly 80 families in the program. We encourage
participation regardless of life stage and family type: young
couples, families with or without children, older couples,
single people, etc... All have much to share, and will enjoy
the diversity that FIS brings into their lives.
Things to do together…
The OISA and the Volunteer Coordinators plan opportunities
to encourage FIS relationships to grow. We offer occasional
coupons for campus and community activities, and we organize
special events like an Orientation Dinner, a Potluck during
Wooster’s Family Weekend, an a Winter fire-side game
night.
The rest is up to you, the program participant. Be creative!
Include one another in your everyday lives. It takes time
and energy to allow any relationship to grow.
experiment with ethnic food
bake cookies • watch movies
play American football, or cricket!
visit the County Fair • share a holiday meal
pack a picnic • go hiking, biking, canoeing
COW Family Weekend • International Week
sporting events • musical performances
watch the news • celebrate a birthday
talk politics • shop ‘til you drop!
Families introduce students to US culture
and life off campus. Students introduce families to a new
culture and to events that take place on campus.
Matches are made in early August or
in late December, just prior to the arrival of our new students.
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