K-State offers a number of social, academic and athletic opportunities for students to meet Americans and practice speaking English
The English Language Program works with several departments on campus to offer ELP students special opportunities to converse with American students.
ELP students meet with American students who are going to travel outside the U.S. to study. ELP students help American students know what to expect when going to a new culture.
Cultural Anthropology is a University class in which students learn about other languages and cultures. ELP students team up with American students who are taking this class to teach them about their culture and language.
The International Student Center offers a special conversation program every Fall and Spring semester. American students are paired with international students. Students arrange their own times and activities to meet. Many lasting friendships have developed from this program.
Beverley Earles-Law, who is an ELP instructor, also coordinates the Lou Douglas Lecture Series. This series brings in famous people to give lectures at the University, such as Barbara Trent (Academy Award winning filmmaker) shown above with an ELP student and her "Oscar." University students work with Beverley as interns on the lecture series. Beverley chooses an international student every year to work on the lecture series.
ELP students work with instructors in the Modern Language Department to provide conversational practice for Americans learning other languages. Some of the other languages offered at K-State include Spanish and conversational Japanese. ELP students make friends with American students and share knowledge of their language and culture.
UFM is a branch of the University which offers informal classes to students at K-State and to people in the Manhattan community. Anyone can teach classes, ranging from financial management to gardening, to martial arts and cooking. (ELP student teaches a Chinese cooking class above.). Costs for the classes are relatively inexpensive (from $10 to $50). International students do not need to prove language proficiency to take these classes. It's a wonderful way to meet people from the Manhattan community.
These are only a few of the activities offered on campus. Departments have their own clubs and organizations. McCain and Nichols Theatres offer students a chance to take part in entertainment activities. The Rec Center offers numerous intramural sports competitions.